Baltimore is Burning

[IH8RICE]

I certainly understand the idea, but I would not excuse a vigilante for taking it onto their own hands.

Kill the guy, but accept the consequences.

If someone has nothing to lose, I don't think they would care about the consequences. I hope I never get put in that situation or that I have the control to walk away. Sometimes it's so hard to do.

Freddie Gray was still a human being. He was unarmed. A severed spine?? Quite frankly, people wouldn't treat an animal in the way this man was treated.

Imagine if all cops behaved this way, but thankfully they don't. Please don't justify what these cops did. There is no justification for it.

Agreed. I still don't know what the rioting does particularly if the owners of these stores,cars, and other property are black citizens. Kinda going against the grain if you're the rioters in this case. Kinda funny that the liquor store had been looted for everything it had. Like that had anything to do with his death...

[thomashenry]

This is a Microcosm of a Breakdown in Society IMO, where the Virtue {Redeeming Qualities} in People have been lost and minimized by a Variety of Nefarious, entities not too mention the blatant lack of responsibility and accountability for ones self, An explosive amount of victims {which in this case is just lack of Civility}, a Massive amount of people who are void of empathy, common sense, decency, a serious lack of parenting , this Riot is fueled by anger and Criminals a hatred towards a never ending and continuous moving object, pick something to be mad at but don`t look in the mirror, a lack of Faith in particular within themselves a broken morality even in some a lack of a conscience ! there is an abyss staring at this Nation, we cross the Rubicon en masse and then What ? this isn`t about a young man who Died in Police Custody, no one know`s the facts YET,{ I agree his spine should not have been subject to being severed} however if someone in Authority in this case the Police are looking for you, generally you did something to get their attention and in this case it ended bad, but this is an excuse for the Criminal elements and rabble rousers to stir the Pot and get their Pound of flesh, and this can just about happen in any major metropolitan area

Hundreds of Billions of Dollars thrown and so many different entities for everything under the Sun and this is what has come about, a waste with virtually no majority of positive results, Baltimore is a reflection of a great many urban and even Suburban areas, a large portion of People have been brought into a system of entitlements and hear it being Promoted constantly and the division that some along with it, created and stoked from every stripe of leaders and Politicians in the local, city, state and Federal Gov`t, People have lost hope in many instances and some don`t ever remember having had it, People Need to take responsibility and realize this Country offers a ladder out of any situation IF one is willing to go against the Grain if necessary and realize the benefits that America gives that no other Nation, does, a Way out and the Opportunity to do whatever you like, good or bad and there are consequences for each, and it does not matter if you are black or white, everyone has the opportunity, and yes I know some have more than others, but that does not stop someone from utilizing what is available to them ! People can blame Racism, class, drugs etc etc and listen to the talking heads about were working on them and all it is, is talk for all intent and purposes, in the end we have to take responsibility for ourselves and our choices......


And all this coming from a guy raised by a single Mother in Detroit {and I was a Minority in many instances} who worked her azz off and put the fear of God in us but never told us we could not achieve if we were to work hard ! take responsibility for good or bad, Personally The good people of Baltimore and many other Cities are surrounded by monsters and the Sooner the Monsters are dealt with in the Manner that is Legal and Civil Society allows, the better off we all are

Oh an I have been Jumped, had the chit kicked out of me, ganged up on, chased, Robbed, had Weapons Pulled on me, & I also dished out my share of violence, been arrested, had my behind whipped by a Cop, received 20 Stitches from his Flashlight, been pulled over, SO what, I changed and still had a reasonable amount of respect for the Police and still do ! When I obey the law I have nothing to worry about

[so-tex]

Bullchit, I have been pulled over by the cops a lot...usually for speeding but have also had destruction of property, disorderly conduct, etc. Never once was I beaten or even threatened with habing my ass kicked, I just complied with the officers directives even if I didn't agree with them. Haven't been shot or killed yet.

Why is this so hard for some people to understand.
http://youtu.be/igQDvYOt_iA
I know the above link is meant to be funny, but he is spot on.

[whatevergirl]

If someone has nothing to lose, I don't think they would care about the consequences. I hope I never get put in that situation or that I have the control to walk away. Sometimes it's so hard to do.



Agreed. I still don't know what the rioting does particularly if the owners of these stores,cars, and other property are black citizens. Kinda going against the grain if you're the rioters in this case. Kinda funny that the liquor store had been looted for everything it had. Like that had anything to do with his death...

The community shouldn't be paying the price for what happened, and that is really sad. There's no justifying the riots, either. But, I think that there have been some higher profile cases (George Zimmerman, The Ferguson situation, this case, and others) that when linked together, bring out a lot of emotion in people. Especially when you don't see ''justice.'' I'm definitely ''for'' peaceful protesting. What is strange though is the cops say they arrested Gray without force, but I was reading something that they made two stops (?) before they made it to the police station, and by the time he arrived there, he was severely injured. So, it's a mystery for now, as to exactly how he received those injuries. I have known cops, and it's an incredibly tough job, but it's hard to make sense of these cases as they keep cropping up. And cops that abuse their authority (understatement) taint the reputations of the good men and women who are police officers. (in the minds of many sadly)

[deadrats]

This is true. Act disrespectful around a cop or like an FBI agent and they will come down on you. Sometimes they provoke you a little to see if you will fall for it and if you do, get ready for an uncomfortable ride.

see the part about provoking you a little? that's not the job of a cop, to "provoke a little". and many times is more than just "a little".

i once had a cop, in my business no less, tell me he need to take a leak, and then ask if it was alright if he pissed in my mouth. his cop buddies started laughing and i just reacted and punched him in the gut. he was wearing his vest so it didn't hurt him but all the cops in their had a dumbfounded look on their faces, like they didn't know what to do.

i didn't get arrested, as i thought i would for assaulting an officer, but that guy was a prick.

another time i had an NYPD officer flip me off, is was a female cop, she was trying to merge into my lane from a parking spot and i barely stop in time, this cop actually gave me the middle finger.

don't tell me about cops, when you give some one carte blanche to do what they want, as is the case with an officer on duty being protected from any consequences under the doctrine of procedural immunity, when you give these people the authority to issue orders and you have to obey them, when their testimony is given more weight in court than yours, when you make then supremely powerful then they will behave that way.

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely and in this country we have made cops absolutely powerful, they are effectively like the Pope, infallible in any action they take while on duty.

[Bando]

Kinda funny that the liquor store had been looted for everything it had. Like that had anything to do with his death...

Burning the CVS made sense as an act of civil disobedience as the man had a history of drug arrests. Maybe the demonstrators needed fuel to burn the CVS and the nearest source of fuel was a liquor store?

[so-tex]

The community shouldn't be paying the price for what happened, and that is really sad. There's no justifying the riots, either. But, I think that there have been some higher profile cases (George Zimmerman, The Ferguson situation, this case, and others) that when linked together, bring out a lot of emotion in people. Especially when you don't see ''justice.'' I'm definitely ''for'' peaceful protesting. What is strange though is the cops say they arrested Gray without force, but I was reading something that they made two stops (?) before they made it to the police station, and by the time he arrived there, he was severely injured. So, it's a mystery for now, as to exactly how he received those injuries. I have known cops, and it's an incredibly tough job, but it's hard to make sense of these cases as they keep cropping up.

Good points WEG.

[IH8RICE]

I certainly understand the idea, but I would not excuse a vigilante for taking it onto their own hands.

Kill the guy, but accept the consequences.

Why is this so hard for some people to understand.
http://youtu.be/igQDvYOt_iA
I know the above link is meant to be funny, but he is spot on.

Lol

[IH8RICE]

The community shouldn't be paying the price for what happened, and that is really sad. There's no justifying the riots, either. But, I think that there have been some higher profile cases (George Zimmerman, The Ferguson situation, this case, and others) that when linked together, bring out a lot of emotion in people. Especially when you don't see ''justice.'' I'm definitely ''for'' peaceful protesting. What is strange though is the cops say they arrested Gray without force, but I was reading something that they made two stops (?) before they made it to the police station, and by the time he arrived there, he was severely injured. So, it's a mystery for now, as to exactly how he received those injuries. I have known cops, and it's an incredibly tough job, but it's hard to make sense of these cases as they keep cropping up. And cops that abuse their authority (understatement) taint the reputations of the good men and women who are police officers. (in the minds of many sadly)

If what you're saying about the two stops is true and these cops get off because of lack of evidence, someone will be killed over this. If these riots are any indication of what's to come, I can only imagine the outcry( nationwide mind you) if that happens. It's actually a high probability they'll get off if all of their stories add up and there's no video evidence stating otherwise.

Burning the CVS made sense as an act of civil disobedience as the man had a history of drug arrests. Maybe the demonstrators needed fuel to burn the CVS and the nearest source of fuel was a liquor store?

Woke up the kid laughing. Brb gotta lay with her now...thanks

[Clinos]

Burning the CVS made sense as an act of civil disobedience as the man had a history of drug arrests. Maybe the demonstrators needed fuel to burn the CVS and the nearest source of fuel was a liquor store?

That was pretty funny.

"You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Bando again."

Next time buddy.

[RedSox1990]

Seriously makes me to sick to my stomach. These people have no logic at all. They are mad at the police and I guess white people (??) so they burn down businesses and cars of people who have done nothing wrong.

Really love what this guy had to say:

[whatevergirl]

If what you're saying about the two stops is true and these cops get off because of lack of evidence, someone will be killed over this. If these riots are any indication of what's to come, I can only imagine the outcry( nationwide mind you) if that happens. It's actually a high probability they'll get off if all of their stories add up and there's no video evidence stating otherwise.

He suffered severe injuries and died somehow. He was fine when the police arrested him. Ever notice in some of these cases, there's always a blurry mix of ''facts,'' that never seem to get sorted out, like the George Zimmerman case. It was his word only that anyone could go on, and his story never made any sense to me. And gaps of time that always seem to be ''missing'' and unaccounted for, in these types of cases.

The problem with the riots isn't just the damage they're doing to the communities, but the public eye is now off of the focus of the investigation and more on the riots. And then the riots will be over, and life will go back to how it always is, and nothing will change that way. These cases are not the majority, but they're popping up too often it seems to go ignored, as to why they seem to be happening more frequently.

[IH8RICE]

He suffered severe injuries and died somehow. He was fine when the police arrested him. Ever notice in some of these cases, there's always a blurry mix of ''facts,'' that never seem to get sorted out, like the George Zimmerman case. It was his word only that anyone could go on, and his story never made any sense to me. And gaps of time that always seem to be ''missing'' and unaccounted for, in these types of cases.

The problem with the riots isn't just the damage they're doing to the communities, but the public eye is now off of the focus of the investigation and more on the riots. And then the riots will be over, and life will go back to how it always is, and nothing will change that way. These cases are not the majority, but they're popping up too often it seems to go ignored, as to why they seem to be happening more frequently.

This lack of evidence is enough for someone who has possibly committed a crime to escape punishment. It's going to be hard to prove anything if everything isn't on the table. You're absolutely right about the riots. That's one of the biggest problem with younger people, they don't see five feet in front of themselves. I know people are pissed and want justice but there's a much better way of doing it. Post by Jada pinkett smith

Baltimore!

I know we are angry, I know we want to be heard. We want answers, we want justice but most of all we want the corrupt systems of authority in our neighborhoods that continually steal the lives of people of color and the underprivileged to be revealed and rectified. But we must do our part. Today, I see that violence begets violence making it difficult to differentiate the victims from the perpetrators. Violence creates a window to vilify the victims, even in the deepest recesses of the most condolent mind. Nonviolence creates a clear view to who the offenders of justice really are. Don't give the very system that has been using violence to terrorize and exterminate us any justification to use that very violence upon us to keep us in order. This is a time of self-discipline so that the true offenders of justice can be revealed.

Stand down so that justice and the preservation of our communities are the priority and have the opportunity to prevail.

[JediRN]

Good job at generalization and assumption.

Yes it is Generalization with a stinging stench of truth to it. This is what Liberal politics produce a Victimized induced state of Hysteria, that is neither about Justice nor improvement.

Yes it is Generalization with a stinging stench of truth to it. This is what Conservative politics produce a Victimized induced state of Hysteria, that is neither about Justice nor improvement.

In Missouri Kansas City leans left and St. Louis leans right. When Ferguson was burning 400 miles away Kansas City had a protest too. 25 people showed up. They were all from the same church and 1/2 of them were kids. The protestors were respected but eveybody just kinda looked at them and went "Ok" and that was it.

Kansas City also happens to have a black mayor and a black Chief of Police (who is a very engaged workoholic)

Act like and @sshole around cops and you will get treated as one, plain and simple and I don't give 2 $hits what color you are. Give them zero reason to beat your ass or even think about it & everyone walks away alive. Notice how in all these cases the subject ran/attacked the cops/didn't heed commands/etc?

I don't know how true this statement is, but I do think it has a great deal of truth too it.

My advise to my son in dealing with cops is to say "Yes, sir and no, Sir" and do everything you can to make the cop feel safe. Seems to work out well in upper middle-class prodominantly white suburbia.

I've had a cop point a gun at me twice. Both were misunderstandings and the above approach worked well for me.

[7Seconds]

you saying he is wrong? I'll go one step further and say most of these people have shot and killed others or would just for kicks or some other type of justification. They are opportunists, the ones with real hate and anger know this is taking away from the real problem and distracting everyone from their real issues and weakening their cause

Sorry I missed this post. I may have misread his post. My first time reading I thought he was saying the people of Baltimore in general have no reason to be upset. If he is just talking about the small group of people destroying things then I would agree with most of what he said.

To me the whole thing is bad on both sides. The police officers who killed Freddie Gray should be brought up on manslaughter charges, and the practice of giving arrested people a "rough ride" needs to end. Instead of settling brutality cases, the city should have been firing and prosecuting officers engaged in this sort of nonsense. Police brutality and systemic racism cause the police to lose moral credibility in communities and, when that happens, you get a neighborhood that devolves into a war zone.

All of that said, I can't excuse the rioters. Many of them probably aren't from Baltimore; as you said they are just opportunistic *******s. Destroying the property of innocents is not making a statement; it's opportunistically causing harm to others in a time when civil order has broken down and one is likely to evade consequences. But there's a lot of justified anger right now, at an industrial economy that has abandoned multiple generations in a row, at a misguided "War on Drugs" that has turned police and community into adversaries, at abuses of power in law enforcement, and at systemic racism that continues to this day.

Baltimore has had a number of bad decades in a row. It's been left to rot, despite being in one of the richest states in the country. It's lost most of its harbor economy and struggled to reinvent itself. It has been beset by dysfunction for decades. And it's really sad because it's a beautiful city (architecturally) in a fortunate geographic area.

[Mark1T]

It took a Mom to bring sense to Baltimore.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/...ore-riots-mom/

[whatevergirl]

I don't know how true this statement is, but I do think it has a great deal of truth too it.

My advise to my son in dealing with cops is to say "Yes, sir and no, Sir" and do everything you can to make the cop feel safe. Seems to work out well in upper middle-class prodominantly white suburbia.

I've had a cop point a gun at me twice. Both were misunderstandings and the above approach worked well for me.

While this is true, Freddie Gray was running from the cops, and they tackled him. And somewhere after that, he incurred a series of injuries that led to his death. Gray was unarmed and not threatening the police, during the arrest. Even the police themselves say there was no force used in arresting him.

This case has a lot of issues within it, but the public is starting to focus its attention on the recent riots instead of the main issue, and the focus should be why are we seeing more of these cases where young African American men are being treated with excessive police force. This is no longer an isolated event.

[JediRN]

While this is true, Freddie Gray was running from the cops, and they tackled him. And somewhere after that, he incurred a series of injuries that led to his death. Gray was unarmed and not threatening the police, during the arrest. Even the police themselves say there was no force used in arresting him.

This case has a lot of issues within it, but the public is starting to focus its attention on the recent riots instead of the main issue, and the focus should be why are we seeing more of these cases where young African American men are being treated with excessive police force. This is no longer an isolated event.

There is a great deal of truth to this statement too.

[x-trainer ben]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_7166018.html

*Protester Schools MSNBC Anchor About Media Coverage Of Baltimore Riots*

Great comments by all, watch this 2 min and tell me if she has a point?

[Mark1T]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/0...n_7166018.html

*Protester Schools MSNBC Anchor About Media Coverage Of Baltimore Riots*

Great comments by all, watch this 2 min and tell me if she has a point?

She is awesome. She just made America aware that there were peaceful protests before the riots and she made the point - where were the camera and the news people when they desperately tried to communicate their plight? She is just one excellent example of the many intelligent people who properly represent their city and who can properly tell it like it is straight up.

Thank you for posting.

[Jbizzlechizzle]

She is awesome. She just made America aware that there were peaceful protests before the riots and she made the point - where were the camera and the news people when they desperately tried to communicate their plight? She is just one excellent example of the many intelligent people who properly represent their city and who can properly tell it like it is straight up.

Thank you for posting.

Agreed... what she said is what people really need to hear. Baltimore has its rough areas and rough residents, but most people that live there are normal, hardworking and peaceful. Of course, the cameras are only going to show up when the madness happens because that stuff sells.

[so-tex]

Not sure how credible this is...

http://beforeitsnews.com/politics/20...t-2707800.html

[Clinos]

Not sure how credible this is...

http://beforeitsnews.com/politics/20...t-2707800.html

Doesn't matter if it's true or not, he suffered some type of physical trauma while in custody. That should really be what everyone should focus on not his record or color of skin or shoe size.

And this quote from the article should tell you all you need to know about a reputable source

If this is true, then it is possible that Gray’s spinal injury resulting from his encounter with the Baltimore Police was not the result of rough-handling or abuse, but rather a freak accident that occurred when Gray should have been at home resting, not selling drugs.

Unbiased reporting in journalism, not even once.

[JRMoore82]

Doesn't matter if it's true or not, he suffered some type of physical trauma while in custody. That should really be what everyone should focus on not his record or color of skin or shoe size.

And this quote from the article should tell you all you need to know about a reputable source



Unbiased reporting in journalism, not even once.

You honestly and truthfully don't think IF he had had back and neck surgery that could have somehow played a factor into the whole mess and the cops are still 100% liable?

[so-tex]

Doesn't matter if it's true or not, he suffered some type of physical trauma while in custody. That should really be what everyone should focus on not his record or color of skin or shoe size.

And this quote from the article should tell you all you need to know about a reputable source



Unbiased reporting in journalism, not even once.

[bustasinclair]

Doesn't matter if it's true or not, he suffered some type of physical trauma while in custody. That should really be what everyone should focus on not his record or color of skin or shoe size.

If you run from the police, you damned sure better expect to get tackled.....and tackled HARD! If you disagree with that statement, you obviously have no idea what it's like to be a peace officer and cannot empathize. Shame on anyone who thinks we should wrap people up in bubble wrap before arresting them.

....and given this guy's rap sheet, I'm sure the cops knew who he was and their patience with him was likely running VERY thin.

[whatevergirl]

Doesn't matter if it's true or not, he suffered some type of physical trauma while in custody. That should really be what everyone should focus on not his record or color of skin or shoe size.

And this quote from the article should tell you all you need to know about a reputable source



Unbiased reporting in journalism, not even once.

Today, I learn that if I have surgery, and someone assaults me on the street a week or so later, then I’m liable for my own injuries, because I didn’t stay in bed resting. Lolz!

Agree with you, Clinos. Somehow hopefully, the facts of all this will come out soon enough, and not just speculation.

[so-tex]

If you run from the police, you damned sure better expect to get tackled.....and tackled HARD! If you disagree with that statement, you obviously have no idea what it's like to be a peace officer and cannot empathize. Shame on anyone who thinks we should wrap people up in bubble wrap before arresting them.

....and given this guy's rap sheet, I'm sure the cops knew who he was and their patience with him was likely running VERY thin.

There ya go using common sense...

[so-tex]

Today, I learn that if I have surgery, and someone assaults me on the street a week or so later, then I’m liable for my own injuries, because I didn’t stay in bed resting. Lolz!

Agree with you, Clinos. Somehow hopefully, the facts of all this will come out soon enough, and not just speculation.

He ran from the police for Christ sakes. It's time society man's the fuk up and take responsibility for their actions.

[Clinos]

You honestly and truthfully don't think IF he had had back and neck surgery that could have somehow played a factor into the whole mess and the cops are still 100% liable?

I didn't say that at all, its a factor in the series of events but could wind up not even being a large factor in consideration of everything else that occurred. Everyone is adding all this junk of his past, his moral character, the flight from the officers, the surgery, the riots, but avoiding the question of the magic van that has seemingly healthy people walk in only to be carried out. What the question needs to be, and despite the distractions is what the investigations of both state and federal agencies are asking is: How and when did the trauma occur from the moment of arrest when he was placed into the vehicle and the time he was taken out of the vehicle?

Because nothing else matters in the reality of the case. There was a person taken into police custody who seemed responsive and unchallenging who later died of what appears to be trauma while in police custody.

It should also be noted that BPD has a history of antics where they take suspects for 'rough rides' which is them not securing the prisoner via lap belts or restraints and then driving down extremely bumpy roads or taking over exaggerated sharp turns and other cornering manoeuvres, the city has consistently paid out to victims who this has occurred to. So if we are adding in other pressing 'factors' let us not forget to add that tidbit and history as well.