Surviving Capitalism (Not) : How Baltimore’s Police and Poverty Fueled A Youth Revolt

We’ve lived so long under the spell of hierarchy—from god-kings to feudal lords to party bosses—that only recently have we awakened to see not only that “regular” citizens have the capacity for self-governance, but that without their engagement our huge global crises cannot be addressed. The changes needed for human society simply to survive, let alone thrive, are so profound that the only way we will move toward them is if we ourselves, regular citizens, feel meaningful ownership of solutions through direct engagement. Our problems are too big, interrelated, and pervasive to yield to directives from on high.
—Frances Moore Lappé, excerpt from Time for Progressives to Grow Up

Friday, May 1, 2015

How Baltimore’s Police and Poverty Fueled A Youth Revolt

Click here to access article by Juan Thompson and George Joseph from The Intercept.

In order to understand the events that followed Gray’s killing — the fires, the looting, the clashes with police that occurred Saturday and Tuesday — one must first understand the relationship between the police and the poor, mostly black residents of this section of the city.

See also this article from The Intercept this article entitled "Maryland Legislator Discusses Taking Food Stamps From Parents of Protesting Youth".