They were sparked by the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who was beaten by police and then died in their custody from spinal injuries.
Now, I know some people who quickly defended the actions of the police in this, and other recent incidents when questionable and potentially excessive force by the police was used.
It seems to me, however, that such stories are going to increase, rather than decrease, in frequency. Any police that are still trying to censor these kinds of images are fighting a losing battle, with high end technology ever more accessible and present in people's lives. More and more people can be expected to make recordings of such incidents.
Eventually, something has to give. This issue has to be addressed, and certainly, people have every right to protest these excesses by police, who sometimes almost seem closer to resembling occupiers, rather than supposedly neutral law enforcement. This seems to be a symptom of the increasingly militant police forces around the country.
One thing, however, is that violence should not beget further violence, and that is exactly what is happening in Baltimore, unfortunately.
Yes, they have every right to be angry. However, what kind of statement is it to protest the unfairness of something by breaking the windows of a store and stealing for yourself a new television or speaker system? How is that going to improve your community.
As for the burnings, it just seems like these are all too similar to Ferguson, or the LA Riots of the early 1990's, which most of us still can remember.
The problem is that these people are doing this to their own neighborhoods, which reminds me of certain lyrics from Jello Biafra, in a song that he did back when he was still in the Dead Kennedys.
So, I thought I would take this opportunity to share those lyrics, since they seem to telling, given the situation in Baltimore right now:
DEAD KENNEDYS - RIOT Lyrics
Rioting-the unbeatable high
Adrenalin shoots your nerves to the sky
Everyone knows this town is gonna blow
And it's all gonna blow right now:.
Now you can smash all the windows that you want
All you really need are some friends and a rock
Throwing a brick never felt so damn good
Smash more glass
Scream with a laugh
And wallow with the crowds
Watch them kicking peoples' ass
But you get to the place
Where the real slavedrivers live
It's walled off by the riot squad
Aiming guns right at your head
So you turn right around
And play right into their hands
And set your own neighbourhood
Burning to the ground instead
[Chorus]
Riot-the unbeatable high
Riot-shoots your nerves to the sky
Riot-playing into their hands
Tomorrow you're homeless
Tonight it's a blast
Get your kicks in quick
They're callin' the national guard
Now could be your only chance
To torch a police car
Climb the roof, kick the siren in
And jump and yelp for joy
Quickly-dive back in the crowd
Slip away, now don't get caught
Let's loot the spiffy hi-fi store
Grab as much as you can hold
Pray your full arms don't fall off
Here comes the owner with a gun
[Chorus]
The barricades spring up from nowhere
Cops in helmets line the lines
Shotguns prod into your bellies
The trigger fingers want an excuse
Now
The raging mob has lost its nerve
There's more of us but who goes first
No one dares to cross the line
The cops know that they've won
It's all over but not quite
The pigs have just begun to fight
They club your heads, kick your teeth
Police can riot all that they please
[Chorus]
Tomorrow you're homeless
Tonight it's a blast
Lyrics from eLyrics.net
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