A tale of two cities

Baltimore was ablaze Monday night as rioting throngs in various parts of the city looted and battled with police. Violence occurred again Tuesday night.

The riots grew from protests over the death of a young African-American man while in police custody.

Local police were reinforced by area law enforcement, the state police and the national guard. Calls also went out for more firefighters. Rioters tried to destroy fire hoses as the firefighters fought blazes.

The governor declared a state of emergency and a curfew is now in place. Schools are closed.

The mayor of Baltimore has been roundly criticized for not acting strongly, swiftly or resolutely enough to prevent the damage and threats to life and property. Many deem her official response to the crisis as inappropriate, along with some of her words. The major criticism is that she did not bring enough force to bear on the rioters to control the situation early on.

Tuesday morning, soon after the riots quieted, another throng of citizens went into the streets. These worked to clean up the debris left by the riots and crowds, using their own brooms and shovels. Most were outraged over the destruction in their neighborhoods and commercial centers, calling for calm and decrying the violence.

Baltimore on Monday night and Baltimore on Tuesday morning could not have been more different. Looting mobs attacking the police were replaced by concerned citizens trying to mitigate the damage the others had caused. Some brought their children and grandchildren to the cleanup effort to show them by example what citizenship means.

Which Baltimore will win still remains to be seen.

Gordon Forgey

Publisher