A thought for those in Baltimore

I get the anger over the death of Freddie Gray.  Put gently, having experienced "rough rides" in a variety of vehicles, it's extremely unlikely that his injuries resulted from anything but some form of brutality--a brutality compounded by the failure to get prompt medical attention.  I get the anger that it all came to a head over a weapon that is only slightly more dangerous than my Swiss Army knife.

But that said, a quick plea for those who are there; remember that the Crips, Bloods, and Black Gorillas (their name for themselves, not anything I made up!) are 100 times more dangerous to black people than are the police.  Remember also that when a cruiser is burned or an officer is injured, you the taxpayer are on the hook for the cost--which includes what happens with the Crips, Bloods, and Black Gorillas are controlling the streets of your city.  Don't think for a moment that possible employers will ignore riots when they site--or do not site--new facilities.  You can still seem the damage in Detroit and Watts nearly half a century later.

Maybe it would be better to help the police get body and dash cameras so that the police know they're being watched, and so the next tragedy is resolved by "roll tape" instead of a riot.  Your fifty bucks for either new police cruisers or a dash camera--and by the way, if you choose the latter, you've got a much better chance of being employed to be able to pay it.

One final note is that if indeed Nation of Islam is involved in bringing thugs to your city, maybe a note to the new attorney general regarding RICO might be in order too.  And ask her, and her boss, why no federal authorities came to help, despite having advance warning.