State of Emergency in Baltimore? (crime, neighborhoods, schools)

[pwduvall]

Violence has lawmakers urging Hogan for state of emergency in Baltimore – Maryland Daily Record

I think we are at a point that a state or emergency, so long as it is backed by some serious planning and resources, is a good idea for Baltimore. A media stunt driven state of emergency that is simply driven by a desire to make the city even more of a laughing stock with the rest of the state (than it already is) is, of course, a bad idea - and an idea that would ultimately damage the state as a whole. From here on out I will stay away from the dark side.

Lets start with the basics: the city police, politicians, churches, civil society, parents, schools are over-matched by a gang driven nihilistic kill-or-be-killed philosophy. This philosophy tells kids, particularly boys, that their only chance for any kind of success - in what will quite likely be a short and violent life - is to gain respect within a criminal enterprise. People within this orbit will demand and enforce respect and kill if they don't get it.

What can the rest of us do about this evil philosophy? In the short run, not much. In the longer run we can try to build a safety net that can scoop up vulnerable kids and give them the attention and guidance they need. Efforts to do so are surprisingly successful - surprising to me anyway. Unfortunately, in the longer run, a high percentage of these vulnerable kids and young adults will end up dead.

In the shorter run the police and related anti-violence programs need more resources. Despite their unproven record, Safe Streets and related programs are, absent any real alternatives, probably a good bet. As for the police, the City Police are having a hard time keeping up with retirements, defections, etc. We will be lucky stop the number of city police from dropping. Significant increases are out of the question.

Instead, if I were the governor, I would bring in the State Police to patrol the state routes and interstates. So many people are carrying illegal guns in Baltimore these days that a percentage of folks pulled over for moving violations are likely to have guns their car or on their person. I'm told that fines for moving violations goes to the state, therefore the city police have no incentive to write tickets for traffic offences. The fines collected could help pay for State Police presence.

I have heard the argument that traffic stops are inherently racist because the percentage of people that are stopped or searched doesn't match up with the racial percentages in the jurisdiction. This problem is easily managed by moving the police presence to areas with demographics that match the city as a whole. The stats can be made to work.

Anyway, I'm curious what other ideas could support a State of Emergency that actually accomplishes some crime reduction.

[skeddy]

Of the 2,745 active duty police officers in the Baltimore city police department — 1,445 — more than half are African-American, Hispanic, Asian or Native American

[bufflove]

Originally Posted by pwduvall

Violence has lawmakers urging Hogan for state of emergency in Baltimore – Maryland Daily Record

I think we are at a point that a state or emergency, so long as it is backed by some serious planning and resources, is a good idea for Baltimore. A media stunt driven state of emergency that is simply driven by a desire to make the city even more of a laughing stock with the rest of the state (than it already is) is, of course, a bad idea - and an idea that would ultimately damage the state as a whole. From here on out I will stay away from the dark side.

Lets start with the basics: the city police, politicians, churches, civil society, parents, schools are over-matched by a gang driven nihilistic kill-or-be-killed philosophy. This philosophy tells kids, particularly boys, that their only chance for any kind of success - in what will quite likely be a short and violent life - is to gain respect within a criminal enterprise. People within this orbit will demand and enforce respect and kill if they don't get it.

What can the rest of us do about this evil philosophy? In the short run, not much. In the longer run we can try to build a safety net that can scoop up vulnerable kids and give them the attention and guidance they need. Efforts to do so are surprisingly successful - surprising to me anyway. Unfortunately, in the longer run, a high percentage of these vulnerable kids and young adults will end up dead.

In the shorter run the police and related anti-violence programs need more resources. Despite their unproven record, Safe Streets and related programs are, absent any real alternatives, probably a good bet. As for the police, the City Police are having a hard time keeping up with retirements, defections, etc. We will be lucky stop the number of city police from dropping. Significant increases are out of the question.

Instead, if I were the governor, I would bring in the State Police to patrol the state routes and interstates. So many people are carrying illegal guns in Baltimore these days that a percentage of folks pulled over for moving violations are likely to have guns their car or on their person. I'm told that fines for moving violations goes to the state, therefore the city police have no incentive to write tickets for traffic offences. The fines collected could help pay for State Police presence.

I have heard the argument that traffic stops are inherently racist because the percentage of people that are stopped or searched doesn't match up with the racial percentages in the jurisdiction. This problem is easily managed by moving the police presence to areas with demographics that match the city as a whole. The stats can be made to work.

Anyway, I'm curious what other ideas could support a State of Emergency that actually accomplishes some crime reduction.

I have no grand ideas to share on the matter, but kudos to OP for such an intelligent, thoughtful start to a thread.

[Infinite_heights77]

This philosophy tells kids, particularly boys, that their only chance for any kind of success - in what will quite likely be a short and violent life - is to gain respect within a criminal enterprise.

*Questions? Do you work or have any sort of relationships with Black males? 2. What do you know about young Black males and their philosophies about life? I think, you watch way too much Empire and The Wire to really understand the depths and dynamics of these problems facing young African American males.

Originally Posted by pwduvall

Violence has lawmakers urging Hogan for state of emergency in Baltimore – Maryland Daily Record

I think we are at a point that a state or emergency, so long as it is backed by some serious planning and resources, is a good idea for Baltimore. A media stunt driven state of emergency that is simply driven by a desire to make the city even more of a laughing stock with the rest of the state (than it already is) is, of course, a bad idea - and an idea that would ultimately damage the state as a whole. From here on out I will stay away from the dark side.

Lets start with the basics: the city police, politicians, churches, civil society, parents, schools are over-matched by a gang driven nihilistic kill-or-be-killed philosophy. This philosophy tells kids, particularly boys, that their only chance for any kind of success - in what will quite likely be a short and violent life - is to gain respect within a criminal enterprise. People within this orbit will demand and enforce respect and kill if they don't get it.

What can the rest of us do about this evil philosophy? In the short run, not much. In the longer run we can try to build a safety net that can scoop up vulnerable kids and give them the attention and guidance they need. Efforts to do so are surprisingly successful - surprising to me anyway. Unfortunately, in the longer run, a high percentage of these vulnerable kids and young adults will end up dead.

In the shorter run the police and related anti-violence programs need more resources. Despite their unproven record, Safe Streets and related programs are, absent any real alternatives, probably a good bet. As for the police, the City Police are having a hard time keeping up with retirements, defections, etc. We will be lucky stop the number of city police from dropping. Significant increases are out of the question.

Instead, if I were the governor, I would bring in the State Police to patrol the state routes and interstates. So many people are carrying illegal guns in Baltimore these days that a percentage of folks pulled over for moving violations are likely to have guns their car or on their person. I'm told that fines for moving violations goes to the state, therefore the city police have no incentive to write tickets for traffic offences. The fines collected could help pay for State Police presence.

I have heard the argument that traffic stops are inherently racist because the percentage of people that are stopped or searched doesn't match up with the racial percentages in the jurisdiction. This problem is easily managed by moving the police presence to areas with demographics that match the city as a whole. The stats can be made to work.

Anyway, I'm curious what other ideas could support a State of Emergency that actually accomplishes some crime reduction.

[Infinite_heights77]

Stop sleeping!!!

Violence in Baltimore is Rooted in Baltimore’s Invisible & Violent Apartheid

https://medium.com/@BmoreDoc/violenc...d-d929ad289b2a

We’re now at 159 homicides for this year “…up from 124 during the same period last year. At that pace, the city is on track to hit a record homicide rate in 2017.” So writes Scott Calvert of the Wall Street Journal.

This is serious! But Baltimore is deploying an apartheid budget. We’re spending $500+ million on police in FY2017 and again in FY2018 (once you add in OT pay). Instead of Safe Streets being deployed in 30 neighborhoods, we only have them at 5 sites. We are investing in policing violence as opposed to investing in violence prevention.

Baltimore City deploys an apartheid budget, yet expects Freedom Budget results. But apartheid policies can only yield social pathologies. And homicides are a major social pathology along with opiod overdose deaths.

[MrRational]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

But apartheid policies can only yield social pathologies.

Chicken or the egg?

[skeddy]

With the exception of a few spots, Baltimore is a dump and always will be.

[Hamish Forbes]

Originally Posted by Infinite_heights77

Stop sleeping!!!

Violence in Baltimore is Rooted in Baltimore’s Invisible & Violent Apartheid . . . Baltimore City deploys an apartheid budget, yet expects Freedom Budget results. But apartheid policies can only yield social pathologies. And homicides are a major social pathology along with opiod overdose deaths.

Apartheid policies? I got a chuckle from that one. The primary issues facing black males come from people like you telling low-intelligence (on average), testosterone-driven yewts from a completely dysfunctional culture that it is only natural that they act like thugs. Hey, you're a victim, young man, so it's perfectly OK. It's to be expected.

We had a chance of moving past this when former-president Obama was in office. He should have preached what he practiced himself (family, work, study, self-restraint) -- the rules for success in the USA are not really that complicated -- but he completely dropped the ball.

[Hamish Forbes]

Originally Posted by pwduvall

As for the police, the City Police are having a hard time keeping up with retirements, defections, etc. We will be lucky stop the number of city police from dropping. Significant increases are out of the question.

Freddy Gray, of course. Same kind of thing is happening in Chicago.

[Hamish Forbes]

Originally Posted by pwduvall

I have heard the argument that traffic stops are inherently racist because the percentage of people that are stopped or searched doesn't match up with the racial percentages in the jurisdiction. This problem is easily managed by moving the police presence to areas with demographics that match the city as a whole. The stats can be made to work.

In my opinion, this is exactly wrong. Police should be directed to the problem rather than deployed according to a need that statistics be politically correct.