On the surface, the trigger for the Baltimore riots was the death in police custody of 25yo Freddie Gray. Reportedly, Gray was handcuffed, then placed in the back of a police van and “rough ridden”. It’s not hard to imagine what can happen to someone whose arms are pinned behind their back and they are unrestrained in an accelerating, turning and decelerating van. It’s not hard to see how this could break Gray’s neck or back. And then it seems nothing was done to get him any medical help. All because he ran from the cops and had a switchblade or similar in his possession.
But the rioting has much more to it than this.
Although Maryland has many wealthy people, many of whom commute to DC, the inner city, mostly black community is a different story. Reportedly the average income amongst the Ferguson community, which saw similar scenes a few months ago, is $31K, whereas in this area of Baltimore, it’s only $20K.
But the issue with the Baltimore police is generational, as you’ll hear in this wrap-up. This guy says it was bad when his father was a kid.
This well-written article from someone who grew up in the area tells a similar story. The police have been mistreating the residents for decades. Not only that, they are not held accountable for their actions:
The money paid out by the city to cover for the brutal acts of its police department would be enough to build “a state-of-the-art rec center or renovations at more than 30 playgrounds.” Instead, the money was used to cover for the brutal acts of the city’s police department and ensure they remained well beyond any semblance of justice.
Not only that, recent efforts to hold the police accountable have been prevented by the police union.
But this situation is simply a sign of the times. It’s not that long ago that the police wore simple uniforms, were unarmed in most countries and were there to primarily protect the public. Today, they are militarised and are there to protect the state and the public has become the enemy. The police shooting of unarmed blacks in the US has become an almost daily occurrence. And it’s not just in the US. This video filmed in Amsterdam in the last couple of days shows the same model at work. Perhaps if Freddie Gray had followed Luke Rudkowski’s advice, he’d still be alive.
The global police state is already in place. It only remains for the public to recognise it.
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