Remember the Baltimore riots, the attacks on police officers and their cruisers? Over the summer, I noted that the businesses that were damaged or destroyed during the 2015 riots were suing the city and police department for failing to protect their property.
Baltimore residents are now blaming the lower police presence for the increased crime rates in Baltimore.
For the third year in a row, Baltimore, Md., has had more than 300 murders, reaching a new record of murders per number of residents in 2017.Some residents attribute the high murder rate to relaxed police patrols in the city following high-profile cases of police brutality. Officers have backed off in neighborhoods, like the one where Freddie Gray was arrested.The Rev. Kinji Scott, a pastor in Baltimore who’s held positions in local city government, says the opposite needs to happen.”We wanted the police there,” Scott says. “We wanted them engaged in the community. We didn’t want them beating the hell out of us, we didn’t want that.”
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