What is wrong with the Mayor of Baltimore?

[jdb in AZ]

Re: parents finding and getting their gang-bangers off the street. Does the media actually think the gang members are from functional families and will listen and obey their parents?

 

[Judique]

It's too bad ...rather than using this to emphasize how police brutality affects their community, they're proving to many Americans exactly why continued excessive force may be necessary.

Excessive force is never necessary.
Force is definitely necessary.

The problem is the fine line........

 

[Bluestars]

She is trying to give "balance" by allowing criminals to act like full fledged animals while she "gives them their space to destroy". My goodness. There are no words.

http://fusion.net/story/126587/the-...ltimore-protesters-space-to-destroy-property/


"I’ve made it very clear that I work with the police, and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters could exercise their right to free speech. It’s a very delicate balancing act because while we tried to make sure they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we gave those who wished to destroy space to do that, as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to deescalate. And that’s what you saw."

What kind of leader wants to give people space to destroy other people's property? That's crazy. People should never be given space to destroy things.

 

[Judique]

Re: parents finding and getting their gang-bangers off the street. Does the media actually think the gang members are from functional families and will listen and obey their parents?

Baltimore has a lot of mixed socio economic neighborhoods.
Some of these kids are from fully functional families.

 

[mom2rtk]

What a disgusting comment from the mayor.

Her priority clearly is not maintaining the safety of the law-abiding residents of her city.

 

[Planogirl]

This is hard for the police. If they use force then idiots accuse them of being too forceful. If they don't then you see destruction like this.

Plus sadly the very real problems with brutality just get buried under all of this.

 

[GAN]

Excessive force is never necessary.
Force is definitely necessary.

The problem is the fine line........

I should have said, "excessive force" ...as defined by who knows who, possibly confused with "increasing force". It would seem that force increases by equal amounts of disrespect. We all can admit there are bad cops, but I have all the respect in the world for them ...it is an increasingly more difficult job. Spit in my face and don't expect a handshake.

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

Am I the only person left in the US that owns a gun? Because I am amazed none of these rioters get shot by law-abiding citizens protecting their property.

 

[lsyorke]

What kind of leader wants to give people space to destroy other people's property? That's crazy. People should never be given space to destroy things.

Read what she actually said, not was misreported. The clarification is on the first page of this thread.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Am I the only person left in the US that owns a gun? Because I am amazed none of these rioters get shot by law-abiding citizens protecting their property.

Armed citizens (some of them employees) staked out a couple businesses in Ferguson during the unrest there. The looters never got within 200 yards.

 

[MickeySP]

You can be pretty sure it's not the property owners....

Oh that is for sure!!!

The police officers should have had help sent in a long time ago. It's ridiculous that things got to this level. I absolutely think if a person throws a brick at an officer, the officer should be able to shoot. These thugs know they can do whatever they want to do.

Tell that to the Mayor, she wants their rights protected.

I am howling though, saw the crowd hitting the liquor store ten times harder than CVS

 

[dbramer]

I live just northwest of Baltimore and I have students that are probably involved in this mess. I can say that the gloves come off when the NG hits the ground. The looters had better hope they are off the streets by then. Military will be working with completely different rules of engagement than the police. I encourage my students to exercise their First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful protest, but this is unacceptable. Violence only proves the point that the police sometimes have to respond with violence. I am not saying the police in Baltimore were right in the Freddie Gray incident or not, whether excessive force was used or not, or whether it was a freak accident that occurred when apprehending a fleeing felon. It does not excuse the criminals and opportunists for what they are doing.

 

[Forevermarypoppins]

the events were "certain to happen".
and if the Nat'l Guard had been called in BEFORE any of this started, that would've been claimed as racist( too).

I stand with the LAW ENFORCERS!!

 

[KarenB]

How long does it take for the National Guard to be present once called in?

 

[dbramer]

They need to be recalled, wait for everyone to respond, equip the troops, plan for the contingency, brief the troops, run through a quick refresher on riot control procedure and their duties and obligations in this contingency and then deploy. A few hours at least.

 

[Jedana]

Yes. They first looted the CVS and then set it on fire. Now they are cutting the hoses. Plus CVS has closed additional stores in the area to keep their employees safe.

If they are cutting the hoses, the fire department should pull out and let it burn. They put their lives on the line every time they go to a fire, they don't need a bunch of <insert bad words here> making their jobs even more unsafe.
(dad was a firefighter, and had put more than one person on their behind for interfering with the safety of his men.)

 

[Judique]

I live just northwest of Baltimore and I have students that are probably involved in this mess. I can say that the gloves come off when the NG hits the ground. The looters had better hope they are off the streets by then. Military will be working with completely different rules of engagement than the police. I encourage my students to exercise their First Amendment rights to free speech and peaceful protest, but this is unacceptable. Violence only proves the point that the police sometimes have to respond with violence. I am not saying the police in Baltimore were right in the Freddie Gray incident or not, whether excessive force was used or not, or whether it was a freak accident that occurred when apprehending a fleeing felon. It does not excuse the criminals and opportunists for what they are doing.

A recent news comment stated possibly 350 students were involved near MonDawMin. Kids can be more dangerous than adults at times.

Governor Larry Hogan's news comments: The Mayor finally called us. We've been waiting for her call. We signed the 'State of Emergency' order one minute after she called. We've had the Command Center deployed since Saturday night.

Looks like the Mayor took her time letting go of the reins.

 

[mom2rtk]

How long does it take for the National Guard to be present once called in?

I think that depends on when the political fog dissipates.

In Missouri they initially stationed the National Guard down in St. Louis instead of in Ferguson at the center of the action.

 

[CPT Tripss]

Read what she actually said, not was misreported. The clarification is on the first page of this thread.

What she actually said, which was about the events of the weekend and not the rioting that broke out today, does not fit the narrative that some want.

 

[KarenB]

Thanks for the national guard timeframe answers. It is being discussed on CNN now.