Episode 34 - #OperationBaltimore or A Fire Sale at the CVS is a Gray Area

Another week, another minority unfortunately dies at the hands of our nations finest. Yes our boys in blue don't seem to be slowing their roll of murder and mayhem. The story is similar to others, yet the details and laws that aided in the mishandling are slightly different.

Young Freddie Gray wasn't shot in the back. Details about how roughed up he was at the time of arrest differ, but one detail of this case made the public cringe, if for nothing more than the fact that the police couldn't reveal, by statute, what had happened to this young man after being loaded into the paddy wagon, not to mention his original sin was making eye contact and possibly heading the other direction. 

After the police gave light chase, the apprehended him, restrained him with handcuffs, and caused enough pain that he was screaming in agony while being loaded into the wagon. They drove to the police precinct, and in that spat of time, Freddie's neck was 80% separated from his spine. They finally got him medical attention, where he slipped into a coma and passed away within a week. 

Police offered no explanation, and why should they, Maryland has a law enforcement bill of rights that grants cops 10 to get their stories straight.As is now routine, angry protests followed, at first peaceful, but as Baltimore is a powder keg of inequality and racial tension, it soon escalated into riots the likes of which haven't happened since the great riots of the 60s when MLK was assassinated. 

Is it finally time to address the underlying issues plaguing our society? What are they, and how to we appease the communities that are currently being disenfranchised by the symptoms of this divisive issue. The police are low hanging fruit in this grand problem. What is the root of it?