I am hurt over the destruction that is occurring in Baltimore. We have to be an advocate for change and nothing comes from rioting. I understand the injustices that occur in our community. I am a black woman raising a black son, but to sit here and destroy your community serves no purpose. I will not co-sign with someone who says it’s anger manifested and it serves a purpose. It does not. Because those same folks are sitting at home typing on their computers unaffected. They are not going to bring their happy butts down to Baltimore to clean up what you messed up. Stop fooling yourself.
I grew up poor. I’m not rich. Just because I don’t live in Baltimore doesn’t mean that I can’t empathize with your struggle, but burning down your community is not the answer. Haven’t we learned from the Detroit Riots, Rodney King Riots, Newark Riots and Watts Riots? What happens? The same issues you are supposedly fighting against still continue only you’ve brought down your property value and oops, no one vacations in Detroit. Money is lost. Everything in America is about economics. Will the 16 CVS stores that suffered reopen in the affected neighborhoods? Maybe or maybe not. What if they make a decision not to reopen? How will residents get their prescriptions? Not just the young people, but the elderly who walk to their local CVS? To assume people have insurance to rebuild, buy another car or fix their property damages in an already dilapidated area is to assume from the comfort of your home that they may not truly be poor. Because a lot of poor people are in essence “riding dirty” and don’t have insurance.
People know better which is why I support the mother that whooped her son’s butt. I’m a mother. I didn’t raise you like this. Read a book and learn from our history. Are you a rioter or are you a social agent for change?
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A Thomas Point of View 
Though I don’t believe rioting, destruction of property, and violence is the answer to the angry, hurt, citizens of Baltimore…I do believe that everything serves it’s purpose.
You know there were whites and blacks protesting and rioting. And people with authority will always abuse it, especially the police.
The people in Baltimore are not rioting to change their situation, they are doing it to show their strength.
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I agree that those in power will always abuse it. Not just the police officers, but the elected politicians. I live 40 minutes away outside of DC and I’ve seen the abandoned row houses, know the poverty levels, know the statistics on teenage births and literacy in that city, have smelled the scent of helplessness in certain areas, but the destruction of your own neighborhood doesn’t show the strength of a people. Why not destroy the Baltimore Harbor? Because deep inside they weren’t that angry because they would have been shot with tear gas and stun guns. Black people continue to destroy the neighborhood in which they live. No one will rebuild and in a couple of years some wealthy businessman will come in and buy up the land and rehab it and the place you called home will be gone because you will be pushed out. I don’t believe rioting on any level serves a purpose whether black or white when it seeks to destroy where you live. Not just in Baltimore, but at the University of Maryland campus where I attended college and they rioted after losing a basketball game.There has to be a better way.
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Yes there are better ways to respond to feel hurt. It’s definitely not intelligent to riot to all people. But it does serve a purpose. It gets the attention of the world. I’m not for the riots, but I’m inwardly happy they did it (man’s perspective)😏.
But overall I think something positive will come from it. For one thing I think it’s going to cause some young black leaders to be recognized and respected, because of how they responded to it.
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