To make clear, O'Malley's term as mayor saw a sharp decline in the numbers of police shootings
Last edited Sun Jul 19, 2015, 10:52 AM - Edit history (1)
...yes, he had an issue with arrests for petty crimes, but there's no evidence that was accompanied by an increase in police brutality. In fact, his police dept. changed the way incidents of police misconduct was reported and handled by establishing an active review board and a hotline for reporting police abuse or misconduct. Under his term there were over 100 'reverse integrity' stings of police conducted a year. They fully staffed the civilian review board including detectives on the board to investigate claims against police. They used technology to flag abusive officers who racked up complaints.
Also the numbers of arrests is skewed because it reflects repeat offenders, not new cases. What was happening during his term was an effort to clear the open-air drug markets which had been plaguing black majority neighborhoods. As O'Malley said in a response today, if those had been white-majority communities, there would be no question of the swift and thorough response to drug-related crime and violence which threatened and cost black lives, many young black lives. I think he's correct in estimating that at least 1000 black lives were actually saved by his police dept.'s focus on responding to and acting on the drug activity which was running rampant in Baltimore when he took office. The city had record deaths and record violent crime when he took office which saw a sharp reduction during his terms as mayor. During his time as governor, recidivism was cut significantly, and incarceration rates were actually REDUCED in his terms to 20 year lows; and voting rights were restored to 52,000 individuals with felonies.
That was a direct result of not only the heightened attention by the police to that drug activity, but also a result of a community policing effort, policing the police with increased accountability for police abuses, and a massive drug-treatment program which recovered many black lives in those communities.
He also closed the most violent prison in the city, ended the death penalty, signed decriminalization of small amounts of pot into law, and actually brought incarceration rates down during his stay in office. That says 'black lives matter,' at least to those black lives which were granted safe streets, prevention of violent crimes and killings and other opportunities to improve on their way of life. I've lived in Maryland for 45 years. These issues aren't just an abstraction to me, and neither are they to other members of the black community who are affected by these issues.
Those communities, not coincidentally voted repeatedly for Martin O'Malley in overwhelming numbers throughout his several, successive roles serving in public service in Maryland. That's as much of an endorsement of his efforts as anything anyone wants to portray in terms of black support.
= new reply since forum marked as read
West Baltimore rep. Jill Carter discusses the roots of her city’s troubled history with police violence.
There were a lot of people in the community, older people especially, who believed that, “Well, it's a good thing. We need to lock up these criminals.” But over time I've noticed a complete change because of the devastation that it's had on people. It's destroyed the ability of many young people to even lead productive lives. Because once that arrest record is there, many people believe, “Oh, it's just a conviction.” But actually no, it's an arrest record, as well, that employers don't really wait to see what the result is. They just say, “OK, you're charged with this crime, and we can find someone else.” The problem is that in Baltimore City, it's becoming more and more difficult to find anyone whatsoever under certain ages and zip codes that doesn't have a criminal record.
Martin O'Malley was not just wrong, but savagely wrong on criminal justice issues.
Thank you for saying this.
I have had a very hard time trying to express myself on this issue. I sincerely don't want to sound dismissive about the people of Baltimore and you clarified it in a way that I have not been able to.
Thank you.
Signed,
your neighbor over on the other side of the Potomac.
thanks for kicking up my thread
____From articles predicting the death of his nascent campaign; to former officials and past community leaders (some disgraced, some convicted); to fictional television personalities and pundits; O'Malley faced an aggressive push to envelop him in a myriad of mishaps and missteps from his past terms as mayor of Baltimore and governor of Maryland.
O'Malley responded to the wave of orchestrated (and manufactured) controversy by traveling to his old governing ground in Baltimore and facing critics, hecklers, and questions head-on. He managed it all with his characteristically unflappable, appealing, and engaging style.
On Tuesday, O'Malley walked into a West Baltimore community meeting and mingled and marched outside afterward with protesters. In the process he was able to connect with some of the familiar elements of his former community in which he had played a prominent role in aiding and providing a positive influence.
Peter Crispino @PeterCrispino
O'Malley in prayer circle outside Simmons Memorial Baptist
Katie Wall @NBCKatie
O'Malley comforting church members at the burned down senior center in East Baltimore.
On Wednesday, O'Malley went to a food giveaway at the St. Peter Claver parish hall in northwest Baltimore's Sandtown neighborhood, lifting pallets of food and water, and packaged food to be collected by people whose local Save-A-Lot and CVS has been looted in the midst of the Baltimore uprising.
daveweigel @daveweigel
...No riot.
https://twitter.com/daveweigel/status/593487815494729728
Throughout it all, O'Malley conducted almost a dozen prominent interviews in which he confronted and answered the questions swirling around his visit about his past performance in office and produced some extremely eloquent commentary about the present demonstration for justice in Baltimore, even as he defiantly pushed back criticism of his efforts to reduce crime as mayor of the troubled community from 1999 to 2006.
Several reports also highlighted his presence in Baltimore and praised him for his efforts. He was, after all, the ONLY potential presidential candidate to bother to visit the community.
...examples:
lapared @lapared · Apr 29
Martin O'Malley takes a walk through Baltimore and shows real leadership via Daily Kos - http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/04/29/1381092/-O-Malley-Takes-A-Walk-Through-Baltimore …
Lis Smith @Lis_Smith · Apr 29
Imagine what politics would look like if more pols showed the chops that @GovernorOMalley did yesterday http://www.nytimes.com/politics/first-draft/2015/04/28/martin-omalley-takes-a-walking-tour-of-an-angry-baltimore/ …
Boyd Brown @HBoydBrown · Apr 29
Great read on "Citizen O'Malley" volunteering and leading in his hometown. http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-04-29/martin-o-malley-baltimore-s-prodigal-mayor-gets-to-work …
Patrick Mellody @OneMellody · 11h 11 hours ago
...A must read from a true Baltimorer. GovernorOMalley: We Are Capable of More http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gov-martin-omalley/we-are-capable-of-more_b_7179780.html …”
Theodore M. Jamison @tmj4ever · 10h 10 hours ago
This is why I like Martin O'Malley: He tells it like it is. http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/politics/blog/bal-omalley-its-not-just-policing-20150430-story.html …
Jake Tapper @jaketapper · 5h 5 hours ago
Exclusive: @GovernorOMalley defends #Baltimore record in an interview http://cnn.it/1JEyiRM #TheLead
...despite all of the attempts to put a negative spin on this week for Martin O'Malley, the controversy provided him widespread exposure, and an excellent opportunity for him to demonstrate his character under fire. I think he came through it all (still ongoing?) actually elevating his stature and going a long way in establishing his unique, people-oriented brand of politics and calm, steady leadership in a fantastic preview of his expected campaign.
Chris Dickens reads Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland and the former mayor of Baltimore, the names of people Mr. Dickens said had been brutalized by the police. photo/ Jason Horowitz
Activists Crash O'Malley Announcement: 'He Must Atone' For Zero Tolerance Policing
“The unrest and the unlawful police practices stem from O’Malley’s zero tolerance policies,” Kenny said. “His zero tolerance policies were ineffective, period.”
#blackLivesMatter protesters disturb Martin O'Malley rally
http://thinkprogress.org/election/2015/05/30/3664429/omalley-baltimore/
========================
Back in Baltimore, Martin O’Malley is heckled, and could face political fallout
O’Malley (D), who is preparing to launch a White House bid, waded into a crowd near the burned-out shell of a CVS pharmacy that was destroyed and looted Monday night. He was confronted by two men on motorcycles who shouted expletives and blamed the recent violence in the city on O’Malley’s tough-on-crime policies from 1999 to 2007.
...
In his travels to early nominating states, O’Malley has described Baltimore to Democratic audiences as a down-on-its-luck city that came to believe in its potential again while he was mayor. He has trumpeted progress made during his tenure, including a steep drop in violent crime, which is attributed in part to a zero-tolerance approach that led to a sharp increase in arrests.
The mayhem that broke out Monday following the funeral of Freddie Gray — who died after being injured in police custody — complicates that narrative. And the unrest has given critics of O’Malley’s aggressive policing strategy a fresh platform to blame him for some of the deep-seated mistrust between the city’s police and the poor communities, more than eight years after he left the mayor’s office.
O'Malleys Baltimore Protest Visit Backfires
Martin O’Malley Visits Baltimore Protest, Unintentionally Highlights His Controversial Policing Policy
...
While O'Malley is reportedly hoping to run to the left of Hillary Clinton, Politico notes that on crime he was "more Michael Bloomberg than Bill de Blasio." During his time as mayor O'Malley implemented a "zero tolerance" approach to policing and saw a dramatic reduction in crime. However, in 2010 the city paid $870,000 to settle a suit alleging that Baltimore police arrested thousands of people without probable cause during O'Malley's tenure.
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2015/04/omalleys-baltimore-protest-visit-backfires.html
Gene Demby @GeeDee215 · 42m 42 minutes ago
Martin O'Malley just (apparently unexpectedly) walked into the community meeting here at an elementary school in West Baltimore.
Courtney Bettle @BettleCourtney · 33m 33 minutes ago
District7 mtg at Matthew Henson Elm schl w @prezjackyoung @councilmanmosby @GovernorOMalley
Gene Demby @GeeDee215 · 29m 29 minutes ago
O'Malley said he was overseas, but came home when he saw what was happening. To crowd: "I just want to thank you for loving this city."
Peter Crispino @PeterCrispino · 31m 31 minutes ago
O'Malley in prayer circle outside Simmons Memorial Baptist
Lis Smith ?@Lis_Smith 2m2 minutes ago
Praying for the safety of Baltimore @GovernorOMalley
Peter Crispino @PeterCrispino
O'Malley appears to be by himself. No aides or security or anything. Now walking to join the main protest.
Cam Thompson WNEW @CamThompsonWNEW · 16m 16 minutes ago
Former Maryland Gov. O'Malley at Pennsylvania and North
Marcus Washington @WJZMarcus · 13m 13 minutes ago
#WJZ NOW: Martin O'Malley with East Baltimore pastor assessing the damage done in riot. @cbsbaltimore
Katie Wall @NBCKatie · 5m 5 minutes ago
Just spotted: Martin O'Malley comforting church members at the burned down senior center in East Baltimore.
AP Photo/Matt Rourke
Chris Dickens reads Martin O'Malley, the former governor of Maryland and the former mayor of Baltimore, the names of people Mr. Dickens said had been brutalized by the police. Credit Jason Horowitz
NYT:
...a couple yards closer to the intersection, a young man named Chris Dickens read to Mr. O’Malley a list of young black men who he said had been victims of police brutality. “I’ve heard of them all,” Mr. O’Malley said. “I think it’s tragic and I think we all need to search for a deeper and better understanding. ...I buried 10 police officers too, half of them were black and half of them were white.”
Next came Ernest Taylor, who thanked Mr. O’Malley for getting him off drugs through a government prison program. “Ah, good man,” Mr. O’Malley said. “Say that again. Give me a big hug.”
When a reporter asked about some of the criticism he had encountered on the street, the potential presidential candidate said: “Most of the people have been very nice to me. It’s actually — you’ve got to be present in the middle of the pain, man. Everyone’s needed right now in our city.”
All of us who love Baltimore have experienced a week of profound sadness and tears.
The images of these last days are now seared into our collective memory as a people -- a new senior citizen center engulfed in flames, a new drugstore burning. Small neighborhood grocery stores looted and burning. Police cars and neighbors' cars vandalized and burning.
Perhaps many of us, for the first time, felt a sense of the constant state of vulnerability that so many of our black neighbors must feel every day, and feel especially for their sons growing up in the United States of America today.
The burning anger in the heart of our city -- broadcast around the world -- reminded all of us of a hard truth. It is a truth we must face as a nation. Because it is a truth that threatens our children's future. It is the reality that eats away at the heart of America and the very survival of the American Dream we share.
The hard, truthful reality is this: growing numbers of our fellow citizens in American cities across the United States feel unheard, unseen, unrecognized -- their very lives un-needed.
This is not just about policing in America. This is about everything it is supposed to mean to be an American.
As Dr. Martin Luther King once said, "a riot is the language of the unheard." And, this week the people of our city and our entire country were forced to listen.
Listen to the anger of young American men who are growing into adulthood with grim prospects of survival and even lesser prospects of success.
Listen to the fears of young men with little hope of a finding a summer job, let alone, a job that might one day support a family.
Listen to the silent scream within the vacant hearts of young American boys who feel that America has forgotten them, that America doesn't care about them, that America wishes not to look at them, that America wishes they would go away or be locked away.
Surely this cannot be the enduring legacy of the birthplace of the Star Spangled Banner.
Surely this is not what has become of the land of the free and the home of the brave.
Surely we are capable of more as a nation.
Justice must be done in investigating the tragic death of Mr. Freddie Gray. His family deserves our deepest sympathy and respect for their loss, and our admiration for their courage in calling us, as a city, to act as our better selves. Our mayor, our police chief, and our states' attorney -- all of whom happen to be black -- are committed to the open and transparent pursuit of justice.
Mr. Gray's case was not the first police-involved death in our city, or our country. Sadly, we know his will not be the last. Every loss of life demands that we seek answers, justice, and a better understanding for the future.
We must continue to work constantly to improve policing and the way we police our police. Public trust is essential to public safety. Public trust is essential for officer safety. Enlightened police chiefs across our country understand this.
Let's talk about policing and public safety. Let's debate what works and what does not. We must abandon practices that do not work, and do more of the things that actually do work to save lives.
Let's expand drug treatment and find smarter ways to protect society from repeat violent offenders while incarcerating fewer of our citizens.
Let's do more of the things like body cameras, and the timely and standard reporting of police-involved shootings, excessive force, and discourtesy complaints so that we can improve public trust for public safety.
But make no mistake about it, the anger that we have seen in Ferguson, in Cleveland, in Staten Island, in North Charleston, and in the flames of Baltimore is not just about policing.
It is about the legacy of race that would have us devalue black lives -- whether their death is caused by a police officer or at the hand of another young black man.
It is about declining wages and the lack of opportunity in our country today.
It is about the brutality of an economic system that devalues human labor, human potential, and human lives.
It is about the lie that we make of the American Dream when we put the needs of the most powerful wealthy few ahead of the well-being of our nation's many.
Extreme poverty is extremely dangerous.
This is not just about policing. Not just about race.
It is about the country we are allowing ourselves to become and the affront it is to the country we are meant to be.
Our belief as a nation commits us to "liberty and justice for all." Now is the time -- for the sake of all of our children -- to reform our ways and start living up to that creed again.
This is not too much to expect of one another. This is not much to ask of one another. We are Americans and we are still capable of re-making our future. And this generation of Americans still has time to be called great.
But only our actions can save us.
Only our actions going forward can heal the wounded-ness we all must now feel.
We must believe in one another again.
If we believe together, we have the ability to listen to one another, and to hear each other, and to better understand one another and the powerful truths that unite us.
We are still capable of acting like the compassionate, and generous, and caring people our grandparents expected us to become and that our children need for us to be.
For, surely, there is no such thing as a spare American.
thanks for the kick
Baltimore Scapegoat
July 13, 2015 — It’s a time-worn tactic employed by floundering elected officials: When criticism builds to the point that your career is at risk, find a scapegoat and blame him for all that’s gone wrong.
Anthony Batts, Baltimore’s recently fired police commissioner, became beleaguered Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake’s scapegoat.
Like author Lewis Carroll’s Queen of Hearts, Rawlings-Blake screamed, “Off with his head” to deflect the growing crescendo of dissatisfaction with her handling of Baltimore’s unprecedented crime and violence.
Here’s what she conveyed in her sudden dismissal of the police commissioner: None of this is my fault; Batts is to blame.
So now Batts is out of a job after three years of trying to get a handle on Charm City’s growing epidemic of shootings, drug-related crime and gang violence. Surely Batts’ removal will make all those gruesome homicides go away.
Fat chance.
http://politicalmaryland.com/2015/07/13/baltimore-scapegoat/
The dispute between Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Governor Martin O'Malley over crime in Baltimore City is escalating.
O'Malley doesn't name Mayor Rawlings-Blake or Commission Anthony Batts, but in a Baltimore Sun op-ed he does say compared to when he was mayor there are fewer arrests and there's more crime.
"Homicides are going up for the second year in a row, and shootings are up year to date," O'Malley writes.
"Why? I believe it has to do with the fact that enforcement levels and police response have fallen to 13-year lows. "
http://www.wbal.com/article/102942/21/Rawlings-Blake-Has-Honest-Disagreement-With-OMalley-On-Crime
Maryland Gov. Martin O'Malley, left, and Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake in Baltimore, Friday, May 17, 2013
