Only days after signing into law one of the nation's toughest curfews for youth, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is speaking out against "knockout game" attacks in the city.
She joins Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter, who in 2013 declared war on the "knockout game," a racially motivated attack in which the perpetrators try to fell a random victim with a single punch.
Rawlings-Blake told WNEW Annapolis Bureau Chief Karen Adams that for youth participating in these attacks, "It's just not worth it."
"They don't understand the consequences," Rawlings-Blake told WNEW. "If you knock someone out, you could think it's a joke, and you’ll hurt somebody – that person could die. And then your life is ruined for some stupidity that you and your friends think is fun."
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WNEW reported Rawlings-Blake's comments were prompted by two incidents that police believe are connected to the "knockout game."
This past weekend, a Texas man in town for his college orientation was reportedly punched in the head outside the Baltimore Harbor Hotel by a group of youths. Last week, two brothers claimed they chased down a group of about 20 kids after being punched. Police say a 16-year-old boy was later arrested."
One person who has spent the past four years following the trend of "knockout game" attacks nationwide isn't convinced Rawlings-Blake's rhetoric will change anything.
Colin Flaherty, author of "White Girl Bleed A Lot: The Return of Racial Violence to America and How the Media Ignore It," told WND: "Did you see who filed the report? An Annapolis reporter. These stories of black-on-white knockout attacks are rarely covered by the local news in Baltimore, least of all the Baltimore Sun newspaper.
"There is, of course, a direct correlation between the 'knockout game' attacks and the need for Baltimore to pass easily the most restrictive curfew for youths in all America," Flaherty said.
Calling the mayor "a master of denial," Flaherty noted even a curfew won't stop the "knockout game" attacks from occurring in Baltimore, unless there are actual consequences.
Baltimore is 63.5 percent black and 28.9 percent white.
The New York Times published an article June 21 in which the reporter noted cities such as Baltimore, Philadelphia, Kansas City and Indianapolis has passed or were considering curfews in response to what Flaherty told WND was "exclusively black mob violence."
"As I noted in my book 'White Girl Bleed a Lot,' cities like Kansas City, Philadelphia and Baltimore are ground zero for black mob violence. The media calls it 'flash mobs' or 'knockout game,' but there's only one variable that connects these attacks happening all across America, and it's black people acting as aggressors against unsuspecting white people," Flaherty said.
The New York Times article notes:
In Kansas City, about three-fourths of youths held on curfew violations last year were black, while only 30 percent of residents are black.
The NAACP in Baltimore and other organizations say they will watch to make sure that officers do not mistreat teenagers. The American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland is also considering whether to file a lawsuit to challenge the law.
"I'm not sure ultimately if the police should be riding around looking for children while they're still looking out the other eye for criminal activity," said Tessa Hill-Aston, the president of the Baltimore branch of the NAACP.
See a trailer for "White Girl Bleed a Lot":