Baltimore riots

[Hog1]

The system is..........busted, way

[HailGreen28]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

I read a pretty insightful article on Baltimore's collapse post industrial period. Seems pretty spot on. Around the 30-40's the industrial plants employing a ton of people closed up, so the workers and white people kinda moved out and black people moved in and bought row homes in what they thought were good solid real estate moves.

But the jobs werent there anymore, the remaining affluent white people in their white gloves and hats that once walked Lexington Market did not do so anymore bc they did not want to mix with the new black population so that further pushed the remaining white people out of those areas. im sorry if i speak so openly about racial divide here. im repeating what the article said.

(Bold mine) The article just discredited itself here. Why would people with money keep coming back to shop to the same places they had moved out of? Especially when those places start getting run down because the people with the best jobs, the biggest customers, also moved elsewhere? So shops start closing/changing. But no, let's blame problems with that community by accusing the people who aren't there anymore of racism! There is a city government that's supposed to use tax dollars to support areas, provide good services, infrastructure, a clean safe environment, and support local businesses in a variety of ways. And the community should support each other in this. Other cities, and lots of rural communities, do this.

Why doesn't the article mention that, instead of basically saying the place can't survive without rich white people? (With white gloves and hats and they hate black people. They must be supervillains.)

Originally Posted by over the mountain

fast forward 6 decades later with no job growth, crumbling infrastructure and property values that sharply declined = half of baltimore as we see it today. huge blocks of boarded up crumbling row homes with something like 46% unemployment in the bad parts. even where i live in upper fells/washington hill we have random blocks of abandoned properties.

there are a lot of great hard working people in these depreciated areas. a lot of baltimore's soul and identity are rooted in these areas.

so sad. ive stuck up for baltimore for so long but i now realize i was insulated. i lived in locust point or fells point proper. the cities issues were foreign to me. with having made the mistake of moving to a bad block this past year and the riots, im just eyes-wide-open sad.

seeing a lazy car accident atty voted States Atty is sad.

becoming aware of just how bad our local council is and the nepotism and rewarded incompetence is just so sad.

(Bold mine) No argument with the rest. And people are generally hardworking and awesome anywhere if they have a chance. Maybe city, county, and state officials should be held accountable for good jobs in the area. Or people can keep crying racism and let the place go to pot. Looks like Baltimore chose the second option with what they did and who they elected. They need to start taking the first option more seriously, whether they elect a dem, reupub, indie, whatever.

[CRedskinsRule]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

Well they have had it covered for 40 years right?

Another reason for term limits. Not having term limits embeds corrupt, quid pro quo behavior. From the local level to Washington. Believe me, that dog shit mayor is on the same path from the local level to the federal level.

Term limits move the corruption from the long term elected corrupt officials to the unelected long term bureaucrats. Somehow what's needed is an equivalent of the internal affairs police departments have that is able to shed light on the dark corners of the political structure. Term limits also can create redundant application of ineffective solutions as new people cycle through and the same shucksters peddle fake solutions.

Even more than a political internal affairs system though, is a useful educated, slightly cynical voting public. And that isn't going to happen anytime soon. So I am not holding my breath awaiting a major change to the situation.

Sent from my S6 Edge

[over the mountain]

im turning this into my own eff baltimore thread . .

friday night i had a juvenile rat run across my living room, right past my lady and under our fridge. i had to barricade my daughters room and our bed room, spent hours looking for the bastard but havent found him yet. hopefully he got out the same way he got in. i have to check every nook and cranny of our home every day now.

saturday i walked my daughter to the big playground in patterson bc the playground around the corner is just crap w kids doing drugs and "moms" rolling blunt and drinking liquor which they just leave as trash when they go. im over that play ground. well apparently some 13 and 14 year olds decided to go to the kids patterson park playground and curse and fight and talk about how they have all had sex with each other and who did who first and girls started fighting each other. the cursing and language was awesome.

sunday i got a parking ticket. not a big deal. my car was half legal half not. i didnt even think parking people made it as far up our neighborhood and just stayed down near fells and the bars.

today - i am heading out of the city around 8:10 am and see some police activity on the 395 bridge leading into the city (main in and out). there were some nice shiny black luxury cars with ppl out of the cars. traffic was jacked up all the way back as far as the eye could see.

on the radio they sd it was some pastor who wants to shut down traffic and it will not be business as usual until 30 mil funding for a juvenile detention center is diverted to city schools.

his tweets and photo opportunities are below. Why arent they arrested for civil disobedience or something? mosby cant allow this to keep happening. she needs to let the police ..i dont know .. police?

Protest Blocks Morning Traffic On I-95 | WBAL Radio 1090 AM

I love how the pastor is rolling in a new benz or escalade. not sure which one is his.

meanwhile balt city schools ARE OVER FUNDED!

No, Baltimore schools are not under-funded | WashingtonExaminer.com

i heard they shut down both sides of 395 now so you cant get out of the city. thank god i made it out right before that or i would have had to driven through the dangerous west part of baltimore which is scary as hell even for people who live in the city. im not a tourist.

Hailgreen - i probably did a poor job of summarizing the article. here it is. a good read, seems to be well researched and vetted. i did leave out that in the 80s with the burbs super malls and what not change the shopping habits as well. before the canton crossing opening a few years ago with target and old navy, we could go to walmart in convington cove (near downtown) or drive to towson or white marsh to go big store shopping.

White flight decimated Baltimore businesses long before rioters showed up – Quartz

[over the mountain]

The Baltimore Sun @baltimoresun · 33m 33 minutes ago
Among the victims of the 29 shootings reported this weekend, one was a 9-year-old boy. 9-year-old shot amid violent weekend in Baltimore - Baltimore Sun

29 shootings in 1 weekend?

there are only like 850k residents. the juveniles were already emboldened to walk right into oncoming traffic and dare you to honk your horn at them or ride their bikes blocking traffic or just being harassing a holes ... now the message after the protests seems to be "do what you want, the police have been told to stand down."

as a resident, it feels like Mosby and Rawlings gave the city to the deliquent juveniles who have no sense of restraint or calculation. they just mob attack tourists, snatch purses etc bc they dont think ahead. they commit acts of violence just to commit acts of violence. there is no thought to it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iR6L...ature=youtu.be

am i next? when i am walking w my 3 year old, do i need to act scared around these kids?

when they would step out in front of my car i would honk my horn, roll down the window and dare them. now? i honestly feel scared. i have a daughter and a bad shoulder, i just have to sit there and take it now. me, 36 year old guy needs to sit there in his car with his windows up while 14 year olds suanter through downtown like they own it. twice i had to keep my mouth shut in the past month.

maybe im being dramatic .... but something is changing in baltimore. it feels different. in a bad way.

[Chico23231]

The Baltimore Sun

I like how everybody trys to blame every intangile element...how about its illegal to kill people and immoral as well.

We do know basic right and wrong...right? Its not right to kill people folks...

[over the mountain]

i made a mistake.

Pastor Bryant drives a Bentley .. not a mercedes.

His wife also divorced him bc he impregnating a 17 year old.

good god, you cant make this up.

pull up the rug and cockroaches come crawling out.

-------------------------------------------------------------

"The demonstration is the first of what organizers are calling 10 plagues designed to disrupt not just Baltimore but the entire state of Maryland."

This pedo ahole "pastor" plans 9 more disturbances.

Stephanie - do your fucking job and ARREST THIS ASSHOLE next time.

un-freaking-believable what is going on.

start arresting people. please.

[JoeRedskin]

Baltimore City spends more per pupil than every other county in the COUNTRY except Boston and NYC.

Maryland Districts Dominate Top Per-Pupil Spenders, Census Data Show - District Dossier - Education Week

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

Baltimore City spends more per pupil than every other county in the COUNTRY except Boston and NYC.

Maryland Districts Dominate Top Per-Pupil Spenders, Census Data Show - District Dossier - Education Week

I mean, that disgusting. So money isnt the issue for school spending...and folks thats your tax money, what are you getting for that? a city of poverty and uneducated losers.

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by JoeRedskin

Baltimore City spends more per pupil than every other county in the COUNTRY except Boston and NYC.

Maryland Districts Dominate Top Per-Pupil Spenders, Census Data Show - District Dossier - Education Week

It is even worse than that. Ive read a ton of articles lately on Balt City history, corruption, budget and economy. I do not vouch for the accuracy of my memory retention though.

Balt City contributes 15-20% of their budget to that 15k per student number. The rest comes from Md State and Federal grants.

The Natl avg for district contribution is around 40%.

Balt City secured some huge State and Federal grants through the 90's but the problem is these grants can be taken back or decreased at any time. Yet Balt City has grown dependent on the grants.

Democrat O'Malley earmarked something like 63 mil from the State's general operating budget to go to education for this year with Balt City receiving a lion share of approx 11 mil.

Problem - new republican gov Hogan was not bound by that 63 mil earmark from the States oper budget and pulled it back, as is his right.

Problem - it seems the balt city teachers union is a powerful group in long held democratic Balt City. In 2010 the teachers union secured a new deal in which teachers get huge raises if they meet certain requirements. raises to the tune of 15-20k per year. Well, certain teachers satisfied the requirements and now I assume make bank. disproportionate bank. The double edge sword is that its hard to criticize inner city school teachers or not appreciate them.

The school district when given money just lose account of it. i read they still keep their accounting books on paper. The balt City school district is currently facing an unprecedented 68 mil dollar deficit. they need to cut payroll, close down more schools and stuff more kids into already congested classrooms.

For some reason a huge grant to rebuild and remodel old schools in the district just disappeared as well. the money was to keep schools open and update but instead schools closed down during the time period.

-----------

short version - repub gov is going to close up all the disproportionate State grants that balt City has grown dependent on.

especially after mayor Rawlings-Blake keeps making open and public comments critical of him.


this does not end well for balt city but maybe it is what it needs to get its act together and learn how to budget a city. of course the property tax around 6% is already double every other county in maryland so they cant increase prop tax any higher or more tax payers will just move out.

they already reluctantly give big companies tax breaks. do they offer a 0% tax break to lure new companies in and hope for trickle down economics?

what company wants their headquarters in downtown balt when the mayor allows a pedo pastor to shut down the city for the sole purpose of "disrupting business as usual'?

what company wants to have such an unreliable environment? to put their employees in harms way?

when the charges are dropped, does Pandora need to not do business for a week and lose millions?

downtown balt has become an unreliable business center imo.

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

It is even worse than that. Ive read a ton of articles lately on Balt City history, corruption, budget and economy. I do not vouch for the accuracy of my memory retention though.

Balt City contributes 15-20% of their budget to that 15k per student number. The rest comes from Md State and Federal grants.

The Natl avg for district contribution is around 40%.

Balt City secured some huge State and Federal grants through the 90's but the problem is these grants can be taken back or decreased at any time. Yet Balt City has grown dependent on the grants.

Democrat O'Malley earmarked something like 63 mil from the State's general operating budget to go to education for this year with Balt City receiving a lion share of approx 11 mil.

Problem - new republican gov Hogan was not bound by that 63 mil earmark from the States oper budget and pulled it back, as is his right.

Problem - it seems the balt city teachers union is a powerful group in long held democratic Balt City. In 2010 the teachers union secured a new deal in which teachers get huge raises if they meet certain requirements. raises to the tune of 15-20k per year. Well, certain teachers satisfied the requirements and now I assume make bank. disproportionate bank. The double edge sword is that its hard to criticize inner city school teachers or not appreciate them.

The school district when given money just lose account of it. i read they still keep their accounting books on paper. The balt City school district is currently facing an unprecedented 68 mil dollar deficit. they need to cut payroll, close down more schools and stuff more kids into already congested classrooms.

For some reason a huge grant to rebuild and remodel old schools in the district just disappeared as well. the money was to keep schools open and update but instead schools closed down during the time period.

-----------

short version - repub gov is going to close up all the disproportionate State grants that balt City has grown dependent on.

especially after mayor Rawlings-Blake keeps making open and public comments critical of him.


this does not end well for balt city but maybe it is what it needs to get its act together and learn how to budget a city. of course the property tax around 6% is already double every other county in maryland so they cant increase prop tax any higher or more tax payers will just move out.

they already reluctantly give big companies tax breaks. do they offer a 0% tax break to lure new companies in and hope for trickle down economics?

what company wants their headquarters in downtown balt when the mayor allows a pedo pastor to shut down the city for the sole purpose of "disrupting business as usual'?

what company wants to have such an unreliable environment? to put their employees in harms way?

when the charges are dropped, does Pandora need to not do business for a week and lose millions?

downtown balt has become an unreliable business center imo.

Baltimore teachers took 96,653 sick, personal days last school year - EAGnews.org


So they have the ability to cash in sick/personal time as well? must be nice.

Public unions are scams. Police/Fire/Teachers etc...sucking down your tax dollars like a vacuum.

[over the mountain]

Originally Posted by Chico23231

Baltimore teachers took 96,653 sick, personal days last school year - EAGnews.org


So they have the ability to cash in sick/personal time as well? must be nice.

Public unions are scams. Police/Fire/Teachers etc...sucking down your tax dollars like a vacuum.

My brothers friend is a little over 40 and he is a retired firefighter getting over 100k per year for the rest of his life. He started when he was 17 as a vol in training or something. somehow getting a double pension. whole family are retired fire fighters.

hard to argue guys who run into fires to save the public dont deserve public money though. but to be retired and paid over 100k for the rest of your life and to be able to go work and do another job .... is a dream.

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

My brothers friend is a little over 40 and he is a retired firefighter getting over 100k per year for the rest of his life. He started when he was 17 as a vol in training or something. somehow getting a double pension. whole family are retired fire fighters.

hard to argue guys who run into fires to save the public dont deserve public money though. but to be retired and paid over 100k for the rest of your life and to be able to go work and do another job .... is a dream.

he's robbing the tax payers. Sorry, but thats terrible. I know/knew a couple fire fighters, that job is a dream

[HailGreen28]

Originally Posted by over the mountain

Hailgreen - i probably did a poor job of summarizing the article. here it is. a good read, seems to be well researched and vetted. i did leave out that in the 80s with the burbs super malls and what not change the shopping habits as well. before the canton crossing opening a few years ago with target and old navy, we could go to walmart in convington cove (near downtown) or drive to towson or white marsh to go big store shopping.

White flight decimated Baltimore businesses long before rioters showed up – Quartz

Sorry to hear about your situation. Hope you can find better accommodations, or dare I say, move to a nicer area without being accused of being racist.

Re: White flight decimated Baltimore businesses long before rioters showed up – Quartz

FFS, the article is worse than what I summarized. The title describes its argument well: "White flight decimated Baltimore businesses long before rioters showed up" Yes white flight is a racist act, but the article acknowledges there were valid economic reasons for the middle class to move. And does this mean the people who stayed in Baltimore are incapable of working and making something of themselves? Oh and the "white ladies in white gloves" are apparently still supervillians with their ability to cause economic devastation by... leaving. The last three paragraphs in particular are pathetic apologia for the rioters.

"For the first part of the 20th century, Baltimore built itself into a beacon of American industriousness and progress. But white Baltimore showed that it would rather tear the city apart than allow upwardly mobile African Americans to partake."

By leaving 25 years ago. Fiends!

"The death of Freddie Gray was a terrible thing. The incident must be thoroughly investigated, and any parties determined to have acted outside the law must be punished to the furthest extent of it, regardless of whether they carry a badge. But we must also recognize police brutality and racial profiling as fruits of a larger (rotten) tree."

I thought the rotten tree was the city political elite, as you and others have detailed, and sadly seems to be the case in lots of places to varying degrees. But the article doesn't mention that at all. The article only cites white racism, the steel industry drying up, and housing markups? (Predatory pricing is an issue, but redlining is keeping minorities out, not exploiting them. And block busting is LOWERING property values for existing white homeowners making them more affordable for minorities. It does hurt resale value. But this happened back in the 1970s and 1980s according to the article!). So.... guess the residents of Baltimore could do nothing for themselves since then? That's what this April 28, 2015 article implies.

"Because when we watch these events unfold on television screens or Twitter feeds, and ask ourselves, “Christ, how did it get this bad?” we should already know the answer."

Rich white people leaving, the steel industry's decline, a housing market whose decline mainly affected people reselling homes. Nevermind all of that of that is from the 70s and 80s. Not the 1990s, not the 2000s, not the 2010s. Oh, and police brutality today. Any answer except what residents of Baltimore (white and black) did the past 25 years, I guess. Pathetic.

Again, take care, dude. And hope a good opportunity opens up somewhere for you and yours.

[Hog1]

I don't think he can leave. Pretty sure that makes him a racist......