State of Emergency: Baltimore Edition

[Grommers]

They really need a batman.

 

[TheComicbookKid]

The poverty issues and welfare state of the inner cities has a lot to do with criminal behavior. It's such a huge problem to tackle, and unfortunately slips by year after year.

Criminal behavior like this is at all levels of society and existed before the welfare state.

Sure it's never fully going away, but we don't have to feed it.

 

[craigdbfan]

They really need a batman.

Most major American cities do.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

So...I imagine the police commissioner should resign after this. Right?

I mean, people are going after the Mayor on this. But, the police seemed to be poorly coordinated, poorly prepared, and caught with their pants down. That seems like the police leadership didn't have a plan. Like, at all.

 

[GreenKToo]

Im sure the mayor had their hands firmly tied.

 

[Victarion]

So...I imagine the police commissioner should resign after this. Right?

I mean, people are going after the Mayor on this. But, the police seemed to be poorly coordinated, poorly prepared, and caught with their pants down. That seems like the police leadership didn't have a plan. Like, at all.

Did the mayor tell the pd to more or less stand back? I wonder if the best plan isn't to contain the rioting and looting.

 

[craigdbfan]

This idiot lying Mayor was backtracking today on her words and said the "media" misinterpreted them.

I don't know it seems pretty clear to me as to what you were saying.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

Did the mayor tell the pd to more or less stand back? I wonder if the best plan isn't to contain the rioting and looting.

I dunno, just seems like there was a breakdown in the organization of the police. I mean, it looked like they were unprepared. Or undermanned, or unorganized. That seems like something the commissioner should answer for.

Then again, other people have seemed to take what the Mayor said as sacrificing the poorer neighborhoods so to protect the richer neighborhoods.

Always seems like failure of leaderships on each level when these things happen, though. I remember when riots broke out in Ferguson it seemed like every leader, at every level, at every step of the way had failed that city.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

This idiot lying Mayor was backtracking today on her words and said the "media" misinterpreted them.

I don't know it seems pretty clear to me as to what you were saying.

What do you think she was trying to say?

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

This idiot lying Mayor was backtracking today on her words and said the "media" misinterpreted them.

I don't know it seems pretty clear to me as to what you were saying.

I think she was under prepared for how to handle this and babbled some throughout.

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

The cops lining up btw seems kind of useless at this point. I suppose if the gangs really wanted to take them out, they are sitting ducks

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

I think she was under prepared for how to handle this and babbled some throughout.

Yeah, seemed that way to me too.

I can't imagine any politician in a position to govern, allowing citizens to opening commit crimes. I mean, that's some Lex Luthor-level of governing that could only come from some anti-government extremist or something.

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

Yeah, seemed that way to me too.

I can't imagine any politician in a position to govern, allowing citizens to opening commit crimes. I mean, that's some Lex Luthor-level of governing that could only come from some anti-government extremist or something.

Ya, she seemed overwhelmed quite honestly.

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

I'm not sure I get the point of the family speaking (to calm things down). These agitators are just using it as a smoke screen for acting chaotic.

 

[craigdbfan]

This is what happens when you elect those on the far left or the far right to govern any sort of government.

These extreme factions have no idea on how to run a balanced society and instead screw up.

 

[craigdbfan]

I think she was under prepared for how to handle this and babbled some throughout.

She didn't say this today.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

The cops lining up btw seems kind of useless at this point. I suppose if the gangs really wanted to take them out, they are sitting ducks

It plays into the criticism that the police are sacrificing a neighborhood and protecting the surrounding, better off, neighborhoods by containing the anarchy to this neighborhood.

But man...whatever is going on...it's playing out like ****ing GTA. There's some crazy **** playing out on live tv right now.

 

[KevanG]

GTA is actually safer due to it just being one guy pulling **** with an occasional helper. This is half the city gone full ******.

This is what happens when you elect those on the far left or the far right to govern any sort of government.

These extreme factions have no idea on how to run a balanced society and instead screw up.

Anarchy is fair and balanced.

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

This is what happens when you elect those on the far left or the far right to govern any sort of government.

These extreme factions have no idea on how to run a balanced society and instead screw up.

I wonder what President Obama said to the Mayor about this situation

 

[craigdbfan]

That's insulting to the AI in GTA. The police in GTA are way more efficient than these goons.

 

[BatmanVSuperman]

That stolen car being driven through the fire multiple times was just insane.

 

[ChrisBaleBatman]

This is what happens when you elect those on the far left or the far right to govern any sort of government.

These extreme factions have no idea on how to run a balanced society and instead screw up.

Weren't the people in Ferguson from the far right elected to govern?

By your logic, one could say Ferguson is proof of what happens when you elect those on the far right to govern any sort of government. And wasn't Baltimore in the hands of right wingers before?

It's not a right or left thing. I think that's too easy and simple an explanation for issues that are far more complex.

 

[Breogan]

There is no solution to this. This is beyond help.

Yes there is-
Look up video of Baltimore MOM whoops her son's ... for looting!
OMG! When she grabs his mask and smacks him.
I can't post it cause there is cursing, but LOL!
There is no hope for any adults looting, but for the kids, this is what they need.
The parents to actually step in.
This mom should be the cities hero.

They really need a batman.

See above^ They have one.

 

[KRYPTON INC.]

Terrible news and idiotic...

However, by some comments here I get the feeling that some perspective is needed. For one thing, NO, most major American cities do not need a "Batman". Crime in general is not the problem it was in urban areas 30 years ago. As a point of reference, the mean streets that Frank Miller "romanticized" in his Daredevil run, the Hell's Kitchen area of NYC is about as gentrified as you can get these days. Are there still pockets of terrible poverty and crime, with gangs and violence? Sure. And they exist in every major city and yes some cities are worse than others. I am not saying that places like Detroit, areas of Chicago and the like are not in trouble but... No. Overall crime is not the disruptive force in say, the late 1980's or early 1990's in American society.

I also think that yes, opportunistic thugs are taking advantage of the legit protests and now the entirety of those with valid grievances will be painted with a broad brush. Why add to that? Condemn the thugs, but understand that the circumstances that allowed for there to be a mass protest for them to take advantage of are about important issues of civil governance that should be seriously looked at. This in some ways goes back to what I was saying in my first paragraph. Crime is much more manageable than it was in the past, but some communities in the U.S. still feel as though they are on lockdown and the Police interactions they have are not optimal to say the least. The "welfare" comments have little to do with the legit concerns of citizens that feel that they are treated differently or abused within the system of law and order in the country. It's interesting that those sort of observations are promulgated by Libertarian/Conservative types, yet they are the ones that claim continually to be about the excess of government and it's ill affects on the populous. I always find that a missed political opportunity on their part, but for what ever reason they can't seem to bring themselves to understand that these issues are a lot more germane to many than their obsession with keeping marginal tax rates down for the wealthy or freeing any and all business from any and all regulation. But I digress...

Finally, one can be for law and order, understand that Policemen and Policewomen are called on to do a painstaking and hazardous job and still want them to not be given carte blanche or given special protection from scrutiny when people's lives are lost or there are miscarriages of justice, or when there is just plain simple harassment that might well be institutionalized.

So, yes, there are thugs on the loose. Restore order. Hold them responsible for their crimes. But let's not pretend that the circumstance that led up to this are also not an issue, and let's not act like the sky is falling either. We had a major economic down turn and the streets of America are safer than they have been for a long time.

My two cents.

 

[Victarion]

It plays into the criticism that the police are sacrificing a neighborhood and protecting the surrounding, better off, neighborhoods by containing the anarchy to this neighborhood.

But man...whatever is going on...it's playing out like ****ing GTA. There's some crazy **** playing out on live tv right now.

More TDKR for me, but they've deployed the National Guard. I've heard 5000 tossed
around.