Baltimore erupts in riots after funeral of man who died in police custody

The facts about what happened to Freddy Gray (the man who died in police custody) have not been fully released yet, but people have already engaged in looting, arson of cars/buildings, and assault on police officers (about 7 officers have injuries of broken bones). The National Guard have been called in to quell the riots in Baltimore Maryland.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/baltimore-erupts-in-riots-after-funeral-of-man-who-died-in-police-custody/ar-BBiK3jU

http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-freddie-gray-funeral-baltimore-20150427-story.html#page=1


Welcome to Hell on Earth.

If I remember right...isn't this the guy whose neck, spine, most of his ribs, and almost entire face were broken from the time he entered a police Van and then arrived at jail? Shady shit all around with that...

^ Well, then the Police will have a perfectly good excuse to do the same to more people, whose funerals will then cause more protests and riots etc.

I wonder, how many police officers are required to arrest a truly hostile looter who can and will fight back? How many unduly arrested citizens can a single police officer victimize? How many really pissed off protester does said victimization generate? Just curious to see if that's a war that either side can win ;-)

It's never just one thing. I saw an interview with the mayor appealing for calm and that the case of Freddie Gray was being thoroughly investigated. That's completely missing the point. This is simply one of those straw that broke the camel's back moments. Time and time again people are reminded of the issues of institutionalized racism which are not being dealt with.

Not to make this a race thing, but its a race thing. 64% of the city is what color everyone? Green. What do green people do when police deaths happen?

I used to think Baltimore was the whitest place around since its in Maryland. Then in 1999 I went there for a funeral. I was wrong.

A few of my tri-state clients over the years have specifically said everyone avoids Baltimore because its the greenest place around.

We need to ban cops. All they do is kill people.

If we just destroy everything and flip cop cars over and throw trash cans at anyone that steps in our way, then the police will be like "oh shit these guys mean business, we should never fuck with these guys again" well finally get the equality we deserve.

As someone who lives in St. Louis, good for them. If Baltimore is anything like it is here, then a statement truly needs to be made and should've been made years preceding it.

40oz said:

If we just destroy everything and flip cop cars over and throw trash cans at anyone that steps in our way, then the police will be like "oh shit these guys mean business, we should never fuck with these guys again" well finally get the equality we deserve.

Contrary to common belief, violent riots have plenty of historical precedents for instigating real tangible change.

StevieCybernetik said:

If I remember right...isn't this the guy whose neck, spine, most of his ribs, and almost entire face were broken from the time he entered a police Van and then arrived at jail? Shady shit all around with that...

I don't recall hearing anything about broken ribs or face. If there is a source that indicates he sustained these specific injuries, please provide it. He did have spinal injuries though.

From Wikipedia: Gray's spine was "80% severed" at his neck, he had three fractured vertebrae, and his larynx was injured.[3][4] The events that led to the injuries are unclear; Officer Garrett Miller claimed that Gray was arrested "without force or incident."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Freddie_Gray

40oz said:

If we just destroy everything and flip cop cars over and throw trash cans at anyone that steps in our way, then the police will be like "oh shit these guys mean business, we should never fuck with these guys again" well finally get the equality we deserve.

No, engaging in criminal activity by destroying people's private property and threatening to kill police officers will not solve anything. That will only make things worse.
Being on the side of the peacefully protesters is acceptable, but supporting a bunch of violent thugs who don't care about who they injure, kill, or what they destroy is absolutely wrong. (And I can't believe people actually condone that shit). They are criminals. Period.

As of today, all the facts about the incident have not been fully released yet. This is an ongoing investigation that is not going to be solved overnight.

I'm not saying the police are totally innocent or anything like that, but too many people are having a knee-jerk reaction and making assumptions without hearing all the facts (which is what these rioters are doing).

Yah, I don't see how destroying a bunch of random people's cars and properties is going to make things any better. If anything, it'd piss more people off. What a bunch of fucking gimps.

With that said, something does need to happen about the cops, as I think this is more of a cop issue than a race issue, but it's just so convenient to turn it into a race issue. Aren't like a good majority of the Baltimore cops black, anyways? Or does black on black violence, even if instigated by black cops, not make good headlines? Oh, wait....

the_miano said:

I'm not saying the police are totally innocent or anything like that, but too many people are having a knee-jerk reaction and making assumptions without hearing all the facts (which is what these rioters are doing).

Like, someone is whipping people into rage? It wouldn't be surprised if media is doing that.

CorSair said:

Like, someone is whipping people into rage? It wouldn't be surprised if media is doing that.

That is exactly what the media is doing.

They break it they bought it. Destroying government property doesn't cost the government, it costs the taxpayers. People that probably weren't even there rioting.

My step dad mayor was watching some of the footage saying... do they think those cop cars are cheap? Buying a fleet won't get you a discount, buying one just means you've paid enough for two. His town doesn't have cops. They're rented from one town over.

Too bad there isn't enough mom power to disperse riots.

This is what happens when elected officials refuse to listen to people and they refuse to make changes that are needed. People can only be ignored for so long before they start taking drastic measures. All of this could have been avoided if the issues where addressed years ago like they should have been.

GeckoYamori said:

Contrary to common belief, violent riots have plenty of historical precedents for instigating real tangible change.

No, you don't get it. When White people riot for White people reasons, such as "I don't want to stop buying my tea from the black market pay taxes", then it is celebrated as a glorious and admirable moment of history. What cause is nobler, and grander, than the defense of your own money?

When Black people riot for Black people reasons like "the police keeps murdering us with total impunity", then it's just petty vandalism because they're nothing but destructive looters. Defense of human lives is just a pretext for pillaging.

Idk I think that vandalism and looting are pretty harmful and counterproductive regardless of what fucking pigment your skin is.

Gez said:

No, you don't get it. When White people riot for White people reasons, such as "I don't want to stop buying my tea from the black market pay taxes",

I don't know what history books you've been reading, but it's established fact that white people only riot if their sports team wins.

As someone who has seen plenty of flash mobs in Philly, let's not pretend that the majority of the people that are engaging in these riots are crusading for social justice.

geo said:

They break it they bought it. Destroying government property doesn't cost the government, it costs the taxpayers. People that probably weren't even there rioting.

Unlikely. Most of these people aren't paying taxes to begin with (because their incomes are non-existent or too low). By the way, before someone pounces, this isn't a veiled racist comment. Most of the rioters seem to be of high school age or barely past it

Bucket said:

I don't know what history books you've been reading, but it's established fact that white people only riot if their sports team wins.

I LOL'd. :D

But no, seriously, it's fucking ridiculous...most of them are doing it because it gives them an excuse to, not because they actually care to the degree [some?] people try and give them credit for.

Comparisons to flash mobs, dehumanist labeling of thugs, fundamental lack of empathy. Clearly, Doomworld is home to well-though individuals who have dealt with a millennium of systematic oppression and condoned murders. Yes, these individuals don't care - why should they fight for rights that they've only been given in an illusion? Instead, let us concern ourselves with the damaged white property and not the day-to-day lives of an entire people.

Looks like a Clinton rally.

Most of the prominent black community leaders have denounced the senseless rioting, as a distraction from the actual message the peaceful protestors are trying to convey.

http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/28/us/baltimore-peacemakers-intervene-residents-reverends/


There needs to be more of this, forget the SWAT Team, send their parents!:

http://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2015/04/28/baltimore-mom-slaps-rioter-son-newday-daily-hit.cnn

Picture caption said:

A mother in Baltimore caught her son, whom she suspected of rioting, and hit him. She sent him home on live TV.

Snakes said:

Comparisons to flash mobs, dehumanist labeling of thugs, fundamental lack of empathy. Clearly, Doomworld is home to well-though individuals who have dealt with a millennium of systematic oppression and condoned murders. Yes, these individuals don't care - why should they fight for rights that they've only been given in an illusion? Instead, let us concern ourselves with the damaged white property and not the day-to-day lives of an entire people.

Except these look literally the same as the flash mobs. There are plenty of people protesting in Baltimore that aren't acting like uncivilized pieces of shit. But yea, I guess you can pretend that they're "fighting for rights".

But hey, I guess because I'm white I'm supposed to feel guilty and am not allowed to have any sort of opinion without the usual trump cards being pulled out. I guess if one is not being empathetic to people destroying entire parts of cities, then they are fundamentally devoid of empathy. Where is your empathy for the whities? Hopefully, one day everyone can reach your level of enlightenment Snakes.

What exactly does 80% severed even mean?

Also I think peaceful protests and riots go hand in hand. Like less would know about the legitimate protests without the violence.

flubbernugget said:

What exactly does 80% severed even mean?

Also I think peaceful protests and riots go hand in hand. Like less would know about the legitimate protests without the violence.

http://content.time.com/time/photogallery/0,29307,1887394,00.html

http://www.history.com/topics/black-history/march-on-washington

http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/885370/Salt-March

I find it quite interesting how "all over the Internet" this is. I guess it's a reasonably neat illustration of how American the Internet and world (or maybe just Western) culture generally is. That's not intended to be loaded in any particular way. It's merely an observation.

As for the riots and the issues surrounding them, as far as I'm concerned, I care about it approximately as much as I would about any other foreign riot.

Enjay said:

I find it quite interesting how "all over the Internet" this is. I guess it's a reasonably neat illustration of how American the Internet and world (or maybe just Western) culture generally is. That's not intended to be loaded in any particular way. It's merely an observation.

As for the riots and the issues surrounding them, as far as I'm concerned, I care about it approximately as much as I would about any other foreign riot.

http://www.internetlivestats.com/internet-users-by-country/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_number_of_Internet_users

Looks like China takes the cake, though.

And by quite some margin! Interesting sites.