The Democrats have had total control over Baltimore for many decades and the results of their policies a clear: abject failure.

Not one liberal here will even acknowledge this fact but post shots at me.

Are y’all just incapable of accepting responsibility or are you so controlled by hate you lost sight of it?

Here's a fun fact. Since 1948, there has been exactly ONE Republican Mayor in Baltimore.

Who is to blame now?

The incompetence and corruption of the city and state leaders.

Ummmm, are they Republicans?

Only a fool would try to make this a partisan issue.

Here's a fun fact. Since 1948, there has been exactly ONE Republican Mayor in Baltimore.

Who is to blame now?

______________________________________________________________

The incompetence and corruption of the city and state leaders.

______________________________________________________________

Ummmm, are they Republicans?

No, Democrats. But you asked who is to blame for the conditions in Baltimore. To reply with an answer of "Democrats", would be inaccurate obviously, since there are numerous examples of successful Democratic cities, states, Presidents, etc, just as there are examples of successful Republicans. It's the incompetence and corruption of the local leaders who are to blame for the conditions in Baltimore.

i will not involve myself in the partisan blame game. like BB said there are multiple reasons/excuses involved in these issues. i'm sure there is going to be intense investigation into all of the factors involved in what is wrong in the police force and in the black community and with the drug war and with poverty. whether anything comes of it is another story.

State's Attorney for Baltimore Marilyn Mosby has been the beneficiary of political donations by… wait for it… The Gray family attorney.

Corruption runs deep in the City (see the last Baltimore Mayor Dixon criminal history).

All are Democrats.

I think the responsibility goes on all voters in the state of Maryland. Ultimately they control the destiny of their state. If they don't vote, they should just shut up. If they did vote, they should reexamine the type of government they voted for.

I think the responsibility goes on all voters in the state of Maryland. Ultimately they control the destiny of their state. If they don't vote, they should just shut up. If they did vote, they should reexamine the type of government they voted for.

Awesome.

I think the responsibility goes on all voters in the state of Maryland. Ultimately they control the destiny of their state. If they don't vote, they should just shut up. If they did vote, they should reexamine the type of government they voted for.

I disagree. No political candidate runs on promising corruption and failure. These politicians campaign about hope and change, and then lie, cheat, and steal once they are in. And that's the fault of the people? No way. That excuses incompetence and crime within our local government.

As for the belief that "if you don't vote, then shut up", I disagree with that too. What if someone opposes both candidates, and is disillusioned with politics altogether because of a broken 2-party system? Then that person has no right to complain about the state of the union? They could be doing a lot of other things to make a difference in the community that is much more effective than voting for the lesser of 2 evils.

Here's a video of some protestors in Denver over the Baltimore incident. You'll see a bunch of youths shouting every profanity in the book at the faces of police officers just doing their job. What a bunch of scumbag animals, right?

I think the responsibility goes on all voters in the state of Maryland. Ultimately they control the destiny of their state. If they don't vote, they should just shut up. If they did vote, they should reexamine the type of government they voted for.

I disagree. No political candidate runs on promising corruption and failure. These politicians campaign about hope and change, and then lie, cheat, and steal once they are in. And that's the fault of the people? No way. That excuses incompetence and crime within our local government.

As for the belief that "if you don't vote, then shut up", I disagree with that too. What if someone opposes both candidates, and is disillusioned with politics altogether because of a broken 2-party system? Then that person has no right to complain about the state of the union? They could be doing a lot of other things to make a difference in the community that is much more effective than voting for the lesser of 2 evils.

Actually, I meant hat to be tongue in cheek and pointed at a poster who likes to point fingers at everyone else for all the troubles in the world. He also lives in Maryland, but hasn't mentioned that while he blames everyone who doesn't think like him.

I think the responsibility goes on all voters in the state of Maryland. Ultimately they control the destiny of their state. If they don't vote, they should just shut up. If they did vote, they should reexamine the type of government they voted for.

I disagree. No political candidate runs on promising corruption and failure. These politicians campaign about hope and change, and then lie, cheat, and steal once they are in. And that's the fault of the people? No way. That excuses incompetence and crime within our local government.

As for the belief that "if you don't vote, then shut up", I disagree with that too. What if someone opposes both candidates, and is disillusioned with politics altogether because of a broken 2-party system? Then that person has no right to complain about the state of the union? They could be doing a lot of other things to make a difference in the community that is much more effective than voting for the lesser of 2 evils.

Actually, I meant hat to be tongue in cheek and pointed at a poster who likes to point fingers at everyone else for all the troubles in the world. He also lives in Maryland, but hasn't mentioned that while he blames everyone who doesn't think like him.

________________________________________________________________________

Wrong son.
From my county and west, The State of Maryland, including parts of the Eastern Shore is quite conservative.

Maryland fortunately is changing. The anointed one in the last election was Lt. Gov. Brown (D).
He worked under Martin O’Malley. The Democrat National Party, Obama and Bill and Hillary all were here supporting Brown.
Brown’s primary task as Lt. Governor was to manage the health care exchange setup and rollout because O’Malley went all-in for ObamaCare. The system he was responsible for setting up failed, just like Obama’s federal system failed.
The left-wing media falsely printed polls prior to the election showing Brown way ahead in the polls.
Amazingly, the people of Maryland elected Larry Hogan (R) principally because they are tired of the companies feeing the state, the rain tax, higher taxes all around, fees and regulations, rampant crime and a general failure of the Democrats to run the State.
The States public school system dropped from 4th in the nation to 26th under Democrat “leadership”.

The Democrats have been proven incompetent state by state, city by city and the followers won’t even admit it. It is like it isn’t happening when it is happening right in front of their faces.

Actually, I meant hat to be tongue in cheek and pointed at a poster who likes to point fingers at everyone else for all the troubles in the world. He also lives in Maryland, but hasn't mentioned that while he blames everyone who doesn't think like him.

LOL. And here I was thinking, "gee, now that doesn't sound like something jkeller would say."

Actually, I meant hat to be tongue in cheek and pointed at a poster who likes to point fingers at everyone else for all the troubles in the world. He also lives in Maryland, but hasn't mentioned that while he blames everyone who doesn't think like him.

LOL. And here I was thinking, "gee, now that doesn't sound like something jkeller would say."

and, right on cue, he rants about everyone but himself. Obviously, those 6 cops and all of the rioters were Democrats. It is obvious that we must outlaw the Democratic party. We need to become a nation of no info voters. 😛

Actually, I meant hat to be tongue in cheek and pointed at a poster who likes to point fingers at everyone else for all the troubles in the world. He also lives in Maryland, but hasn't mentioned that while he blames everyone who doesn't think like him.

LOL. And here I was thinking, "gee, now that doesn't sound like something jkeller would say."

and, right on cue, he rants about everyone but himself. Obviously, those 6 cops and all of the rioters were Democrats. It is obvious that we must outlaw the Democratic party. We need to become a nation of no info voters. 😛

________________________________________________________________________

Why would I rant about me?
I’m not the problem. The failure of The Democrats is the issue.

“those 6 cops and all of the rioters were Democrats”
How did you conclude that?

Of course you attack me because you will not address the actual problem.
When you have no ideas, blame someone else.

Are you too scared to tell the truth or too slow to recognize it?

Remember, this Baltimore matter hurts the black people your type claims to represent.

ignoring mule

http://www.vice.com/read/baltimores-criminal-justice-system-is-seriously-overloaded-thanks-to-the-arrest-of-freddie-gray-protesters-501

Baltimore's Criminal Justice System Is Seriously Overloaded Thanks to the Arrest of Protesters
May 1, 2015
by Rachel M. Cohen

Four days after Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency, and three nights into the citywide 10 PM to 5 AM curfew, Baltimore lawyers and activists are beginning to grapple with exactly how the official response to unrest over the death of Freddie Gray has impacted protesters' constitutionally protected legal rights.

Perhaps the most controversial decision of the past few days came on Tuesday, when Hogan suspended a state rule that requires an individual to be brought before a judicial officer or released from jail within 24 hours following their arrest. The decree paved the way for arrestees to languish in jail for up to 47 hours without charges. The Maryland Public Defender's Office issued a statement Wednesday challenging Hogan's legal authority to tell the judiciary what to do.

That night, 101 of the 201 arrested protesters were released from jail without charges. At a press conference earlier Wednesday, Baltimore Police Captain Eric Kowalczyk said his department had struggled to file formal charges against the protesters because officers were so busy responding to emergencies elsewhere; he insisted that charges would still be filed at a later date.

"On a normal day, if I'm a patrol officer and I was filing a charge, it could take upwards of two hours," Sarah Connolly, a Baltimore Police spokeswoman, told VICE. "But when you're having multitudes of arrests, and when you are working to ensure the preservation of life and property, which was paramount, it just wasn't possible [to file all the charges.]"

Natalie Finegar, the Baltimore Deputy District Public Defender, told VICE that Hogan's order is a clear instance of the executive branch overstepping its legal bounds. She notes that there is already a judicial provision within the Court of Appeals to change the 24-hour detention rule in the case of an emergency. Hogan's executive order, Finegar contends, demonstrates disregard for the checks and balances of the legal system.

Other experts point out that holding uncharged people in jail is simply bad policy regardless of the legality, especially in this fraught political moment. "If the citizens of Baltimore are reacting [on the streets] to longstanding systemic issues, then dealing with arrestees in a systematically unfair manner, like leaving people in jail without charges, doesn't really seem to be an effective response," said Cherise Fanno Burdeen, the executive director of the Pretrial Justice Institute, a nonprofit committed to pretrial justice reform.

Another reason few charges were filed this week is because Baltimore's district courts closed after Monday's riots. In Baltimore City, courts close fairly frequently for all sorts of reasons, including snow days; the judiciary decides when to close the courts. On Tuesday, none were open, and on Wednesday just one out of four was operational—creating a serious backlog for cases that would have normally been divvied up. (By Thursday, all four district courts had reopened.)

"Courts are not supposed to shut down, especially when you're arresting hundreds of people in a moment of crisis," said Alexandra Natapoff, a professor at the Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. "If people are being arrested, courts should be open to handle the cases. The wheels of justice should continue to spin equally for everyone at all times."

In light of Hogan suspending the 24-hour rule, Finegar told VICE that her office filed 82 habeas corpus petitions on behalf of detained arrestees. (The Guardian had previously reported that Hogan had effectively suspended the state's habeas corpus law, but this is misleading, as state and federal habeas corpus laws—which gives detainees the ability to seek relief from unlawful imprisonment—are unchanged.) However, before those habeas corpus petitions could be ruled upon, the city released the remaining uncharged protesters in a nod to the fact that they no longer had the authority to detain them. Finegar believes that many who were released on Wednesday were illegally held in the first place.

Another issue is that many arrested protesters were given extraordinarily high bail amounts. Some were apparently even asked to pay their bail all at once, in cash—which is notable given that detainees usually have the option to pay deposits or to take out loans from bondsmen.

"For my clients, a $50,000 cash-only bail is tantamount to no bail," said Finegar. "I'm a nice middle-class public servant and even I couldn't post something like that."

"What is unconstitutional is using money to detain and deprive an individual of due process," Burdeen added. "And yet that is essentially what is happening here." The Guardian reported on one case where a 19-year-old had bail set at half a million dollars. The defendant, who failed to produce the money, was then sent to jail. Generally speaking, if a detainee cannot make bail and cannot take out a loan, then they will essentially serve a jail sentence before even being found guilty of a crime. According to Finegar, that could mean sitting in jail for anywhere from 30 days to a year.

"We have to look beyond the law if we want to really reform the criminal justice system." –Alexandra Natapoff

On Thursday afternoon, ACLU-Maryland's legal director Deborah A. Jeon sent a letter to Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake calling for an end to the citywide curfew. "We have a right to demand policy changes of our government.... and we have a constitutionally protected right to do so on the streets and sidewalks of Baltimore." Jeon added that at this point the curfew's "unnecessary restrictions" seemed to do more to stoke community resentment than to ensure public safety.

The curfew is a First Amendment issue more so than a criminal one. And First Amendment decisions are often seen as balancing acts between the need for public safety and to protect one's right to protest, move, and assemble. "It has to be a reasonable balance, and whether this curfew is a reasonable one is subject to debate," said Eve Brensike Primus, a University of Michigan law professor.

In a Thursday evening press conference, Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said that despite the city's relative calm, they would not be lifting the curfew this weekend because there are large protests planned. "We have a lot more protests that are popping up by the minute, and even if we didn't, we have other cities that have large protests and their activities impact our city too," said Batts.

The argument that Baltimoreans should be kept under curfew because protests are happening in other cities certainly raises some serious constitutional questions.

Activist groups are responding to these issues; the Ferguson Legal Defense Committee is operating a jail support hotline. On Wednesday night, the Public Justice Center (PJC), a Baltimore-based legal advocacy organization, held an event to train lawyers, law students, and legal experts in jail support and legal observing for demonstrations. Nearly 50 people showed up, which, according to PJC attorney Zafar Shah, was beyond the group's expectations. "There wasn't enough seating," he said. In addition, Maryland Public Defender Paul B. DeWolfe issued a call for private lawyers to help represent the 201 protesters arrested on Monday night. DeWolfe told the Daily Record that many private attorneys have offered their services.

Of course, it's safe to say a few well-intentioned lawyers are unlikely to change the game here.

"Yes there will be lawsuits, and appropriately so, but we can't rely on them to fix the underlying problem," said Natapoff. "We have to look beyond the law if we want to really reform the criminal justice system. That's why these protests all over the country are so important."

https://news.vice.com/article/we-spoke-to-kevin-moore-the-man-who-filmed-freddie-grays-arrest

We Spoke to Kevin Moore, the Man Who Filmed Freddie Gray's Arrest
By Colleen Curry

May 1, 2015 | 3:50 pm
The man who used his cellphone to record video of Freddie Gray's arrest by Baltimore police officers was himself arrested by officers after he left a protest on Thursday, in what he describes as a clear case of witness intimidation.

Baltimore police arrested Kevin Moore along with two friends of his from Ferguson, Missouri, who work with the group Copwatch, an activist organization that advocates for the filming of interactions with police. Police released Moore on Friday morning without charges being filed against him. His two companions, Chad Jackson and Tony White, remain in custody.

Moore told VICE News that, prior to his arrest, the police department's internal affairs division had already interviewed him for several hours about what he witnessed when Gray was arrested. His video showed the arresting officers lifting Gray from the ground where they had handcuffed him and carrying him limply to the back of a police van. Gray was later determined to have a severed spine and died a week after his arrest.

The Baltimore State's Attorney's Office announced on Friday that it had filed criminal charges against the six officers involved in Gray's arrest and subsequent death.

Moore described the circumstances of his arrest on Thursday to VICE News on video and in an off-camera interview.

"They waited until I got away from the protest and my people to protect me," he said.

Police arrested Moore, Jackson, and White after the three of them walked to Bruce Court, an area where Moore lives that is located not far from the site of the protest. The pretext for the arrest was not clear.

"They had assault weapons, rifles, they had everything — their tank, two choppers," he recalled. "They took me to the Western District [police station], never gave me charging papers or anything."

"It's called witness intimidation," he added. "But if they hadn't let me go it would have been a whole lot of BS that they didn't want to deal with, so they decided it was in their best interest to let me go. But they still have my friends."

Chuck Modiano, a member of Copwatch, told VICE News that jail support informed the group that Jackson and White will probably be released sometime in the afternoon on Friday. To his knowledge, no formal charges are being filed. Modiano said that Copwatch did not know on what grounds police were holding the two activists.

The Baltimore Police Department did not answer inquiries from VICE News about their arrests.

"I have a feeling there's some foul play going on," Moore said, noting that the police did not give him even a citation.

Moore said he felt intimidated by the police when they earlier sought to question him about Gray's death, and particularly after they subsequently circulated his photo and personal information online, saying that he was wanted for questioning.

"They plastered my picture all over the internet hoping people would come forward and tell on me," Moore said. "I gave them that video... They asked me, like, 'You seem like you are a positive leader in your community.' And , 'Oh, so you know who I am?' I'm not hiding, I've never been hiding."