In my opinion, the Freddie Gray debacle in Baltimore is a worldwide embarrassment at many levels, and it appears very little of it has to do with the police. Freddie Gray was a known felon with about 20 arrests, most having to do with narcotics and some with their distribution. So he was probably well known to the police, and he was seen to be acting suspiciously. Did he deserve to die? Probably not, but all the facts aren’t in yet as to how and why he died.
Was his arrest and transport racially motivated? How could it be with half the officers involved and charged being black? The litany of charges heaped on these officers seems to be piling on and overkill based on the short length of time that could have gone toward investigation of all the facts.
At the height of all the protests, the mayor and supporting officials cave into the mob and force the police to stand down, further emboldening the mob and thus increasing the property damage and harm to the general public. Now, we have what appears to be a young, black prosecutor having a press conference and making a series of largely political statements again playing to the Baltimore mob rather than the rule of law. And thus, further emboldening the mob and resulting in even more demonstrations, a victory dance of sorts, I suppose.
The law-abiding and taxpaying citizens of Baltimore don’t rate any considerations? The officers risking their lives to protect the citizens don’t deserve due process? What’s important to the Baltimore government is to present a politically correct position to a bunch of thugs and uninformed but vocal self-proclaimed “victims” to feel vindicated about their property destruction and stealing?
Note to self: Stay away from this city. The government is too stupid for any good to come from a visit there! One of the premier cities of American history has taken on the vestiges of a Third-World country or a banana republic, and a poorly run one at that.
Joe
