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1 - Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
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Bloody Baltimore
Bloody Baltimore
Washingon Post
By Editorial Board June 1 at 8:18 PM
SOON AFTER the rioting in Baltimore ended in late April, the world’s media turned their gaze elsewhere. Then, as a petulant police force retreated to its station houses, the real carnage began.
May was the most lethal month in the city in more than 40 years; in per capita terms, it may have been the bloodiest month since recordkeeping began.
There were 43 victims of homicide in the city last month, the most since August 1972, when Baltimore ’s population, now 600,000, was about 900,000. In addition, there were 108 nonfatal shootings in May, nearly triple the number recorded the same month last year. Over the three-day Memorial Day weekend alone, the city recorded 32 shootings and nine homicides.
As Baltimore’s streets succumb to the wave of carnage, the police have simply withdrawn, by many accounts. Harassed, hooted at and openly hated in the wake of the arrest of Freddie Gray, whose death in custody triggered the rioting in April, uniformed officers seem to have decided not to do their jobs.
Arrests, already down from 2014 levels before the rioting, have plummeted by more than 50 percent since then. Community leaders in Sandtown — the area where Mr. Gray was arrested — say there is a deliberate effort on the police department’s part to vacate the streets and see how the community likes it.
On Fox News, one officer, his face and voice obscured, explained the cops’ “reasoning.” “After the protests, it seems like the citizens would appreciate a lack of police presence, and that’s exactly what they’re getting,” he said. He went on to blame the city’s leadership for not having officers’ backs and prosecutors for indicting the six police officers in whose custody Mr. Gray was fatally injured.
If the police are determined to degrade their already poisonous relations with the city’s mainly African American communities, they have hit upon an effective strategy. Peevishness seems to have supplanted all sense of duty.
Even Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts has acknowledged his officers have felt confused and unsupported following the charges filed against the six officers. Implicitly acknowledging the slowdown underway, he said he has asked officers to maintain a “visible and consistent presence” in the city’s neighborhoods.
At the same time, there is no sign that city or state officials are devising any sort of strategy to lift Baltimore from its spiraling sense of despair.
Gov. Larry Hogan (R), having spent a week in Baltimore following the riots, has had little to say about the city since then beyond his insistence on the restoration of public order.
Hogan administration officials say that Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., an African American and a Democrat from Baltimore who is an aide to the governor, will offer recommendations to promote jobs and opportunity in the city. So far there is no indication of how and when that may happen.
Baltimore must not be allowed to spiral into further despair and violence. Just as the city deserves responsible, proactive policing, it deserves strategic, forward-thinking governance from city and state leaders. Failing that, Baltimore’s failure will become their own.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- The Man
- Exchanger
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Re: Bloody Baltimore
One gripe I have with that article is that they didn't even mention the awful, incompetent city leadership (the mayor and the city council). They just jumped to 'what is the governor and his staff going to do?' It needs to start with the communities and the city leadership, and they need to be behind the police. Nothing good comes out of a 'fuck the police!' mentality, and too many young people have that mentality, and even Baltimore's leadership seems to have that mentality. They should be lauding police and encouraging them to crack down hard on criminals in Baltimore's neighborhoods. Another thing that I thought was odd, and a sign that Baltimore's citizens' mentality is bass ackwards, was the mural of Freddie Gray. A mural of a low-life thug, repeated (many times) criminal, really? He may have been killed unjustly, we will find out, but no one should pretend that he was a good guy who contributed anything positive to society.
PS. Pardon the French above with the F word, please feel free to edit if necessary.
- Goose
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Re: Bloody Baltimore
I don't think he was a good guy. He was a petty criminal. But he wasn't killed during some split second moment of decision. It was a routine transport of a man who was already subdued and secured.
I think it is unacceptable for the people to have a Fuck the police mentality.
And, I think it is unacceptable for the police to have a fuck the city attitude.
I expect them to be able and willing to go out there and do their jobs whether they are popular for the moment or not.
I mean, what are they saying? Give us unquestioning adulation or we'll sit on our hands?
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
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Thread Starter- The Man
- Exchanger
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Re: Bloody Baltimore
Goose wrote:
I don't think he was a good guy. He was a petty criminal. But he wasn't killed during some split second moment of decision. It was a routine transport of a man who was already subdued and secured.
I think it is unacceptable for the people to have a Fuck the police mentality.
And, I think it is unacceptable for the police to have a fuck the city attitude.
I expect them to be able and willing to go out there and do their jobs whether they are popular for the moment or not.
I mean, what are they saying? Give us unquestioning adulation or we'll sit on our hands?
No, I really don't think that's it at all. I think they really just want respect. Most police, probably 99% of them, are good people just trying to do their job without incident, and they do care a lot obviously, because there's a whole lot of easier jobs that pay more money than a cop's salary. I think they felt a huge slap in the face when one bad incident involving police officers occurred, and everyone seemingly turned their back on them.
- Common Sense
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Re: Bloody Baltimore
Blame the police for all the problems in Baltimore and oh and let’s not forget Gov. Hogan who has been in office for a few months. I think if leadership in Baltimore is unable to govern the city all they have to do is ask for the state to step in and the National Guard and additional police can be redeployed quickly. If Hogan acts without being requested all the complaints will be why is he acting without the request from the Mayor or as it is now why is he not “taking charge” It’s a no win situation for the Gov. because he is the first Republican governor in Maryland in I think 20 years!
I have to wonder if any one on the Washington Post Editorial board would ever work a beat in Southwestern dist. in Baltimore? I don't think they would.....
“We hold these truths to be self-evident,” former vice president Biden said during a campaign event in Texas on Monday. "All men and women created by — you know, you know, the thing.”
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
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Re: Bloody Baltimore
Blame the police for all the problems in Baltimore
Who did that?
Maybe you read another editorial, cause it wasn't this one.
Hyperbole and strawman arguments really aren't helpful.
Last edited by Goose (6/02/2015 5:26 pm)
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- •
Thread Starter- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
Offline
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 13,427
Re: Bloody Baltimore
I don't think he was a good guy. He was a petty criminal. But he wasn't killed during some split second moment of decision. It was a routine transport of a man who was already subdued and secured.
I think it is unacceptable for the people to have a Fuck the police mentality.
And, I think it is unacceptable for the police to have a fuck the city attitude.
I expect them to be able and willing to go out there and do their jobs whether they are popular for the moment or not.
I mean, what are they saying? Give us unquestioning adulation or we'll sit on our hands?No, I really don't think that's it at all. I think they really just want respect. Most police, probably 99% of them, are good people just trying to do their job without incident, and they do care a lot obviously, because there's a whole lot of easier jobs that pay more money than a cop's salary. I think they felt a huge slap in the face when one bad incident involving police officers occurred, and everyone seemingly turned their back on them.
How do you then explain this work slowdown?
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- •
Thread Starter- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
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- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 13,427
Re: Bloody Baltimore
I think that the police are professionals. And I expect professionals to buckle their chinstraps and get to work whether they are popular at the moment or not.
And, if they are unpopular, who is really to blame but bad cops.
I should think they would focus their anger there.
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- •
Thread Starter- The Man
- Exchanger
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- Registered: 3/07/2015
- Posts: 779
Re: Bloody Baltimore
I don't think he was a good guy. He was a petty criminal. But he wasn't killed during some split second moment of decision. It was a routine transport of a man who was already subdued and secured.
I think it is unacceptable for the people to have a Fuck the police mentality.
And, I think it is unacceptable for the police to have a fuck the city attitude.
I expect them to be able and willing to go out there and do their jobs whether they are popular for the moment or not.
I mean, what are they saying? Give us unquestioning adulation or we'll sit on our hands?No, I really don't think that's it at all. I think they really just want respect. Most police, probably 99% of them, are good people just trying to do their job without incident, and they do care a lot obviously, because there's a whole lot of easier jobs that pay more money than a cop's salary. I think they felt a huge slap in the face when one bad incident involving police officers occurred, and everyone seemingly turned their back on them.
How do you then explain this work slowdown?
They aren't respected or wanted, by the city leadership or by the people who live in the neighborhoods. I wouldn't do a job where I wasn't wanted and respected either.
- Goose
- Cogito ergo sum
Offline
- Registered: 1/29/2015
- Posts: 13,427
Re: Bloody Baltimore
No, I really don't think that's it at all. I think they really just want respect. Most police, probably 99% of them, are good people just trying to do their job without incident, and they do care a lot obviously, because there's a whole lot of easier jobs that pay more money than a cop's salary. I think they felt a huge slap in the face when one bad incident involving police officers occurred, and everyone seemingly turned their back on them.
How do you then explain this work slowdown?
They aren't respected or wanted, by the city leadership or by the people who live in the neighborhoods. I wouldn't do a job where I wasn't wanted and respected either.
Why are the police suffering from this lack of respect?
We live in a time in which decent and otherwise sensible people are surrendering too easily to the hectoring of morons or extremists.
- •
Thread Starter