A fine mess!

 

 

"The city of Baltimore has a huge problem right now. How to get the police re-engaged. First, the city government needs to support them, and not castigate them..."

Reading about what is going on in Baltimore just makes me cringe. This fine city, which has recently gone through a very expensive restoration in the inner harbor, is almost on a self imposed lockdown. It is a perfect example on how a big city should not be run. And this city is being run by amateurs with agendas.

There is a lesson here, not only for Baltimore, but also other large cities. When you live in a pluralistic, cosmopolitan environment, there are going to be some who disrespect or disobey the law. Some are "broken window" types, others are much worse. So what keeps a civilized city in the 21st century from becoming like Tombstone, Arizona in the 1800's? The Thin Blue Line.

Now I am not some Pollyanna who believes all police are perfect. Like any other profession, there are going to be some bad apples. The police are supposed to police themselves through internal affairs. But the DUMBEST thing any large city could do is throw the baby out with the bathwater. In other words, paint the entire department with the broad brush of discrimination. Once you have disemboweled the ones who are sworn to protect the citizens, it will be very hard to get that genie back into the bottle.

Here are some current facts about the situation in Baltimore:

• Since the indictment of the six officers resulting from the Freddie Grey death, all crime, including shootings and murders, are way up.
• The medical examiner in Baltimore knows how Freddie Grey died. However, it is still a mystery how exactly it happened. The most common theory is it happened during the arrest. He was not being cooperative while being arrested, so two officers had to hold him down while cuffs are applied. That is when the initial spinal injury might have happened. And then the "nickel ride" (unrestrained in the van) down to booking might have further aggravated the injury. 
• In any event, it sounds like the procedures the police used should be the culprit, not the six officers being charged with everything up to murder. 
• Regardless of what the Justice Department says, there was nothing racial about this. Three of the officers are black, the police commissioner is black, the city council is mostly black and the mayor is black.

Starting next month, we will be "officially" in summer. The way it is looking now it will be a long, hot summer. Baltimore for sure, maybe other cities as well. We ask so much from our brave men and women who comprise our Thin Blue Line. I cannot image a more difficult or dangerous job these days.

To the good people in Baltimore, good luck in getting things back to normal. By now you probably know one of the axioms of life - elections have consequences. When you elect amateurs with agendas, this is what you get. And it ain't pretty.