Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Baltimore: A City on Edge


Baltimore: A City on Edge

 

Murder, rape and other violent crimes have caused Baltimore to be listed as one of the most violent cities in the World. Recently Baltimore was found to be 36th on the planet in terms of killings with 38 deaths per 100,000 residents. Few other cities in America have received this distinction. Ironically Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and her minions have done little to stem the tide of violence occurring daily within the confines of Baltimore. Sadly this Mayor is at war with her own police department. She requested the United States Attorney General’s Office to investigate her police department for brutality towards civilians. With respect for police ebbing to new lows these brave warriors must confront the predatory population daily. Body cameras would be an excellent addition to the armaments of the local police. Yet the Mayor will not allow a body camera bill, passed in the City Council, to become law.http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2014/11/18/baltimore-body-cameras-passed-despite-mayors-veto-vow/  Mayor Rawlings-Blake worries the information collected by the cameras may be used improperly. She plans to form an investigatory group to study the issue. Behind her nonsensical rejection of body cameras lies the real reason for her vow to defeat this issue. Body cameras would enable the police to prove within a degree of certainty how a crime was committed. Additionally cameras would display who is brutalizing whom during an arrest. Mayor Rawlings-Blake’s disingenuous motivations on this issue will not make the public safer. Instead police will continue to confront brutality claims with little recourse to prove otherwise.

 

Baltimore residents and those who visit the city are in constant fear of victimization. Crime that used to be hidden in the shadows is now blatantly occurring in broad daylight. Violence has spread to every neighborhood in the city. Daily police reports indicate an array of crimes, some so hideous their description is beyond comprehension. Social decay, perpetuated by an entitlement mentality, is at the nidus of many negative issues in Baltimore. Attempts to rectify the crime problem over the last decade have been challenged on every level. When police made efforts to stem the blood flow the Department’s leaders would be either be fired or declared an enemies of the city. Schools cannot discipline children on their way to crime ridden lives because some lawyer somewhere will shout Civil Rights. Government officials curry favor with City’s residents for votes so status quo not change is inevitable from this arrangement. From the City Council to the present Governor’s Office it is to their advantage to prevent Baltimore from moving forward. The long term answer is leadership which is sorely lacking at the city and state levels. Without leadership Baltimore will continue to be immersed in the criminal quagmire for which it has become known.

 

Mark Davis MD, President of Davis Writing Services. Author of the recent book, Obamacare: Dead on Arrival, A Prescription for Disaster. www.daviswritingservices.com  For media requests please contact Dr. Davis at:

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