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NFT: So the Baltimore Protests/Riots

GMAN4LIFE : 4/27/2015 1:45 pm
ummm how crazy was it for the fans of the Baltimore O's to be told to stay in the park until its all clear.

Some of the video is disheartening...

Anyone live down there?
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Nice.  
Dave in Hoboken : 4/27/2015 10:59 pm : link
Of course, they had to steal the camera, too.  
Dave in Hoboken : 4/27/2015 10:59 pm : link
TopLel.
Duned  
bc4life : 4/27/2015 11:02 pm : link
we don't disagree on either point. you have to plan for the possibility of what occurred tonight. a few of the experts pointed out that you can have them prepared and staged out of sight so as to avoid provoking an already tense situation. if needed, you respond and do what is necessary.

Hudson  
Dunedin81 : 4/27/2015 11:07 pm : link
There are plenty of valid points about "police culture." Famously insular and not really helped by the advent of social media (widening the insular group), treating the people who are policed as a "them" is clearly a problem. The almost ubiquitous nature of SWAT teams and their ilk and the "militarization" of police and police training widens the gap between communities and their law enforcement in many instances, at least in perception. And so on and so forth.

But deriding officers as merely dumb, rednecky 2nd Amendment types is a silly caricature, no matter what degrees you claim to possess.
RE: Meanwhile we have a trial for a cop killer going on  
whozzat : 4/27/2015 11:09 pm : link
In comment 12252731 Steve L said:
Quote:


All I'm saying is that you don't see people rioting over a cop being executed. (...) this guy here murdered a police officer and it's peaceful here.


So the (alleged) murderer wasn't in the employ of the city, and hadn't sworn to uphold the law.

You realize that the public may hold certain people to a slightly higher standard, with regard to not killing/maiming at random?

Baltimore Mayor  
dep026 : 4/27/2015 11:17 pm : link
is a fucking moron. She basically came out and supported what they did.

"I am not going to prohibit their right ot protest". Great job schmuck. Everyone under the sun knew thsi was going to happen, and she basically didnt do shit to stop it.

She claims there will be order. No there wont be. Your in charge of what happened. Its your city, and what happened is a fucking disgrace. Another huge black eye for America with NOTHING getting accomplished.

I am sick of these protests. Granted I am not an African American, but these retaliations and protests are fucking pathetic.
Duned  
bc4life : 4/27/2015 11:18 pm : link
while there is evidence of the militarization - I think it is grossly overstated. the argument has been because the government made this equipment and training available - it transforms pds into mini-armies. this argument conveniently steps the fact that for the past two decades community policing has been the dominant grant funding and training mechanism. another major influence has been the compstat model developed by Bratton and his braintrust.

BMore Mayor  
bc4life : 4/27/2015 11:20 pm : link
is hardly a moron. IMHO, she made a bad decision by not ensuring there was a contingency plan, but a moron - really?


and yes, there will be order...and a painful lesson learned.
RE: Hudson  
hudson : 4/27/2015 11:22 pm : link
In comment 12252798 Dunedin81 said:
Quote:
There are plenty of valid points about "police culture." Famously insular and not really helped by the advent of social media (widening the insular group), treating the people who are policed as a "them" is clearly a problem. The almost ubiquitous nature of SWAT teams and their ilk and the "militarization" of police and police training widens the gap between communities and their law enforcement in many instances, at least in perception. And so on and so forth.

But deriding officers as merely dumb, rednecky 2nd Amendment types is a silly caricature, no matter what degrees you claim to possess.

I agree completely with the first paragraph.

Not the second. I'm sorry but outside of wealthy municipalities where there is a huge demand to work in...your inner cities and less off burbs and countryside are littered with a lot of Cops who were C/D students, shoplifters or jock bullies who love the power of being in charge and enjoy shooting guns. The good professionally cops need to speak out against these hacks and frankly we need to make it so we can attract more intelligent, educated, cops who are able to deal with the socially disturbed people.
RE: Duned  
Dunedin81 : 4/27/2015 11:23 pm : link
In comment 12252805 bc4life said:
Quote:
while there is evidence of the militarization - I think it is grossly overstated. the argument has been because the government made this equipment and training available - it transforms pds into mini-armies. this argument conveniently steps the fact that for the past two decades community policing has been the dominant grant funding and training mechanism. another major influence has been the compstat model developed by Bratton and his braintrust.


Fair points all around, and even if I'm right I don't think it is terribly pertinent to the discussion at hand. Whether you have ACU pattern uniforms and MRAPs or not, this seems to have more to do with run of the mill grievances (excessive violence during arrests, other alleged mistreatment) than the litany of SWAT team horror stories.
RE: BMore Mayor  
dep026 : 4/27/2015 11:23 pm : link
In comment 12252808 bc4life said:
[quote] is hardly a moron. IMHO, she made a bad decision by not ensuring there was a contingency plan, but a moron - really?


and yes, there will be order...and a painful lesson learned. [/quote

Please. This wasnt a bad decision by any means. Its a catastrophic one. Its almost like she wanted this to happen. Then comes out with harsh words about what was done. Please.
RE: RE: Hudson  
Dunedin81 : 4/27/2015 11:25 pm : link
In comment 12252809 hudson said:
Quote:
In comment 12252798 Dunedin81 said:


Quote:


There are plenty of valid points about "police culture." Famously insular and not really helped by the advent of social media (widening the insular group), treating the people who are policed as a "them" is clearly a problem. The almost ubiquitous nature of SWAT teams and their ilk and the "militarization" of police and police training widens the gap between communities and their law enforcement in many instances, at least in perception. And so on and so forth.

But deriding officers as merely dumb, rednecky 2nd Amendment types is a silly caricature, no matter what degrees you claim to possess.


I agree completely with the first paragraph.

Not the second. I'm sorry but outside of wealthy municipalities where there is a huge demand to work in...your inner cities and less off burbs and countryside are littered with a lot of Cops who were C/D students, shoplifters or jock bullies who love the power of being in charge and enjoy shooting guns. The good professionally cops need to speak out against these hacks and frankly we need to make it so we can attract more intelligent, educated, cops who are able to deal with the socially disturbed people.


That has not been my experience. The two types that tend to last are the ones you would like to see (intelligent, dedicated) and the ones who can figure out how to do enough to stay employed but not enough to rock the boat. The overzealous don't tend to last very long - either they fuck up or some combination of mentorship and learning the hard way shapes them into one of those two categories.
RE: BMore Mayor  
hudson : 4/27/2015 11:26 pm : link
In comment 12252808 bc4life said:
Quote:
is hardly a moron. IMHO, she made a bad decision by not ensuring there was a contingency plan, but a moron - really?


and yes, there will be order...and a painful lesson learned.
no, the lesson won't be learned.
More spending will go on buying surplus equipment from the government military contractors instead of training Cops to deal professionally with public or recruit better stock and the blue shield will continue to perpetuate their own self interest to the detriment of the public they claim they serveand deserve an unconditional medal.

RE: RE: RE: Hudson  
hudson : 4/27/2015 11:29 pm : link
In comment 12252815 Dunedin81 said:
Quote:
In comment 12252809 hudson said:


Quote:


In comment 12252798 Dunedin81 said:


Quote:


There are plenty of valid points about "police culture." Famously insular and not really helped by the advent of social media (widening the insular group), treating the people who are policed as a "them" is clearly a problem. The almost ubiquitous nature of SWAT teams and their ilk and the "militarization" of police and police training widens the gap between communities and their law enforcement in many instances, at least in perception. And so on and so forth.

But deriding officers as merely dumb, rednecky 2nd Amendment types is a silly caricature, no matter what degrees you claim to possess.


I agree completely with the first paragraph.

Not the second. I'm sorry but outside of wealthy municipalities where there is a huge demand to work in...your inner cities and less off burbs and countryside are littered with a lot of Cops who were C/D students, shoplifters or jock bullies who love the power of being in charge and enjoy shooting guns. The good professionally cops need to speak out against these hacks and frankly we need to make it so we can attract more intelligent, educated, cops who are able to deal with the socially disturbed people.



That has not been my experience. The two types that tend to last are the ones you would like to see (intelligent, dedicated) and the ones who can figure out how to do enough to stay employed but not enough to rock the boat. The overzealous don't tend to last very long - either they fuck up or some combination of mentorship and learning the hard way shapes them into one of those two categories.


That idiot we saw in SC, that racist hack I know, who never attended college, hates gays, and believes blacks want handouts, I'm afraid are far from a small minority especially in the cities and red districts.
Extrapolating from one fuck-up...  
Dunedin81 : 4/27/2015 11:34 pm : link
and someone you know personally some great truth about policing is not employing the best logical reasoning.
hudson  
bc4life : 4/27/2015 11:43 pm : link
I'm going to regret not ignoring you but here goes - FYI a lot, if not all of that military equipment was granted which means it was free or obtained at a drastically reduced price. and it really doesn't impact training.

if I may ask, where did you obtain your degree in CJ?

Regarding your assertion that a Mayor of a major city would not learn from a decision that led to millions in property damage and personal injuries ...well, I'll just go back to ignoring you.
Duned  
bc4life : 4/27/2015 11:48 pm : link
I think the militarization argument is most compelling re: SWAT raids in support of warrant service. If needed, by all means use them. However, you really have to balance risk/reward because so much can go wrong. A similar argument can be made re: vehicle pursuits - does the risk associated with the tactic outweigh the threat posed by the crime/offense
RE: BMore Mayor  
Jints in Carolina : 4/28/2015 2:05 am : link
In comment 12252808 bc4life said:
Quote:
is hardly a moron. IMHO, she made a bad decision by not ensuring there was a contingency plan, but a moron - really?


and yes, there will be order...and a painful lesson learned.


She's not a moron? Go to 27 seconds and tell me this woman is not a moron.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9_5KQC7k8Lc - ( New Window )
Whole situation is sad.  
SanFranNowNCGiantsFan : 4/28/2015 6:16 am : link
There's a difference between those who want to protest peacefully & others who use this is as a cover to loot.
Riots are a response to perceived injustice  
WideRight : 4/28/2015 7:50 am : link
Perceived because we still don't know how this guy's neck was broken. The way to eliminate perceived injustice is to improve accountability, not hide information behind an investigation that many will consider biased.

Then if there is an injustice, render punishment commeasurate with the crime and the riots will go away
She should resign ASAP  
bxgiants4 : 4/28/2015 7:53 am : link
Allowing thugs and criminals the space and time to run wild, destroying minority business that serve and employ minority communities.

How can these people rebuild? Who will compensate them and their employees who worked there?

As soon as the rock throwing began the tear gas and rubber bullets should've come out along w the national guard and curfew
RE: Whole situation is sad.  
Jints in Carolina : 4/28/2015 7:58 am : link
In comment 12252891 SanFranNowNCGiantsFan said:
Quote:
There's a difference between those who want to protest peacefully & others who use this is as a cover to loot.


yes
still don't think she is a moron  
bc4life : 4/28/2015 8:05 am : link
BUT, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more illogical, unreasonable, wrong headed and (yes moronic) statement from a public official.

riots were caused by lowlifes, punk kids, and anarchists to act up under the guise of a reasonable cause. are you saying that those people are so uncivilized they cannot express their opinion or seek justice through other means?
You could put as many cops as you can hire  
Headhunter : 4/28/2015 8:07 am : link
on the streets of inner cities to maintain order but we all know there is an element in each inner city that is there just waiting for an opportunity to do what is being done in Baltimore. Disenfranchised young males with no sense of tomorrow or a future. If we don't figure out a way to integrate them into society and give them a stake and a sense of being part of it, this will happen again and again. You can't shoot them all so you need to figure it out. This is a very small percentage, but they exist.
RE: still don't think she is a moron  
LauderdaleMatty : 4/28/2015 8:17 am : link
In comment 12252944 bc4life said:
Quote:
BUT, I think you'd be hard pressed to find a more illogical, unreasonable, wrong headed and (yes moronic) statement from a public official.

riots were caused by lowlifes, punk kids, and anarchists to act up under the guise of a reasonable cause. are you saying that those people are so uncivilized they cannot express their opinion or seek justice through other means?


How about unqualified or failed in her biggest moment? He lack of common sense was astounding and will coast that city millions. Milions it doesn't have which means federal $$ which means $$ that could and should have been spent elsewhere. The bill will be enormous. She is not fit for that office. He denial of the statement made on camera is also sign of an unwillingness to own up to the statement she made. She may have said it wrong but there was obviously a plan to not engage rioters. She and others in charge obviously had no plan and no idea what to do. The amount of damage she done is at her feet. Maybe not all but a large part of it.
RE: Riots are a response to perceived injustice  
Dunedin81 : 4/28/2015 8:27 am : link
In comment 12252932 WideRight said:
Quote:
Perceived because we still don't know how this guy's neck was broken. The way to eliminate perceived injustice is to improve accountability, not hide information behind an investigation that many will consider biased.

Then if there is an injustice, render punishment commeasurate with the crime and the riots will go away


Perception is really the operative concept here. This particular act seems like it was an injustice and no doubt there are other perceived injustices that brought things to a boil. But the famously rational people who set fire to cars and loot stores aren't necessarily going to be placated by the news that this guy or that one or five of them are going to be put on trial. And if a jury of that guy's peers comes back not guilty or deadlocks, what then?

Is the answer to back off? Less aggressive policing? Because Baltimore is a hub for drug trafficking in the mid-Atlantic, particularly the traffic in heroin, so the decision of law enforcement to "back off" and be less aggressive in their policing is pregnant with consequences for surrounding cities and states. The mayor is an idiot, but people who tell you that there are easy answers to any of the myriad problems these riots implicate is just as stupid.
it's terrible  
Les in TO : 4/28/2015 8:30 am : link
gangs using the pretext of the gray case to riot, loot, etc. the people who are truly angry about the gray case - like gray's mother - are imploring people to protest peacefully and to stop tearing down the city.
I had to turn the coverage off last night...  
Britt in VA : 4/28/2015 8:49 am : link
because my blood was boiling.

Watching them cut fire hoses and throw cinderblocks at Firemen and Firetrucks who were trying to put out the massive blazes....
Accountability  
WideRight : 4/28/2015 8:58 am : link
Accountability means that those who commit an injustice will be held accountable. Whoever broke the guys neck will be subject to the same laws that the protesters are. No hiding or obscuring the truth. Professionals must be professional even when they fuck up.

We are talking about tens of millions of dollars of damages to public and provate property. That number would absolutely be lowered if LE imporved their accountability to the people they serve.
What a disaster.  
BeerFridge : 4/28/2015 8:59 am : link
In general, I don't think people riot unless they feel oppressed enough to just not give a fuck anymore. But this is ridiculous. These folks don't give a shit about Gray.
"People...is"  
Dunedin81 : 4/28/2015 9:02 am : link
In the process of calling other people stupid, I displayed my own stupidity.
Would it?  
Britt in VA : 4/28/2015 9:03 am : link
Quote:
That number would absolutely be lowered if LE imporved their accountability to the people they serve.
RE: What a disaster.  
Dunedin81 : 4/28/2015 9:12 am : link
In comment 12252992 BeerFridge said:
Quote:
In general, I don't think people riot unless they feel oppressed enough to just not give a fuck anymore. But this is ridiculous. These folks don't give a shit about Gray.


Meh. Some of this is probably anger. But there are other people who just see an opportunity.
I understand the anger and frustration  
buford : 4/28/2015 9:17 am : link
even if you did not know Gray. However, it seems that this type of behavior is being encouraged by some and allowed to occur so as to not show too strong a response by the police. And I understand that too, but you cannot allow groups of lawless teenagers and others to destroy a city like that. It's absurd. The people in charge are directly liable for what went on.
RE: Would it?  
WideRight : 4/28/2015 9:27 am : link
In comment 12253001 Britt in VA said:
Quote:


Quote:


That number would absolutely be lowered if LE imporved their accountability to the people they serve.



Good question. What do you think?
RE: RE: Would it?  
Britt in VA : 4/28/2015 9:29 am : link
In comment 12253057 WideRight said:
Quote:
In comment 12253001 Britt in VA said:


Quote:




Quote:


That number would absolutely be lowered if LE imporved their accountability to the people they serve.





Good question. What do you think?


I don't believe what happened yesterday was about justice. At all. I believe it was based on opportunity, like others have stated.

Therefore, I believe it would not.
And thats why these things keep happening  
WideRight : 4/28/2015 9:39 am : link
.
RE: And thats why these things keep happening  
Dunedin81 : 4/28/2015 9:43 am : link
In comment 12253094 WideRight said:
Quote:
.


Maybe these riots keep happening because the rioters and looters feel some sort of connection to legions of other oppressed peoples around the country. Or maybe the protests happen because of that connection and sense of injustice, and those who would riot and loot exploit the situation to commit wanton theft and violence. There is some overlap, to be sure, but I think a lot more of this rationalization for setting one's own neighborhood alight comes from people removed from the situation.
Reducing collateral damage by a number as low as 10%  
WideRight : 4/28/2015 9:54 am : link
Can save millions of dollars of both public and private money
LauderdaleMatty  
bc4life : 4/28/2015 9:57 am : link
"Failed in her biggest moment" I would challenge anyone to find a better description of her decision. I've been watching this off and on and I sensed she was trying to do what Mayor's have to do in these situations - walk the line between both camps. But, I have no idea why she would think allowing people to damage property would be a viable strategy.

RE: RE: And thats why these things keep happening  
njm : 4/28/2015 9:59 am : link
In comment 12253108 Dunedin81 said:
Quote:
In comment 12253094 WideRight said:


Quote:


.



Maybe these riots keep happening because the rioters and looters feel some sort of connection to legions of other oppressed peoples around the country. Or maybe the protests happen because of that connection and sense of injustice, and those who would riot and loot exploit the situation to commit wanton theft and violence. There is some overlap, to be sure, but I think a lot more of this rationalization for setting one's own neighborhood alight comes from people removed from the situation.


A good question. And one stat I'd like to see might shed some light on it. During the interviews at the scenes of violence last night, a number of times people self-identified as local residents stated that a number of the people they saw looting were not residents of the neighborhood. And I did see one person get arrested for obstructing the police who, by appearance, looked like one of the Guy Fawkesian anarchists who showed up at Ferguson to make a bad situation worse. So the stat I'd like to see is this:

"Of those arrested, how many of them were residents of the neighborhood where they were arrested?"

I think that might give us some useful information.
A lot of the looters were identified as local high school students,  
Britt in VA : 4/28/2015 10:02 am : link
though.

The police were alerted prior by twitter notices being put out among local high school students that they planned to loot and destroy the mall and other local stores.
according to a link at Reason  
Greg from LI : 4/28/2015 10:03 am : link
Almost all the people arrested thus far are from Baltimore.

Quote:
With Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake blaming “outside agitators” for the violence at yesterday’s Freddie Gray rally, Baltimore police tonight released the names of 35 people arrested in connection with the unrest.

Nearly all of them are from Baltimore City. Thirty-one were adults, mostly males in their late 20s and early 30s but ranging up to age 47. Four were juveniles.


Can't speak as to the accuracy of this, just passing it on.
Link - ( New Window )
I meant that the rationalization...  
Dunedin81 : 4/28/2015 10:08 am : link
was coming from outside, specifically from the chattering classes. Aside from the stray Guy Fawkes devotee, who might be risking physical violence by showing his face in downtown Baltimore, the sorts of people who riot and loot tend not to be particularly mobile, especially when transportation networks are disrupted by the unrest.
I understand the right to protest.  
Randy in CT : 4/28/2015 10:08 am : link
This wasn't a protest and I was hoping to see some rubber bullets fired. If you are acting out against innocent people or burning buildings down, you are a scumbag and a criminal.
RE: according to a link at Reason  
njm : 4/28/2015 10:29 am : link
In comment 12253168 Greg from LI said:
Quote:
Almost all the people arrested thus far are from Baltimore.



Quote:


With Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake blaming “outside agitators” for the violence at yesterday’s Freddie Gray rally, Baltimore police tonight released the names of 35 people arrested in connection with the unrest.

Nearly all of them are from Baltimore City. Thirty-one were adults, mostly males in their late 20s and early 30s but ranging up to age 47. Four were juveniles.




Can't speak as to the accuracy of this, just passing it on. Link - ( New Window )


Nearly all from Baltimore, but how many from that particular neighborhood? They had helicopter shots of a mall being looted by people who drove up in cars. Do we have a mobile group of criminals who are hitting targets of opportunity, or is it really neighborhood residents?
.  
Britt in VA : 4/28/2015 10:30 am : link
Quote:
The incident stemmed from a flier that circulated widely among city school students via social media about a “purge” to take place at 3 p.m., starting at Mondawmin Mall and ending downtown. Such memes have been known to circulate regularly among city school students, based on the film "The Purge," about what would happen if all laws were suspended.


Baltimore Sun - ( New Window )
What is sad to me  
BobOnLI : 4/28/2015 10:36 am : link
is that everything being said in this thread is almost word for word what was said in the sixties about the urban rioting that occurred then. It almost seems like Groundhog Day. Plenty of insightful analysis was published in the aftermath of the '60s riots. Nothing new here.
RE: Riots are a response to perceived injustice  
Giants2012 : 4/28/2015 10:39 am : link
In comment 12252932 WideRight said:
Quote:
Perceived because we still don't know how this guy's neck was broken. The way to eliminate perceived injustice is to improve accountability, not hide information behind an investigation that many will consider biased.

Then if there is an injustice, render punishment commeasurate with the crime and the riots will go away


+1

Great post
My Dad  
Phil from WNY : 4/28/2015 10:42 am : link
was in the old TPF in NYC during the riots in the 60's. They were the NYPD's front line on rioting and the forerunner of today's SWAT teams. He used to tell me that in a riot, the crowd embraces the mentality of the lowest common denominator. It didn't matter if they were upper class kids from Columbia University or a resident from the toughest street in Harlem. In a crowd, he said they were both the same and both devolved down to the level of the angriest and most violent member of the crowd.

He was later stationed at the 28 in Harlem during the infamous riots of the late 60's. He said that the local residents were the most appreciative of police efforts to beat back the riots as they didn't want them to continue.

The only way to handle this situation is to forcibly put it down, then make sure that the reasons it started are honestly addressed.
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