Baltimore Violence WTF?!?!?!

[86Poke]

From the Mayor:

On Saturday, as protests continued to turn ugly, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake confirmed that the protesters were being given “space” to “destroy.”

“I worked with the police and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech,” the mayor said. "It’s a very delicate balancing act because while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well.”

WTF???

 

[MitchL]

Yeah, that was one giant brainfart. Hope they're not planning on running for reelection because that statement will bite them in the butt. It's simply amazing what some elected officials will say either themselves or thru the press secretary.

 

[squeak]

I'm in DC. May cab it over to see for myself.

 

[inspoke]

I will never understand why this type of behavior is tolerated.

 

[windriverrange]

Not much of a stretch to say she a flippin idiot! That attitude should put a lot of business owners and citizens at peace with their surroundings.

 

[JimmyBob]

Not much of a stretch to say she a flippin idiot! That attitude should put a lot of business owners and citizens at peace with their surroundings.

Guess you missed her pressy this evening; she gives new meaning to clueless. I enjoy Dem liars on a local scale trying to emulate the Big Liar, she isn't competent enough to even try.

 

[long-duc-dong]

Not defending her. Poor choice of words but I think what she was trying to say was that while they were giving the people room to protest by backing off they inadvertantly gave them room to loot. Just my opinion.

 

[MitchL]

Guess you missed her pressy this evening; she gives new meaning to clueless. I enjoy Dem liars on a local scale trying to emulate the Big Liar, she isn't competent enough to even try.

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with being Democrat or Republican. Just love how some people inject politics into any conversation just because they dislike the current Prez. Bravo!

 

[Headhunter]

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with being Democrat or Republican. Just love how some people inject politics into any conversation just because they dislike the current Prez. Bravo!

Yes, it has nothing to do with the fact the most failed cities in America are liberal Democrat (Detroit/Stockton) and that the worst violence in decades is in a city controlled for decades by liberal Democrats is now on fire.

Shouldn't they be the most satisfied citizens? Their leaders care and are taking care of them, unlike conservatives who only believe in law and order and protecting the rich.

 

[JimmyBob]

This has absolutely NOTHING to do with being Democrat or Republican. Just love how some people inject politics into any conversation just because they dislike the current Prez. Bravo!

Yes. it's political as all these situations are, but she's a liar and a stupid f'k! Not a clue, no plan, put the understaffed police in retreat from the thugs. Nice to see she finally de-rectalized her head and turned it over to "competent" authorities, because she damned sure isn't.

 

[wyomingosualum]

I'm in DC. May cab it over to see for myself.

So how was it squeak? Simply a reenactment of the British attack on Fort McHenry or something more?

 

[imprimis]

Many of those looters are veterans of Ferguson. Many are from out of town and bussed in specifically to destroy things.

 

[squeak]

At midnight the looters and police stopped fighting and came together to sing "silent night"

 

[ThorOdinson13]

"Only a handful of conservatives have much to say about what policing ought to be like (although there is some hope that a Right On Crime approach will continue to find success in practice and support among voters.) Mostly, it seems like conservatives would rather go back to the era of “zero tolerance” policing under Martin O’Malley, when up to 100,000 arrests in a city of 636,000 people were made, precipitating a successful lawsuit from the NAACP and the ACLU. Despite costing billions of dollars and thousands of lives, decades after declaring a War on Drugs, it’s fairly safe to say that drugs are winning or have won. (Baltimore, to its credit, has put great effort into a less punitive drug court system that addresses some of this reality.) Conservatives also generally underestimate the degree to which police brutality is systemic, not anecdotal and have yet to commit to any program that holds police accountable. One of my patients who lives in the neighborhood showed me scars from his encounters with the police and described them as a “necessary evil” to keep drug dealers in check—often through stealing drugs or money from them. Stories of corruption are just frequent enough to make any police encounter a roll of the dice—everyone acknowledges that there are good cops who care about justice and will treat you fairly, but you never know if it’s one of them pulling you over.
Liberals, on the other hand, have done far better at positing specific reforms, but while the unequal conditions that foment violence are unarguably rooted in structural racism and many incidents of violence against African-Americans feature individuals who are unabashedly racist, police brutality runs much deeper. It’s not clear that more black cops will decrease police shootings, for example, and Baltimore is a city with a black Mayor and Police Commissioner who have only recently started to take baby steps towards more equitable policing.
Furthermore, hammering the legitimate issues of structural racism doesn’t appreciate the fact that it isn’t yuppies in waterfront neighborhoods calling the cops to clear the corners, or going to community meetings asking police to do more—it’s the people in these neighborhoods who want to feel safe and don’t want to live in fear of the violence that drug dealing brings. The left also strongly emphasizes alleviating the structural injustices that created and sustain poverty in neighborhoods like Sandtown (which is crucial), but violent perpetrators aren’t rats in a cage who kill less often when they’re less poor; they’re human beings who are part and parcel of the structural injustice that other community members experience even as they often fall victim to it. Violent cops and violent gang members both contribute to an atmosphere that perpetuates poverty; helping them change requires a change in policing that includes consequences for violence."


Link

 

[Bitter Creek]

One of my big fears is that this kind of "protest" will spread and as it becomes more prevelant it will make the law abiding citizens more accepting of some sort of martial law.

 

[ThorOdinson13]

One of my big fears is that this kind of "protest" will spread and as it becomes more prevelant it will make the law abiding citizens more accepting of some sort of martial law.

Really, if you think about it, it is inevitable. After all, it is the natural course of government and society. This is just the start of protesting the police state, which will be met with increased policing.

The militarization of police forces increased substantially with the War on Drugs, as did govnerment spying and violations of privacy. Both were further exacerbated by the events of 9/11, which was a response (in part) to a global police state via interventionist foreign policy, and each will be further exacerbated by the open protesting, violence, and continued interventionist foregin policy.

 

[aix_xpert]

"Conservatives also generally underestimate the degree to which police brutality is systemic, not anecdotal and have yet to commit to any program that holds police accountable. One of my patients who lives in the neighborhood showed me scars from his encounters with the police and described them as a “necessary evil” to keep drug dealers in check—often through stealing drugs or money from them. Stories of corruption are just frequent enough to make any police encounter a roll of the dice—everyone acknowledges that there are good cops who care about justice and will treat you fairly, but you never know if it’s one of them pulling you over.
Liberals, on the other hand, have done far better at positing specific reforms, but while the unequal conditions that foment violence are unarguably rooted in structural racism and many incidents of violence against African-Americans feature individuals who are unabashedly racist, police brutality runs much deeper. It’s not clear that more black cops will decrease police shootings, for example, and Baltimore is a city with a black Mayor and Police Commissioner who have only recently started to take baby steps towards more equitable policing."

Link

Question. Is it conservatives that don't want to hold police accountable or the police unions? Everyone of the officers involved in Gray's death should have been arrested and charged as an accessory to murder (at a mimimum). The fact this hasn't happened yet, in and of itself is a crime, and goes to show how far the police go to protect their own. As for conservatives vs. liberals, I'd note that the Tulsa officer (conservative city) was immediately arrested and charged. Almost 2 weeks after the Baltimore event (liberal city) the police officers are still free. So which side holds the police accountable?

Justin

 

[aix_xpert]

One of my big fears is that this kind of "protest" will spread and as it becomes more prevelant it will make the law abiding citizens more accepting of some sort of martial law.

I think this is only because in these liberal bastions, the populace has completely surrendered their defensive responsibilities to the police. In Oklahoma or Texas, you'd see store owners guarding their shops at gunpoint. There'd be likely more casualties, but fewer riots and rioters. But in a disarmed community, the mob mentality rules.

Justin

 

[ThorOdinson13]

Question. Is it conservatives that don't want to hold police accountable or the police unions? Everyone of the officers involved in Gray's death should have been arrested and charged as an accessory to murder (at a mimimum). The fact this hasn't happened yet, in and of itself is a crime, and goes to show how far the police go to protect their own. As for conservatives vs. liberals, I'd note that the Tulsa officer (conservative city) was immediately arrested and charged. Almost 2 weeks after the Baltimore event (liberal city) the police officers are still free. So which side holds the police accountable?

Justin

It doesnt say conservatives "don't want to hold them accountable" it just says that they "underestimate the degree to which police brutality is systemic" which leads to less accountability, big difference and one that I agree with. As to your point about the unions.....100% accurate and the article discusses it further.

 

[aix_xpert]

It doesnt say conservatives "don't want to hold them accountable" it just says that they "underestimate the degree to which police brutality is systemic" which leads to less accountability, big difference and one that I agree with. As to your point about the unions.....100% accurate and the article discusses it further.

Fair enough. I disagree a bit with the systemic point though. I think that law enforcement draws in a breed of character that has an increased tendency towards bullying and violence, and a fair number are drawn to the "power" of the role. I don't think that racism is more prevalent in police forces than in other walks of society, however, those cases are much more apparant due to visibility of the position. With that said, as long as the police unions want to continue to support and protect these violators, then its not unfair to view all officers with the same level of scrutiny and distrust.

Justin

 

[Headhunter]

In 2012 (last year stats are available from the FBI) there was something like 104 black people killed by police, there was close to 500 white people killed by police.

I'm not seeing the systemic bias against blacks or how they are being singled out for killing. I will not argue that blacks are not arrested at a much higher percentage compared to their population. But that is easily explained because blacks commit a much higher percentage of crime than their population. You can say they wouldn't commit the crimes if their circumstances were improved and I believe that is true but until they lower how many of black youth are involved in crime and gangs I don't see how it can get better.

 

[86Poke]

When black children quit having children, things might get better.

 

[wyomingosualum]

Fair enough. I disagree a bit with the systemic point though. I think that law enforcement draws in a breed of character that has an increased tendency towards bullying and violence, and a fair number are drawn to the "power" of the role. I don't think that racism is more prevalent in police forces than in other walks of society, however, those cases are much more apparant due to visibility of the position. With that said, as long as the police unions want to continue to support and protect these violators, then its not unfair to view all officers with the same level of scrutiny and distrust.

Justin

I'm more of a trusting person until the individual I'm dealing with gives me a reason to distrust them.

Most of the officers I have met over the years are decent people who enjoy helping others.

 

[davidallen]

Many of those looters are veterans of Ferguson. Many are from out of town and bussed in specifically to destroy things.

LOL...

 

[imprimis]

LOL...

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2015-...uson-protests-and-media-campaign-george-soros