Rose Cottage Ltd

What a mess in Baltimore yesterday. I’m not even sure where to begin.

When I first heard the story of Freddie Gray, it appeared to me that there was definitely some wrongdoing on the part of the Baltimore police. A fairly healthy young man, even if he had a rather checkered past with the police, should not end up with a nearly severed spine and then dead while in police custody. I was glad to hear several days later that the police quickly admitted that there “appeared” to be some lack of police concern for the man’s health and safety while in custody and that the investigation was continuing.

Good – because it seems obvious that something went terribly wrong. And custody MEANS custody. If you are in custody of the police it means under their control. Unless you initiate additional violence, you are also under their care and your life should not be at risk no matter who you are or what you may have or have not done.

Then yesterday happened.

I’m like others, turning on my TV in the evening to catch up with the day’s news and what do I see? Throngs of teenagers and young adults looting stores, throwing large chunks of concrete at police, police cars being destroyed and then – a local area CVS which had already been looted, burst into flames. Fire trucks finally make it to the scene and what do these morons do? Cut the fire hose so the firemen cannot stop the blaze.

So after about three hours of non-stop coverage by the media how do I feel? Numb. To all of it. It’s no longer about justice for Freddie Gray. It’s about aggressive agitators who show a lack of respect for Mr Gray and his family, a lack of respect for public property, and a total lack of respect for the Baltimore residents who were NOT involved in this totally unnecessary revolt. 15 police officers ended up in the hospital. NONE of these officers was involved in Mr. Gray’s death because those officers have all been placed on leave pending the investigation.

I’m sorry Mr. Gray is dead and I can understand that there are very troubling questions about the interactions between Baltimore police and black residents. But if you wanted anyone outside the main conflict to “feel your pain” you made a huge error. Many people probably had the same response to yesterday’s violence I did by NOW thinking, if this is Baltimore, no wonder the police assume the worst! You just showed us the worst. Thanks to the ad nauseum media coverage, we see gangs of teenagers assaulting police officers, taunting them, and destroying their vehicles.

And guess what? A lot of people will just tune out on Baltimore. And maybe that local CVS will just decide the heck with this and never re-open the store. Responsible residents of that area will now have to find some other place to get their medicines, etc. because you “protesters” looted and burned their local store. It is not lost on anyone, particularly after Ferguson, that people who DO NOT RESIDE IN BALTIMORE have a LOT to do with these planned riots.

Thanks to some of the local residents and pastors, a REAL group of actual protesters seemed to take some control later in the evening. Good for them because the Mayor of Baltimore all but encouraged the destruction of that area of the city. It might be time for her removal since she all but abdicated parts of Baltimore to the rioters and looters. Sorry Mayor but doing that does not come under the category of “free speech.”

I hope cooler heads who are actually seeking improvement in the relationship between the black citizens and police take over. As a outsider, my empathy with legitimate complaints will rapidly disappear if I watch more of this ridiculous and pointless destruction.