Baltimore Black Race Riots.

This is from a Time magazine article ironically titled "How Baltimore Police Lost Control in 90 Minutes."

Still, the police department’s tepid response to the first hour and a half of violence may have actually saved lives. Years of close training meant that despite all the police injuries, no police fired on the crowd, and no protestors were killed. “What I was impressed with is when they had bricks thrown at them, the police officers held their fire,” said Ret. General Russel L. Honoré, who led operations and brought calm to New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. “The police showed extraordinary restraint.”

I'm having a hard time with this. That IS the most important thing--nobody was killed. It's amazing, literally unknown to me, that a city RIOT against the police resulted in no deaths. Life IS more valuable than property. But those poor cops, especially the ones who were injured. AND the property damage; my God that counts for SOMETHING. But no deaths. I come full circle. I don't know what to think of this.

I know one thing to think--God bless the Baltimore Police. That image is from their twitter video, it is fantastic. I hope everybody watches it.

April showers bring May flowers.

March comes in like a lamb and goes out like a Baltimorean. April is done done. 4,753 pageviews during April's showers, the most since...a long time ago December, 2013.* Unpopular posts today: "The Importance of Being Earnest" from a long time ago, way back in 2002. Two pageviews on that. I read that over, that was good! I don't write that well anymore. Capitalize better but not write better.

*Updated 1:26 am.

In Custody Death of Freddie Gray.

The Baltimore police van that carried a fatally injured young man made a previously undisclosed stop on its way to a police station, the Police Department revealed Thursday, as it announced the completion of its initial investigation into the death of Freddie Gray.

The new stop turned up on video taken from “a privately owned camera,” Deputy Commissioner Kevin Davis said, and it was “previously unknown to us.” That suggested that the officers involved had not told investigators about it.

-New York Times. 

Uh-oh.

The undersigned is not unfamiliar with in-custody unscheduled stops by the police. Many years ago as a prosecutor I took to trial (and lost) two police officers who I charged with aggravated battery on the following facts. 

The Hispanic defendant/victim was arrested for a drug offense, possession of cocaine, I think it was. This initial arrest was uneventful, the defendant joked with the arresting officers. He was taken to the police department holding cell pending transport to the county jail. Routine procedure. There he noticed inmate after inmate, waves of inmates being transported to the county facility ahead of him. He got aggravated and complained. An officer (not one of the initial arresting officers) in charge of the transportation, a little guy, also Hispanic, told him to shut up and passed him over again for transport, saying "Leave the faggot with the long hair here." "You call me a faggot, I'm not a faggot, you're a faggot." "Faggot." "You're the faggot." Back and forth, it was real mature. The defendant was tall and had long hair and theorized with me that the insulting officer had a Napoleon complex and didn't like him. The defendant was infuriated by Officer Napoleon's comments and by his treatment.

Finally, the defendant was called out of the holding cell for transport, Officer Napoleon walking behind him, per procedure. All of a sudden, the defendant turned around and punched Napoleon in the face. Broke Napoleon's nose. Hoo-doggie was Napoleon mad. The defendant missed another bus run.

After breaking Napoleon's nose the defendant was put in a one-man cell with a little window slide. A short time later the window slid open and another officer, also Hispanic,--Everyone in this case was Hispanic, just like Jeb Bush--a big muscle-bound officer said to the defendant with a malicious smile on his face, "I am going to be your transporting officer." Uh-oh.

The defendant was put in a paddy wagon by Officer Steroid and Officer Non-Descript, I do not remember much about him. They took his glasses before putting him in the van. Uh-oh. It was dark out. The defendant had been arrested before and knew the area, knew the city, knew the routes from the police station to the the county jail and, through squinted eyes, was able to see out the back window of the van that he was being taken to an Unscheduled Stop before the jail. Uh-oh.

It was an unlit, blind, back alley in a warehouse district. Not a soul around at that hour of night. Paddy wagon doors opened, "Step out cowboy," that from Officer Steroid. They put him at the end of the blind alley. He was still handcuffed. From 20'-30' away Steroid ran at him and delivered a flying karate kick to his chest. Ofcr. Non-Descript picked him up by his handcuffs just like Freddie Gray is being picked up there and the Flying Steroid reprised his performance. Then they both started beating him about his body, not his face. He felt particularly certain blows, they were sharper, not from a fist, some object. He couldn't see what it was. 

They took him to the jail after the Unscheduled Stop and this was the key to the case, the reason I lost it, he was checked in without complaining of being injured and displaying no outward signs of injury. He was scared to death and was not going to make another scene especially with Steroid and Non-Descript still there. He was put in a cell with a lot of other guys and after, from memory, an hour or two, he collapsed onto the floor from the pain. Other inmates alerted the jailers and he was taken out of the cell and given medical treatment. 

The defendant had broken ribs and I don't remember if any complications, e.g. punctured lung, ruptured spleen and he had these purple welts all over his chest, six or seven of them. They were
"patterned injuries," made by an object that can be identified. The welts had a purple rim around a
purple center. I looked at those photographs and I looked at those photographs. I talked to the
defendant and I looked at the photographs some more. Wtf? Not a baton or billy club, not one of those big flashlights, they're called Kel lights, the police carry but something like that. Like the imprint that a battery

would make but how could a standard "C" size battery be wielded with force sufficient to break ribs? I discounted battery-by-battery.

I went to a police supply store with the photographs. After I identified myself I showed the owner the photographs, he leaned on the glass counter top to look at them, and I began to explain the case in my voluble way and the owner turned briefly away and pulled out the battery pack for the Kel light. I didn't know Kel lights took fucking battery PACKS! I never heard of a fucking battery PACK. Six standard "C" batteries wrapped together by the manufacturer with plastic tape. We superimposed the positive end onto the photographs of the welts and of course they were a perfect match. Now I could tie the injuries to police equipment. Still lost the case (Tried the case with a friend of mine who shit his pants in the middle of the trial: aggravating trial.). The defense was that the inmates or somebody else at the jail beat the victim. Pissed me off.

Oh well. Beware the Unscheduled Stop in a police van. Definite Uh-oh. 

"Houston Rockets Social Media Manager Fired For Mavs Tweet."-CBS

"The tweet outraged animal activists across the country..."

Benjamin Harris @publocc
 

" Kansas Fraternity Expels 4 Members for Mocking Muslims."-ABC News.

Zeta Beta Tau chapter president Jason Finkelstein said Wednesday that the traditionally Jewish fraternity learned of the video April 10 and expelled the members the next day. He said it appears the clip was posted April 9 via the app Yeti.
...
The student paper obtained the clip, which shows a man wrapped in a blanket with his face and head covered. He can be heard saying "Allahu akbar," Arabic for "God is great."

Benjamin Harris @publocc

Hi I Muslim. You good jew. No kill you. Keffiyeh sacred symbol. Mine Russian. I pardon bad jew boys only "misguided youth." Peace.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake– Verified account ‏@MayorSRB

I wanted to clarify my comments on "thugs." When you speak out of frustration and anger, one can say things in a way that you don't mean.

Benjamin Harris @publocc
Hi i'm white. Words can be hurtful what would you call them thanks also very true "speak out of anger" lets be friends

Mayor Rawlings-Blake– Verified account ‏@MayorSRB

That night we saw misguided young people who need to be held accountable, but who also need support. And my comments then didn't convey that
Benjamin Harris @publocc
Yes! Misguided young people yes good NO. Suggest just demonym Baltimoreans lets be friends

Baltimore Black Race Riots.

It was "come together" day in Baltimore. Everybody went out to the ballpark and had a good time.

"Steal me some peanuts and cracker jacks, I don't care if they never come back."

It was the first time in the history of Major League Baseball that fans were prohibited from attending a game. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and City Council President Jack Young both apologized for using the word "thugs" to describe the thugs who rioted in the city. Young met with some community activists in a show of solidarity against thuggish racist behavior:

"Trey" was the name given by one of Baltimore's best and brightest, none of whom wanted to be identified by full, or real, names on accounta they are gang leaders.

Those gang leaders, Jack Young, the racist rioting thugs--they are the new faces of Baltimore, Maryland. It is they who people will think of for a very long time when they think of Baltimore, Maryland.

Baltimore Police Twitter Celebration Video, 2014.

I have never seen anything like this. These cops are human, they are legitimately having fun. Never seen anything like it. Rhis is the most charming thing I've ever seen. BPD, you have my total support!

Hilarious, natural, utterly charming. GO BLUE! God bless BPD.

Mom for Mayor.

The mayor of Bal-tee-more is being criticized for her response to the rioting: too slow, to ask the governor for the National Guard, for instance, and not being prepared; the police admitted last night they were overwhelmed and there was no good reason for that. This was not spontaneous, it was planned in advance, the mayor's office had plenty of notice that the protests were going to start at point A and move to point B. And as I noted last night, "WHERE ARE THE GUNS?" I meant to look up today the rules of engagement for this thing but then I got busy. I didn't see a police officer with a gun drawn once. Didn't see them go on the offensive once. No batons, I think I did read ONE mention of Mace being used but everything else, all the reports, all the photos show the police desperately fending off the attacks with only their shields. There have been no deaths although one person, maybe that police officer, is in critical condition. I am sure that the police must have been under instructions not to use their service weapons. That is a truly desperate situation you put your police officers in if that is the case. Twenty-two were injured. This was a riot, a violent incident! And the police were targeted! The police did not return the favor. They looked like Frazier against Foreman! Like the Pennsylvania 133rd going up Marye's Heights WITH NO AMMOOOOOOO!!! You can't do that to the police.

Come to think of it I didn't see any of the rioters with guns! Read nothing of any gunfire at ALL. WEIRD. Maybe that was the plan? Sort of like the Chinese? Your turn to be tumbleweed this time? I don't think that was the police understanding of the plan. They didn't sign up to be tumbleweed.

I am very thankful there have been no deaths thus far, and that is the most significant measure of "success" in police response to a riot, but it sure isn't the only measure. Twenty-two cops injured. I haven't seen a property loss total but there was a lot of damage. Property is not life and injury is not death...No. You can't have twenty-two of your cops get hurt when you've deprived them of the means to fight back. Those officers were under constant threat of death or great bodily harm and every law in every state gives every citizen the right to respond to deadly force with deadly force. Cops are citizens.

Anyway, this post was not about all of that. The mayor has been criticized and she has established a curfew for a week and has stated that setting the curfew was a "delicate" matter for her; she didn't want to "incite" people. That made me wince. Really? Setting a curfew was a delicate matter for you? I don't think it would have been for Mom. If that young man lived, I'm pretty sure he's gonna be under a curfew for the rest of his goddamn life. Mom for mayor. Watch, now she'll get arrested for child abuse. I'll elect you from your jail cell, Mom! Heh-heh-heh-heh.

You notice the other Brothers in the picture aren't coming to Junior's defense! They be like all meek and mild. The one in the maroon jacket looks over his shoulder a couple times and then when the festivities get near at hand he pretends not to notice. I ain't see yo mamma beat yo ass, nah-ah, not me. HE'S SCARED! He has learned the lesson Junior is getting schooled in: do NOT mess with an angry black woman. She'd beat his ass too. He KNOWS that.

Baltimore Black Race Riot.

Oh my God, this is great. This is a mother...dissuading her son from rioting.

I feel a smack coming.

SMACK! Heh-heh-heh-heh.

Son, you look like Frazier against Foreman. 

I'm not sure he's properly classified in the Heavyweight Division.

He's trying to run.

He'a not being successful.

I'm giving that round to Mom.

President Obama on Baltimore Black Race Riot.

"There’s no excuse for the kind of violence that we saw yesterday. It is counterproductive. When individuals get crowbars and start prying open doors to loot, they’re not protesting. They’re not making a statement. They’re stealing. When they burn down a building, they’re committing arson."

That is exactly right.

The Solution to the Black Race Riot in Baltimore.

That man is America's statue to "Readiness." All damn day. Good for you, patriot.

"Massive Fire," 15 Officers Injured in Baltimore Black Race Riot.

A massive fire has broken out in a building that was under construction and the Baltimore mayor's spokesman says it's related to the riots.

Spokesman Kevin Harris confirmed that the fire is related to the riots and that it's burning the Mary Harvin Transformation Center, described online as a community-based organization that supports youth and families.

A CVS pharmacy was also set on fire earlier in the day. Businesses have been looted and at least 15 officers were injured in the chaos.

-New York Times.

Black on White Race Riot in Baltimore.

Just because they are white.

Easy id.

Smile fat Black Power Bitch. You'll be easy to identify and lock up.

Another easy id. Mass incarceration of Black people in Baltimore to come. Hallelujah.

You're gone, criminal. Back to prison, your true home.

Another quick arrest.

Racists. Violent thug racists. Fuck them. WHERE ARE THE GUNS? The police and white people should be armed and locked and loaded. Shoot to kill the violent ones, beat who you can't kill or wound and incarcerate them and the non-violent looters.