Baltimore Riot Response

I chose to comment on Jacob Ybarra’s “Thoughts on theBaltimore Riots” post because I really liked a couple of his thoughts and I would like to add some of my own.

What really stuck out to me from Jacob’s post was that “peaceful protests…need more coverage”.  It’s becoming more and more apparent to me that news is not a public service and is nothing more than a ratings grab. I think this country could benefit immensely from shifting coverage to talking about the issue at hand while showing peaceful protests rather than focusing on the burning destruction.

I also agree that this is a cry for progress. Not all cities are as wonderful and accepting as Austin. I know there is still vast bigotry across the country. Equal rights and social justice is a fight we should all get behind. I believe it was Martin Luther King Jr. that said “rioting is the language of the unheard”. While I believe that to be true, I just think that the riots happening today really take away from the conversation that should be happening, no thanks to modern media.

I would like to stick up for law enforcement though.  Just like any profession, there’s going to be some bad apples and those should be dealt with accordingly. I don’t think it’s fair to group all police into a category of brutality and discrimination. I truly believe that the majority of police officers do great work. I think they risk their life every day to do their job and to protect and help citizens. And I think their job is getting harder because of the negative attention they are getting from the media. I think the idea of body cameras on officers is a great idea, as it can protect both citizens and officers.