Despite what you may have been told in the media, things in Baltimore are not exactly as they might seem.
http://www.rawstory.com/...
“We want to tell the people of the city right now, of Baltimore City, that the image that they’re trying to portray of the gangs in Baltimore — The BGF, The Bloods, The Crips — we did not make that truce to harm cops,” one gang member told WBAL-TV.
“We did not come together against the cops,” he said. “We’re not about to allow you all to paint this picture of us. We got soldiers out here right now that are dirty — we dirty. They threw bombs at us to try and stop what’s going on right now. You all are not about to do that to us.”
“They’re saying we’re animals and we’re acting like savages out here,” he said. “I don’t agree with what’s going on, but I can understand what’s going on. I understand why people are mad, so we got to handle things in another way.”
...
“We’ve been out here all day trying to prevent people from breaking the stores, (but) they hit us with a bomb, they burned my shirt, they ripped it and we were still standing right there, but we came right back there holding hands together and we march together, we’re still holding strong, and we want them to stop hurting us so we can just live our life and keep going,” another gang member said.
I have to say this set of young men, who openly admit to being Bloods and Pirus, are IMO astounding in their focus, their commitment, and their passion to do the
right thing despite the difficulties and challenges they face not just from police who as they tell it have been
instigators of conflict, but also from others in their community who threw bottles at them and shouted the n-word as they walked peacefully past.
They make a series of very vital points. Not everyone is united. Not everyone is acting with the same motivation or the same sense of common spirit. Yes, there are bad actors and selfish opportunists among the crowd, but you can't just trust what [most of] the media tells you.
If you can watch this interview, watch it, share it, make note of it.
Let me also add a second video from another unlikely source. Fox & Friends with Dr. Phil McGraw as they also discuss Baltimore and Phil actually Schools Not-Steve Doocy on the fact that many of the people protesting have. a . legitimate. point.
http://www.rawstory.com/...
“This is like the fourth major inner city uprising, and we keep saying where’s the character, where are the parents, where’s the opportunity, where are the role models?” Kilmeade declared. “How long are we going to keep saying, ‘Where are they and what can be done to change this?’ Because those kids have the same potential as your kids and our kids.”
“I’m not sure that’s true,” McGraw replied. “They may have the same potential, but I’m not sure they have the same opportunities because the fact is the school system is not necessarily the same, the resources are not necessarily the same, the leadership that they have from the parents because of the generational pass-throughs are not the same. There’s no question that they have a steep hill and a tough row to hoe.”
But he also agreed that people were not solving problems by rioting.
“How much better would this be if they did what the 300 Men March was trying to be, show solidarity in a peaceful way, and say, ‘We are not moving until people pay attention to this,'” McGraw remarked. “Instead of showing what is easily criticized and put down.”
Phil goes on and does make several good points, the funny thing is that in the end the people he's says are missing - the ones who need to be willing to stand in solidarity and non-violence - are the Bloods who were in the previous video I posted.
Ain't that something?
How much could change, how much could get better if more and more people saw and heard what these young men had to say, particularly considering exactly who they admit to being?
"Potential". Sometimes the meaning of that word gets lost. It's not about where you are currently, it's about just have far have the ability to go if you have the will and the vision to begin making the journey. And there's a long, long way both the people of the community, and the police, have yet to go.
Vyan