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I'm surprised no one has brought up Baltimore..

I want to give a cheer to the mom who grabbed her kid.  She was not happy he was part of the crowd.  Of course, some will say it's child abuse (she slapped him).  I'm giving her a pass. 

There are some other awesome residents.  Ones who on their own stood between the ones rioting and the police.  One guy was a Vietnam vet (I think his name is Valentine).   Some other stand up men trying to diffuse this situation.     

The Gray family deserves answers.  How they broke his back is beyond me.  

I get the frustration.  Sadly, burning down what little resources you already have only hurts yourself and the neighborhood.   I'm glad these men I mentioned earlier at least tried to show those doing the rioting that there are other ways to protest. 









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Re: I'm surprised no one has brought up Baltimore..

  • lyndausvi said:

    I want to give a cheer to the mom who grabbed her kid.  She was not happy he was part of the crowd.  Of course, some will say it's child abuse (she slapped him).  I'm giving her a pass. 


    There are some other awesome residents.  Ones who on their own stood between the ones rioting and the police.  One guy was a Vietnam vet (I think his name is Valentine).   Some other stand up men trying to diffuse this situation.     

    The Gray family deserves answers.  How they broke his back is beyond me.  

    I get the frustration.  Sadly, burning down what little resources you already have only hurts yourself and the neighborhood.   I'm glad these men I mentioned earlier at least tried to show those doing the rioting that there are other ways to protest. 



    The most recent report I read said his neck was what was broken, like the spinal injury occured in his neck. That seems even more bizarre to me. When they first said it was his back I thought the police tackled him too hard but... I don't know. I just find the whole thing weird and confusing and horribly sad. His poor family. 
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  • I have a friend that lives around the Baltimore area and she says it's like a war zone (And she's from a war zone, she knows.). She was able to get out of the city safely, but man. I cannot imagine. 

    But kudos to the mother that pulled her child off the streets during the riot. She probably saved him from jail time or worse. And to all the people that are trying to help drop the riots to a simmer. 

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  • lyndausvilyndausvi mod
    First Anniversary First Answer 5 Love Its Name Dropper
    edited April 2015
    beethery said:

    One big thing that I want to commend people for is the volunteering that's going on there, because it's not getting blown up like it should. Hundreds of people are going around cleaning up trash, helping business owners clean up anything that's been destroyed, just helping.


    There were over 10k peaceful protesters there this morning, plus the volunteers. Good on 'em.
    They were singing, dancing.    They even put in up a human line between the protesters and the cops.  Just recently, some guy went to throw something at the cops, THEY jumped in.  Even before the cops.    They deserve so much credit.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • I liked seeing that mother, You could see the disappointment in her face and it was clear she was trying to get her son to do the right thing. I don't think it is remotely abuse.

    I also don't get the burning down of CVS and cop cars, it doesn't  make sense- you are only punishing yourself and your community.

    I did read about a woman who brought her young children (3 under the age of 8) to help clean up because she wanted to set a good example for them. I wish more people would do that.

    I feel bad for all involved, and I wish one week would go by where this sort of stuff wasn't dominating the news.
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  • beethery said:

    One big thing that I want to commend people for is the volunteering that's going on there, because it's not getting blown up like it should. Hundreds of people are going around cleaning up trash, helping business owners clean up anything that's been destroyed, just helping.


    There were over 10k peaceful protesters there this morning, plus the volunteers. Good on 'em.
    Here ya go, beeth: http://www.buzzfeed.com/nicolasmedinamora/meet-the-people-who-are-cleaning-up-west-baltimore#.txp8qbJv0

    Just like you said. It's hard to find stories like this in the major news outlets. That's why sometimes I love buzzfeed. 
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  • novella1186novella1186 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited April 2015
    lyndausvi said:

    Well I totally understand burning down a cop car.  


    CVS?  Not so much. I happen to live in an area with no CVS and Walgreens.  However, most places where there is a CVS, there is a Walgreens across the street.  In downtown Baltimore?  Not so much.  So they just burnt down the only drug store in the area.  Now grandma has to go farther out for her meds.  Their neighbor now doesn't have a job for a while.   

    And that is where these awesome black men are doing.  They are saying "yes there needs to be change. But we lived through the riots of 68. We know first hand how riots do not help"  

    When you are angry, you don't think of things like that.  Innocent people end up losing their homes and businesses.   Innocent people who had nothing to do with police.  Innocent people who are your neighbors and have the same frustrations.


    I'm really glad those black men in those "love lines" are out in force.  I hope some people learn from them.
    Burning a cop car isn't even really against the cops anyway, because [correct me if I'm wrong] aren't their cars bought with taxpayer money? So in the bigger picture, having to buy more cop cars because of bunch of them were burned-- isn't that going to take money away from other public programs or funding that would benefit the community? At least that's how I see it. 

    It's just stupid. The protests were a good thing and then a few idiots got violent and turned it all negative. You're hurting your cause when you take it to that level. 

    Just like when the Indiana religious freedom bill came out-- that stupid pizza place said they "wouldn't serve gays." So a bunch of people spoke out against them and refused to eat there anymore. Ok, cool. Good. But then some idiot publicly posted death threats against the owners and things got carried away, so then these asshole bigot owners turn into the victims, and someone sets up a GFM for them. NO! Why turn the assholes into victims? Why flip the cause? No!!! Keep it civil and stick to the point or you're going to HURT your cause instead of HELPING. I find that so disappointing. 
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  • I absolutely don't understand burning down cop cars. What signal does that send? That you are violent and can't be trusted. You basically end up giving someone a reason to think less of you.

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  • Well I totally understand burning down a cop car.  

    CVS?  Not so much. I happen to live in an area with no CVS and Walgreens.  However, most places where there is a CVS, there is a Walgreens across the street.  In downtown Baltimore?  Not so much.  So they just burnt down the only drug store in the area.  Now grandma has to go farther out for her meds.  Their neighbor now doesn't have a job for a while.   

    And that is where these awesome black men are doing.  They are saying "yes there needs to be change. But we lived through the riots of 68. We know first hand how riots do not help"  

    When you are angry, you don't think of things like that.  Innocent people end up losing their homes and businesses.   Innocent people who had nothing to do with police.  Innocent people who are your neighbors and have the same frustrations.


    I'm really glad those black men in those "love lines" are out in force.  I hope some people learn from them.


    Burning a cop car isn't even really against the cops anyway, because [correct me if I'm wrong] aren't their cars bought with taxpayer money? So in the bigger picture, having to buy more cop cars because of bunch of them were burned-- isn't that going to take money away from other public programs or funding that would benefit the community? At least that's how I see it. 

    It's just stupid. The protests were a good thing and then a few idiots got violent and turned it all negative. You're hurting your cause when you take it to that level. 

    Just like when the Indiana religious freedom bill came out-- that stupid pizza place said they "wouldn't serve gays." So a bunch of people spoke out against them and refused to eat there anymore. Ok, cool. Good. But then some idiot publicly posted death threats against the owners and things got carried away, so then these asshole bigot owners turn into the victims, and someone sets up a GFM for them. NO! Why turn the assholes into victims? Why flip the cause? No!!! Keep it civil and stick to the point or you're going to HURT your cause instead of HELPING. I find that so disappointing. 


    The protesters are not thinking that deeply that tax payers are really the ones who have to replace the car.

    The car is the symbol of the police.  The police were some how involved in the death of a man in their custody.  The police and their symbols need to be destroyed.









    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • sarahufl said:

    I absolutely don't understand burning down cop cars. What signal does that send? That you are violent and can't be trusted. You basically end up giving someone a reason to think less of you.

    Well you can say that about riots in general.

    The straw that broke this camel's back was the death of Freddie Gray.    A cop car is a symbol of those who are involved in their death.  It's not really a stretch to understand how people want to destroy that symbol.







    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • lyndausvi said:

    Well I totally understand burning down a cop car.  

    CVS?  Not so much. I happen to live in an area with no CVS and Walgreens.  However, most places where there is a CVS, there is a Walgreens across the street.  In downtown Baltimore?  Not so much.  So they just burnt down the only drug store in the area.  Now grandma has to go farther out for her meds.  Their neighbor now doesn't have a job for a while.   

    And that is where these awesome black men are doing.  They are saying "yes there needs to be change. But we lived through the riots of 68. We know first hand how riots do not help"  

    When you are angry, you don't think of things like that.  Innocent people end up losing their homes and businesses.   Innocent people who had nothing to do with police.  Innocent people who are your neighbors and have the same frustrations.


    I'm really glad those black men in those "love lines" are out in force.  I hope some people learn from them.


    Burning a cop car isn't even really against the cops anyway, because [correct me if I'm wrong] aren't their cars bought with taxpayer money? So in the bigger picture, having to buy more cop cars because of bunch of them were burned-- isn't that going to take money away from other public programs or funding that would benefit the community? At least that's how I see it. 

    It's just stupid. The protests were a good thing and then a few idiots got violent and turned it all negative. You're hurting your cause when you take it to that level. 

    Just like when the Indiana religious freedom bill came out-- that stupid pizza place said they "wouldn't serve gays." So a bunch of people spoke out against them and refused to eat there anymore. Ok, cool. Good. But then some idiot publicly posted death threats against the owners and things got carried away, so then these asshole bigot owners turn into the victims, and someone sets up a GFM for them. NO! Why turn the assholes into victims? Why flip the cause? No!!! Keep it civil and stick to the point or you're going to HURT your cause instead of HELPING. I find that so disappointing. 
    The protesters are not thinking that deeply that tax payers are really the ones who have to replace the car.

    The car is the symbol of the police.  The police were some how involved in the death of a man in their custody.  The police and their symbols need to be destroyed.





    Yeah, I guess you're right. 

    The CVS, though? What's the symbol there? They're hurting their neighbors, as you said in your earlier post. 
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  • lyndausvi said:

    sarahufl said:

    I absolutely don't understand burning down cop cars. What signal does that send? That you are violent and can't be trusted. You basically end up giving someone a reason to think less of you.

    Well you can say that about riots in general.

    The straw that broke this camel's back was the death of Freddie Gray.    A cop car is a symbol of those who are involved in their death.  It's not really a stretch to understand how people want to destroy that symbol.

    I guess I should add that I don't get riots.

    But how is this going to fix anything? All it does is make things worse. I know why they are protesting, that part is widely known. I don't understand the mental connection of - let's destroy cop cars to do what? Make the relationship with cops and citizens better? To advance race relations?

    No. It makes everything worse.
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  • novella1186novella1186 member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    edited April 2015
    sarahufl said:

    sarahufl said:

    I absolutely don't understand burning down cop cars. What signal does that send? That you are violent and can't be trusted. You basically end up giving someone a reason to think less of you.

    Well you can say that about riots in general.

    The straw that broke this camel's back was the death of Freddie Gray.    A cop car is a symbol of those who are involved in their death.  It's not really a stretch to understand how people want to destroy that symbol.

    I guess I should add that I don't get riots.

    But how is this going to fix anything? All it does is make things worse. I know why they are protesting, that part is widely known. I don't understand the mental connection of - let's destroy cop cars to do what? Make the relationship with cops and citizens better? To advance race relations?

    No. It makes everything worse.
    -------------box------------------------------------------



    I think the mentality there is not to improve but to punish/get revenge (for the violent rioters, not for the protesters. I think the protesters genuinely want peaceful resolution, real action, and improvement) 
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  • I'm surprised no one brought it up either. I was going to start a thread last night, but I wasn't sure what to say other than it's crazy.

    I understand that people are angry. They should be angry. But I don't see how burning their city to the ground is going to accomplish anything. 
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  • There is little logic in rioting.   There is no logic to this:  But mob mentality kicks in.   They are mad.   Poor education, little basic services yet liquor stores on every corner. No jobs, then add in Baltimore's history of excessive force in the police department. 




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    I want answer to.  The family deserves an answer.  I happen not to be mad about other issues. I can understand that answers are not going to develop overnight.  Sadly these things take time. But we you are mad at life.  A lot black men are dying at the hands of police.  Well your patiences just run real thin.






    What differentiates an average host and a great host is anticipating unexpressed needs and wants of their guests.  Just because the want/need is not expressed, doesn't mean it wouldn't be appreciated. 
  • A lot of these rioters are people from outside of Baltimore. Same thing happened with Ferguson. People come from outside because they see an opportunity to loot during the riots. So after it's over, they'll go home to another city and Baltimore is left with ashes. It's such a shitty situation.

    Also, that mom rocks. 
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  • My theory on Mr. Gray's death is that they handcuffed him and also leg shackled him in the back of one of the police vans.  While driving him around, there were probably very hard turns, hard stops, and floored accelerators during that drive.  This probably tossed him around the back of that van with no hands or feet able to steady him.  There were lots of stories of this happening in the back of Philly PD police vans years ago. 

    I applaud the community members who have tried to calm the violence and rioting.  I also applaud the community members who are now trying to clean up their community.  It is unfortunate that those stories aren't more prevalent in the news right now.  

  • I still don't know what to say about this. Except that watching the coverage last night broke my heart. 
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  • H commented on how hard the mom was hitting the kid and how people will start to call that child abuse too. Meh I think it was what was needed to get done. I am one of the least violent people I know and if someone I loved was making a terrible and dangerous choice in front of me... I would most definitely hit them like that to smack some sense it to them.

    I don't remember where I heard this... so it may have been someone's opinion... but I heard the neck/spinal injury was because he was handcuffed in the paddy-wagon (and I remember being a little kid and my dad telling me that they don't buckle you in and love taking sharp turns etc to jostle you around...) so that he got hurt that way?

    I can't comprehend riots.. then again when I get really really really mad I throw things like pillows and tissue boxes because I hate breaking my stuff! lol
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    Anniversary
  • As some who lives near and loves the city of Baltimore the riots both Saturday and yesterday are just very disappointing.  All the peaceful protests that have happened over the past week are so are now a distant memory.  Any good those protests have done have been erased by a group of thugs.

    Yesterdays protests were primarily teenagers.  They organized via social media.  Unfortunately they out numbered the police officers which is why things got as bad as they did.  I thought that the police showed amazing restraint in the midst of such chaos.

    I will never understand what you gain from destroying your own community.  You still have to live in the area that you just vandalized, looted and burned down.  You are also helping to solidify the stereotype that unfortunately some individuals have of the community.

    But seeing the clergy and councilman and other community members stand up to the asses was really nice to see.  It shows that not everyone feels the same or thinks that rioting is a good idea.  That is no way to get your point across.  It was also nice to see people come together this morning to help clean up.

    As for Freddie Gray, he got hurt after being put in the police van.  The officers did not strap him in so he got bounced around and when your hands are tied behind your back (and then later your feet) it is difficult to brace yourself on a too bumpy ride.

    I also love that Mom in that video.  That is not child abuse.  Put yourself in your shoes.  Imagine seeing your child as part of that group of thugs destroying the city you live in and looting and throwing bricks and other items at the police.  You would do anything to drag your child back home.  A slap upside the head is better then having to visit your child in jail or worse visit your child in the graveyard.

    It will be interesting to see how the curfew will work (curfew is from 10pm to 5am for everyone for the rest of the week).  How that will impact businesses.  How well it will be enforced.

    As for the mayor I am a bit disappointed in how she handled the riots.  She didn't make any type of public statement until almost 5 hours after the riots started and when she did finally say something she said maybe a handful of sentences and then turned things over to other individuals.  You are the mayor of the city, people want to hear from you and to hear how you are going to help calm the situation and stop the rioting.  Then again this is the first major incidence that she has had to deal with but typically this is the time when you see what your leaders are made of.

    Businesses, schools and such are closed.  Tonight's Oriole game has been postponed (probably due to safety concerns and the curfew).  Tomorrows game will be played but will be closed to the public and the weekend games have been moved to Tampa Bay.  There are also planned protests for today and Thursday in the town I live in

  • ElcaBElcaB member
    First Anniversary First Comment First Answer 5 Love Its
    Does anyone know why Gray was arrested? I've been trying to get information but all reports are focused on his injuries during arrest and/or the protests & riots in Baltimore. 
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  • ElcaB said:

    Does anyone know why Gray was arrested? I've been trying to get information but all reports are focused on his injuries during arrest and/or the protests & riots in Baltimore. 
    If I remember correctly, the original article said the police wanted to ask him about "something suspicious" but he hadn't actually committed any crime. When they tried to talk to him, he supposedly ran, so they went after him. 
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  • ElcaB said:

    Does anyone know why Gray was arrested? I've been trying to get information but all reports are focused on his injuries during arrest and/or the protests & riots in Baltimore. 
    He has a pretty long arrest record for dealing narcotics.  He was also in an area of Baltimore well known for selling drugs.  As the police came over to see what was up he ran.  An illegal switch blade was found on him which is why he was arrested.

  • This breaks my heart. Violence is not an answer to violence, hurting your own community instead of bringing them together.
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  • @Maggie0829 I was thinking of you and your family yesterday and hoping y'all were doing okay! 

  • As some who lives near and loves the city of Baltimore the riots both Saturday and yesterday are just very disappointing.  All the peaceful protests that have happened over the past week are so are now a distant memory.  Any good those protests have done have been erased by a group of thugs.


    Yesterdays protests were primarily teenagers.  They organized via social media.  Unfortunately they out numbered the police officers which is why things got as bad as they did.  I thought that the police showed amazing restraint in the midst of such chaos.

    I will never understand what you gain from destroying your own community.  You still have to live in the area that you just vandalized, looted and burned down.  You are also helping to solidify the stereotype that unfortunately some individuals have of the community.

    But seeing the clergy and councilman and other community members stand up to the asses was really nice to see.  It shows that not everyone feels the same or thinks that rioting is a good idea.  That is no way to get your point across.  It was also nice to see people come together this morning to help clean up.

    As for Freddie Gray, he got hurt after being put in the police van.  The officers did not strap him in so he got bounced around and when your hands are tied behind your back (and then later your feet) it is difficult to brace yourself on a too bumpy ride.

    I also love that Mom in that video.  That is not child abuse.  Put yourself in your shoes.  Imagine seeing your child as part of that group of thugs destroying the city you live in and looting and throwing bricks and other items at the police.  You would do anything to drag your child back home.  A slap upside the head is better then having to visit your child in jail or worse visit your child in the graveyard.

    It will be interesting to see how the curfew will work (curfew is from 10pm to 5am for everyone for the rest of the week).  How that will impact businesses.  How well it will be enforced.

    As for the mayor I am a bit disappointed in how she handled the riots.  She didn't make any type of public statement until almost 5 hours after the riots started and when she did finally say something she said maybe a handful of sentences and then turned things over to other individuals.  You are the mayor of the city, people want to hear from you and to hear how you are going to help calm the situation and stop the rioting.  Then again this is the first major incidence that she has had to deal with but typically this is the time when you see what your leaders are made of.

    Businesses, schools and such are closed.  Tonight's Oriole game has been postponed (probably due to safety concerns and the curfew).  Tomorrows game will be played but will be closed to the public and the weekend games have been moved to Tampa Bay.  There are also planned protests for today and Thursday in the town I live in
    Hi, can we stop referring to black people as "thugs"? It is racist as hell. It has racist origins and is, to this day, used almost exclusively to describe young black men.
    That is the exact word that our black mayor and other black leaders used to describe the rioters.

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