"Space to destroy"

[TCinVA]

[98z28]

Wow. Who gets to decide how much space is enough?

[TCinVA]

Note that the "peaceful protestor" there winding up an uppercut has a weapon in his hand.

But, yeah...let's give that guy "space to destroy".

[GardoneVT]

The mayors of big city America are sworn to uphold only their careers. As such, she is just a symptom.

What does it say about what America's become when a cop beating up a bad guy is socially unacceptable, but a black man assaulting anyone is?
Are we really The Land of The Free when drug dealers occupy a higher social class then law enforcement?

THAT is the underlying problem.

[Jeep]

Keep in mind that in a lot of cities, the bigger drug dealers/gang leaders are political players who can turn out money and voters for the political machines. I don't know if that is the case in Baltimore--but it wouldn't surprise me. That is how big city machine politics work.

[voodoo_man]

That's unacceptable.

How can they just allow them to destroy private and public property? Who's going to pay for all of that? Thanks tax payers for allowing this to occur.

[GardoneVT]

Keep in mind that in a lot of cities, the bigger drug dealers/gang leaders are political players who can turn out money and voters for the political machines. I don't know if that is the case in Baltimore--but it wouldn't surprise me. That is how big city machine politics work.

Thats how it works in Chicago,if nowhere else.But its also a symptom-because those gangs would be boned if the population rejected their presence.

No, the core problem is that we have millions of people in and out of the inner city who think theyre entitled to get high and break stuff, because Whitey committed atrocities centuries ago. Because these people support criminal behavior as a social group, Crime is Good and War is Peace. We soon get speeches like this one.

[LittleLebowski]

From a friend that lives and works in the area:

Several bar patrons called in on the local rock radio station this morning with their stories. There's a strip of bars close to the ball park where tons of people "pregame" and even more just stay to watch the game. It's not a rowdy crowd. How many rowdy baseball fans do you know? It's mostly dudes hanging out or families.

A large crowd of "protestors" (apparently we aren't calling them rioters) approached the strip. They approached the bars, destroyed the "outdoor venues" (most of the bars have indoor/outdoor areas), stole all the booze, emptied the cash registers, and broke everything they could.

At some point, the "protestors", started throwing things through the windows of the bars. The patrons were terrified. One of the callers said he left that bar and ran next door. The bouncer saw him coming and yelled at him to enter his bar to take cover. When he entered that bar, everyone was already crowded into the back (away from the windows). He said mothers were locking themselves along with their small children into the bathrooms. THEY. WERE. TERRIFIED.

[PD Sgt.]

I can't help but think that this is what happens when those who are put in a position to look out for the interests and well being of the majority (such as a mayor of a city) fail to exercise that responsibility and continue to identify with the minority (those who feel entitled to such violent acts due to their position in society). What they do not see is that in doing this, they fail everyone; the taxpaying, law abiding citizens who act responsibly even in the face of unpleasant conditions, and the minority they infantilize by allowing them to act out in an unreasonable manner for civilized society.

I really do fear for the future of our country.

[Chuck Haggard]

This is how things get out of hand and you get Korean grocers on the roof, a pile of bodies in the parking lot, and SWAT having to engage in running gunfights to extract fire fighters from shot up rigs they are using for cover.