Jesus Christ, Baltimore....

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:In before people start posting how great and awesome and safe Baltimore is.

Unfortunately it is a dirty, corrupt and dangerous city (with a few small neighborhoods that are a little nice).

It IS an awesome city, in fact, more dangerous than DC, for sure, but there are a bunch of decent sized neighborhoods that are great, and also some neighborhoods that don't appeal to the DCUM demographic that are not that bad.

It does have a big problem with its police culture, which is what the WaPo article is about.

In some ways this is a positive. It shows that IF police culture can be changed, then the current state of alienation between AA residents and the police need not last, and crime can be better addressed. Baltimore need not be "written off" as some here are inclined to do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what the solution is, but I feel like they need to do something drastic to get kids from growing up in these areas and turning out poorly. Kids just can't escape and it's a bad cycle.

The total AA population of Baltimore has been declining since the mid 90s. For most of that time the percent AA was increasing, but that was more than offset by the decline in the total population. That means more AA families are raising their kids elsewhere (mostly in Baltimore County I guess) which likely is a benefit to them. This kind of change is seldom noted in all the bad news stories. Its logical though - if a poor family gets their s**t together, they are not going to stay in the city, so looking at the city you won't see the positive changes in families.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what the solution is, but I feel like they need to do something drastic to get kids from growing up in these areas and turning out poorly. Kids just can't escape and it's a bad cycle.

The total AA population of Baltimore has been declining since the mid 90s. For most of that time the percent AA was increasing, but that was more than offset by the decline in the total population. That means more AA families are raising their kids elsewhere (mostly in Baltimore County I guess) which likely is a benefit to them. This kind of change is seldom noted in all the bad news stories. Its logical though - if a poor family gets their s**t together, they are not going to stay in the city, so looking at the city you won't see the positive changes in families.

I feel like you are equating being poor to being troubled. Those poor kids in Baltimore have just as much of a chance to become a doctor or lawyer than the kids in the surrounding suburbs. Being poor isn't the problem.

[Anonymous]

A few days ago there was an article online about Philadelphia being called 'heroin hub'. They showed handfuls of people on several street corners and under overpasses passed out on top of each other with needles in their hands.

[Anonymous]

Democrat utopia.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:A few days ago there was an article online about Philadelphia being called 'heroin hub'. They showed handfuls of people on several street corners and under overpasses passed out on top of each other with needles in their hands.

here's the article I was referring to:

https://nypost.com/2018/01/26/inside-philadelphias-heroin-hub/slide-1/

[Anonymous]

Democrat utopia.

Many of the deep seated problems in baltimore are the product of Institutionalized segregation with redlining of districts, one of the first places in the country to do so. white flight and suburbinztion in the 1950s, a criminal justice system that has totally failed (punish drug users with jail), slashes to housing and school budgets, predatory lending leading to massive foreclosures etc.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what the solution is, but I feel like they need to do something drastic to get kids from growing up in these areas and turning out poorly. Kids just can't escape and it's a bad cycle.

The total AA population of Baltimore has been declining since the mid 90s. For most of that time the percent AA was increasing, but that was more than offset by the decline in the total population. That means more AA families are raising their kids elsewhere (mostly in Baltimore County I guess) which likely is a benefit to them. This kind of change is seldom noted in all the bad news stories. Its logical though - if a poor family gets their s**t together, they are not going to stay in the city, so looking at the city you won't see the positive changes in families.

I feel like you are equating being poor to being troubled. Those poor kids in Baltimore have just as much of a chance to become a doctor or lawyer than the kids in the surrounding suburbs. Being poor isn't the problem.

What do you think the problem is?

I think most of the poor households in Baltimore are single parent families (whether due to mass incarceration and structural racism, or to culture, or whatever does not matter much IMO) and the kids are exposed to an environment that creates despair, discourages school attendance, learning, good habits, etc. By getting their s**t together I mean the family overcomes the obstacles - two parents stay together OR one manages to get a decent job and make some $$, through virtue OR luck OR a social program (again, for my point it does not matter which) and then having gotten some resources together they will move to the County. Where their kids will have better schools, and likely a better environment generally. But that shift will not be visible to those who focus on and decry violence and social dysfunction in they City, and ignore that the City is part of a larger system, for both good and ill.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:PSA: use incognito mode in chrome for WaPo

Or, you know, pay for the paper. It's an old fashioned idea but still works.

Pay for news? LOL

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm beginning to think "The Wire" was aspirational.

I think I love you

[Anonymous]

Sounds like HBO could make another season of The Wire from this story line alone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what the solution is, but I feel like they need to do something drastic to get kids from growing up in these areas and turning out poorly. Kids just can't escape and it's a bad cycle.

BS.

You hold parents and guardians responsible and take mandatory parenting classes then you deal with juvenile crime with more than a little slap on the wrist.

You made them, you deal with them or the real justice system will.

Being poor is no excuse to be a criminal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what the solution is, but I feel like they need to do something drastic to get kids from growing up in these areas and turning out poorly. Kids just can't escape and it's a bad cycle.

BS.

You hold parents and guardians responsible and take mandatory parenting classes then you deal with juvenile crime with more than a little slap on the wrist.

You made them, you deal with them or the real justice system will.

Being poor is no excuse to be a criminal.

really, MORE incarceration is clearly needed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't even know what the solution is, but I feel like they need to do something drastic to get kids from growing up in these areas and turning out poorly. Kids just can't escape and it's a bad cycle.

BS.

You hold parents and guardians responsible and take mandatory parenting classes then you deal with juvenile crime with more than a little slap on the wrist.

You made them, you deal with them or the real justice system will.

Being poor is no excuse to be a criminal.

I'm not understanding how this applies to the original post.
Eight members of the elite Gun Trace Task Force were charged with crimes ranging from racketeering to robbery...
The supervisor of the unit instructed officers to carry a toy gun just in case they found themselves “in a jam” and needed to plant one...
The cops are the criminals here - how the hell y'all get to chastising kids and parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:A few days ago there was an article online about Philadelphia being called 'heroin hub'. They showed handfuls of people on several street corners and under overpasses passed out on top of each other with needles in their hands.

here's the article I was referring to:

https://nypost.com/2018/01/26/inside-philadelphias-heroin-hub/slide-1/

You know they are not the same place, right?