Today, instead of focusing on the natural disaster that hit Nepal over the weekend, we’re being flooded with news from Baltimore – the next Ferguson.
While there are questions surrounding the death of Mr. Gray, looting and rioting are not the way to redress these grievances.
As it stands now, at least seven police officers have been injured, multiple police cars are on fire, the mayor even had the audacity to side with those committing criminal acts.
“I’ve made it very clear that I worked with the police and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their Right to free speech. It’s a very delicate balancing act, because while we try to make sure that they were protected from the cars and other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well. And we work very hard to keep that balance, and to put ourselves in the best position to de-escalate.” – Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake (emphasis added)
UPDATE: 4/28/15, Baltimore Mayor Caught in a Lie?
After drawing criticism that she publicly announced that, as Mayor of Baltimore, she “gave those who wished to destroy space to do that”, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has recanted – sort of. Now the Mayor is saying that she never really said that at all and that those who say otherwise are somehow “twisting” her words.
Not in my backyard
Ferguson is pretty far away from my neck of the woods. So is Baltimore. But what if this had in my backyard? What if it had happened in your neighborhood?
- Do you have a family communications plan? When was the last time you tested it?
- Do you have any tools with which to defend yourself, if you were caught between a group of violent rioters and your car, your home, your children?
- Do you have a “get home bag”? If so, does it contain when you’d need to survive this situation? When was the last time you checked it?
I don’t care if you side with the police or the looters, I want to make it clear that I’m not taking sides here… actually, now that I think of it, I am taking sides. I’m taking the side of protecting myself and my loved ones.