Crying

As a nation we have allowed the problems which led to today’s inexcusable acts get out-of-control. I wish I knew how to turn it around. I do know the answer is neither denial the problem exists nor violence.

I just went to Google and searched for images that match “Baltimore.”

generic baltimore search

Now I limited the search to images from the last 24 hours.

baltimore last 24 hours

I am watching the video from Baltimore and crying. I understand the frustration unequal justice and law enforcement gone amuck delivers to black and other minority communities. Violence is a symptom, a last resort when people feel they have no other voice.

Rioting and destruction is not the way to change things. It never has been. Newark, Detroit, Los Angeles and other cities did not benefit from rioting in their cities. The primarily black neighborhoods where the riots took place suffered greatly after-the-fact.

As a nation we have allowed the problems which led to today’s inexcusable acts get out-of-control. I wish I knew how to turn it around.

I do know the answer is neither denying the problem exists nor violence.

We as a nation should be better than this. Today we are not. That’s why I’m crying.

4 thoughts on “Crying”

  1. i love Baltimore. A few years back we went there for a few days and just enjoyed the inner harbor. Water taxi to Crabby Dicks. Went to the Zoo. Just drove around–even through areas some people might be frightened of…. We weren’t. Why did we regress? I share your tears. Evi

  2. I too am upset about Baltimore. I did a little research after noticing that almost all the violent protesters were quiet young. From what I learned, there were hundreds of peaceful protesters. The trouble didn’t really start until the high schools let out. Are these kids really that frustrated? or are they acting out their video games along with teenage hormones and immaturity? It’s terrible what is going on but I wish the media would also show the peaceful demonstrators. They are the majority. Grey was no upstanding citizen but his death is mysterious and inexcusable. His family is urging peace. The police need to re-evaluate their training and tactics. Violence, as you said, is not and never will be the answer.

  3. while listening to the news via CNN, many folks of color from Baltimore were on and crying out against this rioting. The rioters set fire to a whole senior and low income complex, along with the Sr. center and the minister of the church in that area was extremely upset–stating that These folks commiting the violence were not natives of Baltimore, for the most part. I, too, wished they would show the peaceful demonstrations. I almost feel that the TV news cameras only add the fuel–as people like to be on TV.The family is extremely upset and have stated again that no good will come of this and it disrupts all the gains they have made as far as getting better services, housing and respect. Rioting seems to have become the ‘way of life’. I was living in So. Calif at the time of the Watts Riots, and was back working at Yale, when that area went up in smoke. We live in troubled times.

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