Here I go wading in on something I don\u2019t have all the facts about and I know it\u2019s a sensitive subject that most or all people have an opinion. Freddie Gray died under mysterious circumstances while in police custody. During, or just after his funeral, \u201cprotestors\u201d set fires, and attacked merchants, journalists and police \u2014 looted and burned. These \u201cprotesters\u201d are in fact thugs and hooligans, according to the Mayor of Baltimore. Gray\u2019s mother, Gloria Darden, said, \u201cDon\u2019t tear up the whole city just for him. That\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n
I think we all agree that a lot of questions surround the man\u2019s death. It\u2019s not really clear why he was arrested in the first place. Apparently he wasn\u2019t committing a crime and was not wanted by police.
\nJust about the time of Gray\u2019s funeral, Loretta Lynch was being sworn in as the nation\u2019s first black female attorney general. She immediately said that the Justice Department stood ready to provide any assistance that might be helpful. Of course a Justice Department probe will not necessarily result in conclusions that support the suspicions of the \u201cprotesters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Rev. Martin Luther King said, \u201cA riot is the language of the unheard.\u201d Riots are, and have always been, a method that the oppressed use to make their frustration known \u2014 apparently hoping that their actions will convince those in power to respond to their needs\/frustrations. Some believe that the inability to articulate their frustration results in the throwing of rocks, looting and setting fires. To me, and lots of other people, these actions make no logical sense and are self-defeating.<\/p>\n
As I indicated previously, I obviously don\u2019t know all the facts about Gray\u2019s arrest and death and I don\u2019t know all the facts that led to the disruptions in Baltimore. I\u2019m not even sure the events were related in some instances. I believe in the American right to express one\u2019s opinion and to protest, but I have little use for thugs and vandals that use peaceful protests as an excuse for violence.<\/p>\n
President Obama said that those responsible for the Baltimore violence \u201cneed to be treated as criminals.\u201d Treating them as criminals seems to be right on target to me \u2014 that\u2019s what they are.
\n\u2014 30 \u2014<\/p>\n
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Here I go wading in on something I don\u2019t have all the facts about and I know it\u2019s a sensitive subject that most or all people have an opinion. Freddie Gray died under mysterious circumstances while in police custody. During, … Continue reading