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Baltimore solidarity rally in front of police headquarters this evening
By adamg on Wed, 04/29/2015 - 7:55am
Starts at 6 p.m. in front of BPD headquarters on Tremont Street, near Ruggles.
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Comments
Boston should show Baltimore
Boston should show Baltimore how to do it properly: peacefully, which is respecting the Gray family's wishes.
Properly...
Quick quiz: How many days ago was Baltimore doing it properly before rioting began?
(hint: the answer is more than 3)
PS - if you can't answer that without searching for the one or two articles in the Baltimore Sun that mention the initial protests at their West Baltimore police barracks, then you'll beg my pardon if I point out how protesting properly doesn't move the needle these days enough to be noticed or get any serious discussion started. In fact, the only person taking the city's people seriously was the mayor that's largely ridiculed by the right this past week whenever possible. She and a number of legislators asked the state PRIOR to this month to take up a series of new laws requiring much greater public accountability within the police department. However, the Fraternal Order of Police and other agency reps lobbied against the new rules and the state bent to their whim instead of the mayor and dismissed all of the legislation proposed. A week later, it was too much for the city when someone finally died in police custody. I wonder if the outcome will be different the next time this comes before the legislation now that everyone is much more aware of what the city's been painfully aware of for years. Violence isn't good, nor is it an appropriate response, but it has produced more results in 2 days when it comes to public awareness of the problem than years of local articles, town halls, elections, and life as usual.
How many times in the past 5 years have people protested "properly" in Boston regarding police brutality and racial equality? 12? 30? 100? I don't know the answer myself. I can tell you how many times they shut the interstate down with cement barrels though. I bet you know too.
Speaking of shutting down the Interstate
April 9 pre-trial conferences came and went. Does anyone know what happened to our mostly white children of upper income echelon well educated socialist friends?
They're all standing
in line for the Apple watch.
nah
no line for the Apple Watch. Its all pre-order and you have to make an appointment to buy one or try it on.
I'm sure they are back into their parent-paid for apartment in JP wondering which 'movement' to snap on to next and call it their own.
non-violent January protest
The January protest on Interstate 93 was non-violent civil disobedience. There was no vandalism, no arson, no looting and no violence. How does that sit with you?
It was a major disruption. And by the way Bostonians bitched and caterwauled you'd think the protestors has spray-painted the Holocaust Memorial, burned down Faneuil Hall, looted Quincy Market and thrown rocks at elementary school kids in Dorchester.
People who oppose non-violent protest try to demean the protestors as being childish as if they didn't know exactly what they're doing and why. Of course, they do. Let's face it, if you oppose non-violent civil disobedience you oppose, you oppose the finest American tradition of dissent.
One of the things I've learned about non-violent protest is that it's important to have a clearly defined ask. The group that organized yesterday's rally and march for Freddie Gray and Baltimore had specific asks.
Stupid January protest
I mean, did you read their "manifesto?"
They considered people who died when the police returned fire to be innocent victims, while at the same time the death of David Woodman, probably due to the color of his skin. Conflating the Darryl Dookhran with Eric Garner just dilutes the message.
So, yeah, a bunch, what is the word again, "trustifarians" decided to block the Southeast Expressway for some reason that was completely unrelated to anything that those affected could help, but at least they didn't take down the Starbucks at East Milton Square in the process. Meanwhile, high school students were marching across the city, giving people pause to ponder their issues without being pissed off that they were going to be late for work. I guess the takeaway is that there are good and bad ways to get your message across.
As I recall....
... the well-behave high school student marches got only a tiny fraction of the coverage that the highway blocking stunt did.
But I saw them
And was impressed by them. Also, since they were peacefully assembling for the redress of grievances that directly affected them, I paid attention to them.
I understand...
... but isn't it a shame that such an impressive action isn't considered very newsworthy. ;-(
Why are you so angry? I'm
Why are you so angry? I'm giving props to the Boston community for overall conducting productive and respectful protests which HONOR THE FAMILY OF THE VICTIMS! Did you forget about them??
People love "peaceful protests"
...because they can be ignored. Oh wait, unless they block traffic. Then we must bust the heads of the limousine liberal hippies and ghetto thugs.
Yep.
I'm seeing people who have been silent for years on the issues of the police killing Black and brown people with no repercussions. But these same people are quick to speak up about property damage or blocking traffic. It says a lot about their priorities.
That's Nice
Good for you and your acute awareness of this. Now why should I be stuck in traffic if I agree that the unjustified killing of darker hued people by the cops is wrong?
Because that's where the protest is
Hope this helps.
Because you took too long
You agree that the unjustified killing is wrong? Great. What did you do about it up until you were stuck in traffic? Complain to a legislator? Petition for changes? Donate money to a group attempting to get legislations passed? Make it a make-or-break issue for your vote? Do anything in any way that might effect a change?
Or is now the first time anyone's hearing about how wrong you think the past 40 years have been in how we ended up at the point where the only thing left to do was block you in one afternoon on your way home in order to get attention paid?
It seems to me that if you don't like being stuck in traffic, you should think about that next time you even start hearing about a social injustice that might eventually lead to people feeling the need to take to the streets because the imbalance became so large that people died to the system they should have had trust in to protect them instead and cities started to burn as a result. We had a lot of chances to keep you from getting stuck in traffic today.
PS - Download Waze so we can stop watching you whine about traffic.
Get Serious Kaz
Like this protest planned for tonight, right message, wrong place and wrong people being protested.
The Interstate blockers went after lower middle class and middle class people, not exactly the people who can effect immediate change in public policy. Did you notice the Hingham Ferry wasn't blocked? The Pike at rush hour, Route 9, Route 2, Beacon Street in Brookline weren't blocked?
No, no once again the upper middle class and rich were left to their own selves and their comfort while their intellectual and actual progeny were left to impose their will on people who had nothing to do with Ferguson or any other place where black men are being oppressed. That's why I'm pissed.
If the people on Columbus Avenue had any balls they would march into Camden Street, Villa Victoria, Bromley Heath, Academy Homes, and H Block and demand the real terrorists and oppressors of the black community in Boston be forced to give up their arms.
Uh huh
Telling a gang member to put down their arms isn't as effective as telling you to vote for policies that would make it more lucrative for that gang member to join society after putting down their arms.
Hint: the gang member didn't have a choice between getting a job at State Street and joining a gang and decided he looked better in red bandanas than red ties.
Please
Over 90% of murders in Baltimore over the past 2+ years have been black victims with over 90% of suspects being black.
On MSNBC last night they were interviewing bloods and crips as if they were heroes for condemning the riots. Glorifying the very people responsible for the overwhelming majority of murders in their city.
Yes, the police are the root of the problem.
And that makes it OK for law
And that makes it OK for law "enforcement" officers to murder black men with impunity.
Not just black men
Citizens of all ages have been abused, including an 87 year old grandmother who called for an ambulance for her injured grandson.
It isn't just a few bad apples, nor is it simply isolated incidents by rogue cops. There is evidence of a systemic lawless behavior by police without personal legal consequences over a long period of time.
For those who actually sue, the judgements amount to millions of dollars per year: http://data.baltimoresun.com/news/police-settlements/
Total millions
The total has been millions. Maryland has a civil liability limit of $200,000 per case when you sue the government. So the judgements have been hundreds of thousands, not millions. They had 4x more payouts than Dallas who paid out just a bit more than Baltimore has over the same period and has no identical limit. So, if you extrapolate, Baltimore has paid about $6M over the past few years but should have probably been on the hook for $24M or more instead if the liabilities weren't limited.
Millions per year
Six million in three or four years is, indeed, millions per year. On average.
Your point is well taken, however. This still adds up to millions per year even with the cap on damages, and that just shows how utterly out of control the situation is.
Of course not
But it strips the "protesters'" credibility when they're rioting because a drug dealer died when their own kill drug dealers everyday.
I will laugh if the (very unconfirmed) reports of Gray's spinal fusion surgery turn out to be true and the actual cause of death.
You'll laugh...
...and I think that tells us everything we need to know about you. Good luck with the state of your soul; you'll need it.
(by the way: http://www.snopes.com/politics/crime/freddiegraysuit.asp)
Thanks
Thanks for the link. I should have said (very unconfirmed) reports. Oh wait, that's exactly what I said. Your link shows nothing beyond what I stated.
And yes, I will laugh. Just because someone has died, it doesn't mean they weren't a piece of shit when they were alive. Everything we know confirms that Mr. Gray was, in fact, a piece of shit.
So who is abusing 87 year old women?
Besides the cops?
Not just crooked cops apparently....
http://www.pe.com/articles/year-761764-woman-court.html
So...
Your comparison of Baltimore police abusing an 87-year old woman and violating her 4th Amendment rights when she calls them for help is to find two teens in SC that abused an 87-year old woman? You're supposed to try being rational when rationalizing. It helps you not look like a jabbering idiot.
By the way, besides the obvious difference between cops and teenagers when it comes to acting within the law...you know what else is different between your link and the Baltimore Police that abused that 87-year-old woman?
Your teens were tried and sentenced for their crimes.
No comparison
Swirly asked a question. I provided an answer.
Sure.
Because who needs context anyways.
I would bet my life.
That for every 80 year old person abused by a police officer, there are 100 Heath care workers abusing other 80 year olds. Medical care workers are not the face of oppression, so you don't hear many protests about them.
Does it hurt?
When you pull statistics out of your ass like that?
Go find em scratchie....
You'll see thousands of elder abuse caeses in the commonwealth compared to very few police abuse complaints. Go peruse some court records sometimes and you'll see for yourself.
Boston has had hundreds of young Black
men murdered with impunity by fellow Black residents.
I think you're missing the point
Bad guy kills bad guy. This is called homicide, and it is not a good thing, but neither is it a complete breakdown of the system, exactly -- despite anyone's best efforts, bad people exist and they do bad things.
Good guys kill bad guy -- or rather, guy TBD whether he was bad or not, guy who was unarmed, guy who was possibly fleeing, guy who may have been struggling (perhaps out of panic or fear of being harmed). This is an extrajudicial killing by those who are supposed to enforce the law, those responsible for maintaining the peace, and extrajudicial killings by the police are a very very bad thing indeed.
Anyone can pull a number out of their butt -- 10%, 90%, 100%, whatever. Obviously it's not quantifiable. The point is that when law enforcement acts in an untrustworthy manner, they become ineffective. It is a form of corruption, of the sort that characterizes failed and failing states.
when law enforcement commits homicide
Right, the problem that when law enforcement commits a homicide, they're not held to account by the same standard that apply to everyone else.
And what did shutting the Interstate accomplish?
I have no problem with the anger. I'm thrilled that something we now take for granted--the cellphone camera--is finally turning the tables on the he-said-she-said power imbalance in which the police are always right and the hell with the truth. But with whom are the marchers tonight "in solidarity" with? Why at our police headquarters? I've said here before--the BPD isn't perfect but as police departments go, they've done an admirable job of improving community policing and outreach, transparency, etc. Why are we lumping them in with cops in Baltimore?
Why don't "we" listen to what is actually being said?
Since you're so certain that "we" are lumping them, you ought to know the answer to your own question.
On the other hand, if you'll accept the possibility that something more simple than a braindead "lumping them in" is what's going on, perhaps you'll take the trouble to contact the protest organizers and ask them to tell you their story. I suggest you ask using open-ended questions, not ones that indicate your mind is already made up, such as "Why are we lumping them in with cops in Baltimore?"
And if you don't want to take that trouble, then perhaps you can consider not making statements of motive on behalf of other people. Let them speak for themselves.
Here's an open ended question.
Are you capable of writing a single post here that doesn't contain a double helping of snark, misdirected fits of temper or terms like "brain dead?" Because honestly I can't recall one. You have some thoroughly decent opinions, wrapped in an unnecessary layer of poison thorns.
What I asked (and yes, it was a question not a statement) referred to holding a protest AT the police station which seems like a pretty obvious attempt to connect or "lump in" the BPD with the Baltimore police--does this assumption really seem "brain dead" to you? Can you suggest any other reason? It's a pretty out of the way location compared with the Common, say, or Copley Square.
Thoroughly decent opinions, wrapped in an unnecessary layer
UH comments in a nutshell.
Why us?
Because it is a stand of solidarity with the people of Baltimore for one. For two, if you think Boston PD's record on race is a clean slate, you're ignoring the reality in the way that led to problems in the rest of the nation too. So Boston PD isn't ahead of the brutality bell curve the way Baltimore is. Great. Problem solved. Everyone go home.
I love this site. 2 comments
I love this site. 2 comments for the article about the teen shot is Mattapan, but 31 and counting comments about the protests in Baltimore.
And no main article for the protest this Saturday......
But Adam is pretty good putting everything possible on his site.
and respect the city and BPD
I gree that justice should be served and profiling needs to end. Don't think looting and burning gets us anywhere. We are lucky to have a police force so well trained and sensitive to the community, so please dont take it against the good men and women of the BPD for the mistskes of other forces in the nation. (Just read universalhub to see how many times they tackle and disarm without a single shot fired...).
Perhaps a walk to Harvard Street in Mattapan after that....
So you can also show solidarity to the neighborhood and the family of a 16 year old shot, not by police, but by some maggots who then unloaded a few more bullets on Manchester Street a few minutes later. It's nice to say you show solidarity with Baltimore, let's not forget your own backyard while you are at it.
Solidarity with those far away is sexy and looks good on the tv, however, actions in city's neighborhood will actually do more good.
Newsflash - Anyone who takes a bus out of Ruggles or drives down Columbus after a long day of work might not be able to get home on time tonight owing to the struggle to demonize the Boston popo based on the actions of idiots far away and the tv trucks blocking the road to sensationalize the situation. Plan accordingly.
There is a march in Mattapan
There is a march in Mattapan on Saturday. https://www.facebook.com/events/1596046820672612/
For someone who opposes protest
For someone who opposes protest, John Costello, you sure have a lot of advice on how other people should organize them.
Do you not get the difference?
I imagine that if there were patterns of civilians being permitted to commit violent crimes with no repercussions, most of us would be working to change this. But civilians generally are tried and convicted. Police generally aren't even tried. So, do you see which issue is a dire emergency that puts people's lives at risk?
Question: then what's with
Question: then what's with the abysmal BPD clearance rate for homicides?
Answer: because the community is not helping, lets the gangs act with impunity and witnesses will not step forward.
So I'd say the un-uniformed killers are "generally" getting away with it too.
Where are the stats on Boston homicides?
?
Since you asked
Here are the stats on homicide clearance rated for 2015.
It's all part of a series done by the newspaper people loath so much around here.
Stop it! Truth sayer. You're
Stop it! Truth sayer. You're making too much sense now.
Seriously a young black kid was shot in the chest yesterday. The BPD arrived on scene quickly, and actually HEARD more gunfire a block away. They reacted by sprinting towards the danger.
Then there was even more gunfire later that night in Mattapan. Believe there was also some earlier in the day in Dorchester.
Black lives do matter, they truly, truly do. So what time is the protest to stop THESE kinds of shootings, happening multiple times a day, in our very own city? Hello?
Louis D. Brown Peace Institute
Go Google it.
Why not Wait for Friday's report on the death?
So we know if the white male Baltimore bicycle cops did the major damage or the "rough ride" killed him.
Does it really matter
Would it matter if the Bicycle cops did the major damage or the Rough Ride?
Yes it does
Unless you rather blame all cops or all black people for the actions of a few.
About that report
Taking an awful long time, isn't it? Can you think of a good reason why?
Trouble getting witness videos
Police did have requests out trying to contact the guy from the street who video recorded cops and victim from the other angle than the one video we all saw.
Meanwhile, when kids were jumping on and smashing police cars, at least 10 other kids had their phones out recording it from all angles!
Another nation heard from
More irrelevancy from Markkkkkkkkkk
I'm sure it has nothing to do
I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that the cop who killed Eric Garner wasn't indicted by the DA, but the guy who videotaped the murder was arrested twice and spent two months sitting in Riker's
Freddie Gray is only one case among many
As Kaz points out above, the situation in Baltimore has been awful for years. Bad enough to protest, even if it turns out Freddie 's death was accidental.
Sounds like it will be a nice
Sounds like it will be a nice rally to support BPD, literally. Just saw a few bus loads of cops heading that way. They will continue to clean-up on OT, thanks to protesters. I'm sure most of the cops would rather spend time with their families this evening, but the extra cash will be nice.
I feel like the police
I feel like the police presence is a bit much. Biked down Columbus east of Ruggles around 5:30 and there were dozens of police trucks and vans parked in the middle of the road, creating a real hazard for drivers.
I'm also pretty bothered by the fact that there was a serious car accident on Columbus just west of Mass Ave that had the road blocked with people yelling at each other, with no police response, and when I pointed this out to one of the cops sitting in his truck in the middle of the road doing nothing, he just said someone was on their way. Even though there were dozens of cops sitting there doing nothing maybe 3 blocks away, none of them could be bothered to help.
This may sound petty, but it just really bothers me to see police unwilling to help someone like this. Responding to a car accident seems a bit more important than sitting in your truck half an hour before a protest that may or may not need crowd control doing nothing.