I think we expect criminals to behave like criminals. We are still shocked and indignant when the police behave like criminals.
It’s a complex issue and I’m certainly no expert but I do think that violence begets violence. The riots and protests were full of anger and although the police officers have been charged, the anger is still there. The police “held back” in policing after the charges were filed just as the NYPD did last year when they were angry at the mayor and of course, there was more violence as a result.
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/blog/bs-md-ci-shootings-20150521-story.html
The residents still don’t trust the police and it’s not surprising.
When the police are “hesitant” to do their jobs, their jobs don’t get done.
Despite the spike in shootings, arrests are far, far, lower than usual.
I also wouldn’t go to the WaPo for coverage of Baltimore crime. There’s always a slight sense of glee that things are worse there since that situation has been reversed in the past.
I believe the answer lies within each one of us. Why no protests?
I am not going to Baltimore to protest this horrible situation because it is not impacting my life enough to do so.
How about you? What would it take to get you out of your daily life to become actively involved in stopping these men from killing each other?
Hmmm…actually I do protest. I protest with my vote.
A lifelong republican who continues to vote for health care for all, life sustaining jobs for all and no more tax loopholes. Often a straight democratic vote. That’s my protest.
In the early 1980’s I worked in an area of Philadelphia called Fishtown. It was at the time the biggest meth distribution point in Phila. I counseled men on parole who had been imprisoned for dealing drugs.
These guys were making $2000 a week and had no interest in working at McDonalds for $3.00 an hour. The guys who did make it were the guys who got factory jobs. These guys made enough money to live and believed they could improve their earning with time and hard work.
The other guys, well, I finally realized the best I could do for them was to help them understand that it was their choices that led to their lot in life. They chose to deal, they chose to hit their wives and kids, they chose to put themselves in a position to get hurt. Their choices. Personal responsibility. It was lacking in most of those guys. It was always someone else’s fault.
The biggest difference today is that instead of being beaten up or thrown off a roof these guys are being shot to death.
Just an aside…
Black on black crime is a problem. But I’m not sure what it has to do with * cop * on black crime, dietz.
It’s not related.
What I was pointing out is the absolute lack of media, community and community leader outrage over the additional young men that have lost their lives since Freddie lost his. The level of outrage directed toward the cop killer is disproportional to the number of deaths which occur as a matter of daily life. No threads on CC, no MSM nightly ‘death toll’ reports, no politicians standing teary eyed behind podiums sorrowfully expressing their horror and promising to make changes. No family members with microphones shoved into their faces asking them ‘how do you feel’. No lawyers lining up to file lawsuits.
It’s like pouring water on a small camp fire while the 1000 acre forest burns. A nice gesture and useful in it’s own right…but really…not doing much to save lives.
I’m just supposing here, since I don’t live anywhere near the inner-city…but I think the level of outrage expressed toward the killer cops is not disproportionate because it was not about the death of a single man, Freddie Gray, but about how black lives seem to be taken so cheaply day after day and while someone living in that community can maybe rationalize the murders of people caught up in the drug trade, it is impossible to nod and excuse a man being put to death in a police van for doing nothing. I’m guessing that people in that neighborhood were incensed that while there are actual violent, gun-carrying, dangerous drug-pushing gang-related criminals on their streets, the “broken window” method of policing goes all out to bring in a nobody carrying a pocketknife…and manages to sever his spine in the process.
Policing in Baltimore was broken before the Freddie Gray incident.
https://www.themarshallproject.org/2015/04/29/david-simon-on-baltimore-s-anguish
Well said, jazzymom.
If I were a mom in Baltimore it would be obvious to me that the clear and present danger to my son was not the cops but rather his demographic equals. If I wanted my son to come home alive; if I wanted my son to be at the Christmas table or the next wedding or heck…even at the next Hallmark Mothers Day…I would be SCREAMING about these dead young men, and the circumstances under which they died. I would be at the Mayor’s door, I would be hollering at the community leaders, I would be " social mediaing’ anyone and everyone about my concern regarding my sons welfare. I’d be rioting and burning cars, I’d be breaking shop windows. I’als be danged p#@sed that the MSM was not publishing this each and every night; I’d wonder where my community leaders were and why they also were not SCREAMING at the top of their pulpits about this. Why our President was not espousing eloquently about the issues causing this problem. I’d wonder why my son’s life was less news worthy than Freddies.
And…I would come to the realization that my son’s life really didn’t matter because it had no political clout…because I would be screaming alone. I would have no media, no mayor, no President no community leader, no Al Sharpton to stand with me…
I’d wonder why the focus has shifted to the Dugger family, I’d wonder why I am standing alone.
And then I would die inside. Probably at a gravesite.
But WTH…MY son is just a nobody with no political collateral …so TFB
“but about how black lives seem to be taken so cheaply day after day and while someone living in that community can maybe rationalize the murders of people caught up in the drug trade, it is impossible to nod and excuse a man being put to death in a police van for doing nothing.”
I can’t imagine rationalizing the murders of people caught up in the drug trade. There are so many innocent victims. Elderly, children. Babies, toddlers. Still waiting for people to protest the murder of the one year old girl shot in the head, part of gang retribution in Kent. Instead they are protesting two young men shot (not killed) by a police officer after they tried to assault him (according to the officer), before the investigation has even started.
Ran out of time…so…as a silly little European American White Woman…the best I can do is support this (oh dear…religious based) organization…
http://www.homeboyindustries.org/shop-homeboy/view/tattoos-on-the-heart-english-paperback/
And hope with all my prayers at night, that a mother somewhere is spared the news that her son will never, ever, be coming home again.
Carry on…
On the other hand, it may be as simple as:
No matter how many times you slam your hand in your car door, it’s an entirely different thing when someone else does the slamming.
No-one but yourself to blame for the many, while the other is an entirely different matter.
dietz199, you could also do what one mother did and go and get her son (the one that wacked hers across the head, although I don’t recommend the wacking part). The parents have to watch their kids and not have them out rioting if they want them home for Christmas. If they want to go to a demonstration, the parents should go with them. The black Baltimore cops have reported being called Uncle Toms and having no respect from the black community. What is the city supposed to do?
I doubt the mothers at the funerals see the difference. A dead son is a dead son. I would want mine ALIVE…not only that but after slamming ones had in one’s car door a normal person would say…man that sucks…not going to to that again…of if they don’t see it…well Darwin wins.
Cleveland cop just ‘cleared’…predictions anyone???
Was looking for the source of a claim I’d heard, that Baltimore’s PD had been praised a few months back for aspects of their policing, and found this:
Came from the blog of Peter Moskos.
Dietz, Regarding your if I was a mother I would raise the roof post;
If you were a poor mother of a black son you would probably have other children. You would probably be getting up at 6 am and riding the bus to work, you would probably be figuring out how to get those kids to school when you’re at work, you would work at a crappy job and then ride the bus home. You would stop and get some food to put on the table and hope those kids were home when you got there. You would be running to the corner laundry to clean some clothes and doing dishes when you got back home.
You would be exhausted and stressed out from the day to day existence of trying to get by. And you would have to get up tomorrow to do it all again.
You do not have the luxury of time or energy to protest the crappy unjust life you lead. You have no safety net to catch you when you fall to carry on if something were to happen to you.
And you probably know that no one else cares because they secretly blame you and your poor black culture for living this way.
There are protestors for these children and even the women who have faced police brutality, but unfortunately, more people show up to protest for the black men and don’t show up for the black women and children. These are the protestors that won’t be broadcast on CNN or Fox. These are the protestors that aren’t heard about unless you have ties in the area. Say Her Name is one campaign that is currently going. The ones focused on children might lead with “Justice for…”, such as Justice for Aiyana.
@sax You have described the life of many if not most poor mothers. It has nothing to do with race.
Police killings of latinos…meh…not so much news worthy.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/02/24/police-killings-latinos_n_6739448.html
Why are these ‘leaders’ not protesting in outrage over the additional Baltimore deaths? Why is it not front page news? Could it be it doesn’t fit into their narrative?