Baltimore — Page 2

When nonviolence is preached as an attempt to evade the repercussions of political brutality, it betrays itself. When nonviolence begins halfway through the war with the aggressor calling time out, it exposes itself as a ruse. When nonviolence is preached by the representatives of the state, while the state doles out heaps of violence to its citizens, it reveals itself to be a con. And none of this can mean that rioting or violence is "correct" or "wise," any more than a forest fire can be "correct" or "wise." Wisdom isn't the point tonight. Disrespect is. In this case, disrespect for the hollow law and failed order that so regularly disrespects the community. -- TA-NEHISI COATES, APR 27, 2015

Also, when neocon libertarians who call themselves centrists argue from every contradictory angle, NOTHING is being added to the discussion.

Updated On: 4/28/15 at 11:46 AM

Baltimore’s violent protesters are right: Smashing police cars is a legitimate political strategy

"The political goals of rioters in Baltimore are not unclear—just as they were not unclear when poor, Black people rioted in Ferguson last fall. When the free market, real estate, the elected government, the legal system have all shown you they are not going to protect you—in fact, that they are the sources of the greatest violence you face—then political action becomes about stopping the machine that is trying to kill you, even if only for a moment, getting the boot off your neck, even if it only allows you a second of air. This is exactly what blocking off streets, disrupting white consumerism, and destroying state property are designed to do."

"And while I don’t believe that every protester involved in attacking police cars and corporate storefronts had the same philosophy, or did what they did for the same reasons, it cannot be discounted that when there is a larger national outcry in defense of plate-glass windows and car doors than for Black young people, a point is being made. When there is more concern for white sports fans in the vicinity of a riot than the Black people facing off with police, there is mounting justification for the rage and pain of Black communities in this country."

I'm not sure how I feel about this article but it definitely gave me things to think about. Especially these two paragraphs.

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I will say in regards to riots and destruction of property, while it's not something anyone likes per se, it's not as if it doesn't work. If the Stonewall riots didn't turn into something violent, would anything have come from them? Or the Boston Tea Party, for that matter? I think it's very easy to condemn violence, because we're told violence is always wrong. But in this case, I think the root problem of the violence, which is institutionalized racism, is really what needs to be examined, but that's something (as Phyllis rightly pointed out) that's no one wants to discuss.

Updated On: 4/28/15 at 01:10 PM

Where did I ever say that the storeowners don't matter? The point is, I'm much more concerned about the repeated and well documented cases of racism and brutality by the Baltimore police than I am about some broken windows. The windows can be replaced, but Freddie Gray is dead as a result of a corrupt system and he can't be brought back.

"The problem is that these individuals, who are now being "protected" with nonsensical articles from Salon and the like, arenot protestors or activists; they're opportunisticcriminals."

Something tells me you know absolutely nothing about the kids who were rioting yesterday or the conditions they endure on a daily basis.

How did the 'band make it to its late-30s without know it's "protesters".

I think we all agree on that S.FL

I'm 53 now and when I was a kid the hard workers always made it. Now it just dosen't seem to matter as much. We arrest the poor, take away their voting rights, keep them poorer while we merrily roll along. Poor kids from poor neighborhoods, this has been getting worse for 40 years. The fact that almost 90% of Ferguson cops were white while the population was 90% African American, and the same can be said for so many police forces is a root cause of this problem.