Well done editorial cartoon. Freddie Grey also suffered a cardiac arrest. So you could also show a broken heart at the inequity of justice in this country. Bankers get off for bringing down the economy.“She also said a switchblade that officers accused Gray of carrying illegally was a legal pocket knife. "http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/baltimore-unrest/freddie-gray-n351881
The case in question here is a specific case, and I have no doubt that the officers in question will be severely punished if found guilty of the wrong handling of this criminal. And that is as it should be. And yes, his record certainly shows that he was a criminal, and I am certain his victims were mostly black people.
The problem that I have here is the continual condemning of the police in this country in general,, which seems to have become a national pass time. Perhaps, at least some of the more vociferous of such complainers should be made to have to ride along with the police in their cars as they try to keep at least some order in some of the high crime areas of our cities!
While I am not known to be an ultra conservative (or perhaps even just an ordinary conservative) on this site, and I also believe know this to be a somewhat conservative position. But, I also believe it to be a reasonable and moderate civilized position at the same time!
Perhaps, some ideas that would help would be more cameras mounted upon not only the police cars, but even the police themselves. Another idea might be the hiring of more ethnic police to police these ethnic areas. This would hopefully result in not only more sympathetic community policing, but even help to reduce the high unemployment in such areas as well. Just ideas and recommendations, and perhaps there are other reasonable ideas as well.
But, just disrespecting the police (and by inference the law-and-order systems of our country) seems to be only resulting in more riots and crime upon even the better people of these communities, and that is very sad to me at least!!
You give yourself away right at the start: “this criminal”? Whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty”? Or is that not in your concept of “law”?
Are all of the commentators on GoComics really “mob justice” fanatics? This cartoon is appalling. NO ONE knows what happened to Freddie Gray, and it certainly isn’t anything worth rioting over before anyone does know what happened. Justice? Freddie Gray has had over twenty run-ins with the law, at least. He is not some poor, innocent angel….maybe we ought to wait more than a week after his mysterious death to burn the city down, eh?
Good Grief! I make a general statement about all of this continuing knocking about of the thin blue line that generally (and admittedly not always, but far more than the average citizen has a right to even expect) of our police, where they do at least 95% of the time a job than most of us would not want at any wage, and I get jumped upon by most of the posters here!
Perhaps, we deserve to have that thin blue line broken, and the criminals that these men (and now women as well, black and white also) have to deal with on a regular basis every day of their working lives, just take over. Wouldn’t that be a hoot! Heck, I doubt very much if there would then be enough civilization left to even allow us to communicate on this site at all!
Heck, I even add reasonable suggestions of what to do about the bad policing that does occur (even though some of these ideas are relatively liberal) such as community policing by men and women from the very ethnic communities themselves. Or increased use of surveillance cameras by individual police. These are ideas that I believe would go a long way towards eliminating the very problems of bad police work that evidently occurred in this case!
Does ANYBODY else here actually have anything constructive to add? Or even dispute my own ideas, fine, then go ahead and let us have a constructive discussion here.
Dear God, how I sometimes dislike and regret the kind of attitudes (in both liberal and conservative extremes) that I daily see going on here. Everybody always seems to only be interested in their own particular ideology, and nobody actually seems to be even slightly interested in solving any of the problems not only facing our own great country, but even our very civilization at all!
And how about when I mention sympathy for the good law abiding, and hard working black citizens of this great American city, that had to see hoodlums (many from outside their own areas) burn down the fruits of their long time hard work. Even future black citizens, such as the elderly who could have occupied those 60 apartments for them that were burned down in this despicable rioting!
Peaceful protesting is guaranteed to every American, regardless of race by our constitution itself. But, NOBODY (regardless of race, religion, or other cause), at ANY TIME, has the rite, for ANY cause to such violent rioting! Do we really want to go the route of the great Roman civilization, and be only a foot note in the future history of this sorry world! I would like to think NOT!!!
So, how about a reasonable and civil discussion of just how to eliminate this bad policing that everybody is now talking about?
Oh, and forget the links for once, are we not capable of our own thinking? After all, you can Google to find links to support any position at any time, but actually thinking for ones self, now that takes some time does it not? So, I will now get off of the soap box, that I do not usually get upon, and wish you all a very Great Day!!
I did not say Gray deserved to die for his numerous run-ins, only that his record is such that confrontations with the law are inevitable and that the arrest did not happen in a vacuum. Mr. Gray had an active warrant out for his arrest at least as recently as one month before this incident, so it is completely within an officer’s right to arrest Mr. Gray on suspicion of probation violation if they are familiar with his background and see him running. The officers did not actually arrest Gray, they were in the process of detaining him when they discovered a knife, which may or may not have been illegal. Everything the officers did was completely legitimate and within the powers of their jurisdiction. Detainment looks like this all of the time in law enforcement. The video shows nothing but an uncooperative arrestee. You claim unequivocally that the officers “fatally injured him.” Apparently Bennett agrees with you. All of you are making assumptions, and it is just getting old.
Still have a lot more questions than answers on the Gray case, but the cops absolutely screwed up in not getting him medical attention instead of putting him in the paddy wagon. Making a failure to act homicide, the DA is perhaps overreaching though.
Nat a bad answer, and I appreciate it. I already said that I felt somewhat badly about my calling the young man in question a criminal, but he did have a high criminal record, and was out at night in a high crime area, so my call might have been too harsh, but was not entirely untrue. And how about giving the police at least the same benefit of the laws that we give others? There has been no actual trial of the officers in question yet, so why does everybody automatically assume their guilt? It IS thinking such as that, that leads to eventual anger and rioting!
As to the objectivity of the laws governing the use of illegal drugs, if this is a miscarriage of justice to expect people to obey such laws, then the answer is relatively simple “Change the laws!”, but in the meantime, they are the law, and law abiding citizens will obey them, at least to the extent of not selling such drugs to others such as children.
Please note, that I am in no way excusing bad police work here, and if the officers in question did do what the law says they must not do, and as a result caused the unnecessary death of this young man (no matter his criminal activities) and they are found guilty of such by a reasonable jury, then they should receive the utmost in possible penalties. Especially, as they were indeed police officers and therefore should have known better!
And as I stated, constructive ideas upon how to help such cities as Baltimore do a better, more humane, and sympathetic job of policing should be what is being discussed here and elsewhere. As I stated, perhaps actually hiring more black men and women as police for their own ethnic and crime ridden areas would be a good start. Then placing them in pairs and walking beats (with individual cameras to record just exactly what happens), and getting to know the people that they are meant to protect (called community policing) would hopefully follow. And only when there is a real evidence of high criminal activity itself, should the full affect of the police and law makers be let out for such communities.
However, I must say that I greatly appreciated your very civil reply here. So, once again, Have A very Good Day!!
Tarredandfeathered about 9 years ago
The Baltimore PD has Ruled: It was Suicide by Cop.
Kip W about 9 years ago
It’s touching that they still feel they have to lie about it. Nobody gets punished anyway.
PainterArt Premium Member about 9 years ago
Well done editorial cartoon. Freddie Grey also suffered a cardiac arrest. So you could also show a broken heart at the inequity of justice in this country. Bankers get off for bringing down the economy.“She also said a switchblade that officers accused Gray of carrying illegally was a legal pocket knife. "http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/baltimore-unrest/freddie-gray-n351881
braindead Premium Member about 9 years ago
What an excellent cartoon by Bennett!
frodo1008 about 9 years ago
The case in question here is a specific case, and I have no doubt that the officers in question will be severely punished if found guilty of the wrong handling of this criminal. And that is as it should be. And yes, his record certainly shows that he was a criminal, and I am certain his victims were mostly black people.
The problem that I have here is the continual condemning of the police in this country in general,, which seems to have become a national pass time. Perhaps, at least some of the more vociferous of such complainers should be made to have to ride along with the police in their cars as they try to keep at least some order in some of the high crime areas of our cities!
While I am not known to be an ultra conservative (or perhaps even just an ordinary conservative) on this site, and I also believe know this to be a somewhat conservative position. But, I also believe it to be a reasonable and moderate civilized position at the same time!
Perhaps, some ideas that would help would be more cameras mounted upon not only the police cars, but even the police themselves. Another idea might be the hiring of more ethnic police to police these ethnic areas. This would hopefully result in not only more sympathetic community policing, but even help to reduce the high unemployment in such areas as well. Just ideas and recommendations, and perhaps there are other reasonable ideas as well.
But, just disrespecting the police (and by inference the law-and-order systems of our country) seems to be only resulting in more riots and crime upon even the better people of these communities, and that is very sad to me at least!!
Spyderred about 9 years ago
You give yourself away right at the start: “this criminal”? Whatever happened to “innocent until proven guilty”? Or is that not in your concept of “law”?
HabaneroBuck about 9 years ago
Are all of the commentators on GoComics really “mob justice” fanatics? This cartoon is appalling. NO ONE knows what happened to Freddie Gray, and it certainly isn’t anything worth rioting over before anyone does know what happened. Justice? Freddie Gray has had over twenty run-ins with the law, at least. He is not some poor, innocent angel….maybe we ought to wait more than a week after his mysterious death to burn the city down, eh?
frodo1008 about 9 years ago
Good Grief! I make a general statement about all of this continuing knocking about of the thin blue line that generally (and admittedly not always, but far more than the average citizen has a right to even expect) of our police, where they do at least 95% of the time a job than most of us would not want at any wage, and I get jumped upon by most of the posters here!
Perhaps, we deserve to have that thin blue line broken, and the criminals that these men (and now women as well, black and white also) have to deal with on a regular basis every day of their working lives, just take over. Wouldn’t that be a hoot! Heck, I doubt very much if there would then be enough civilization left to even allow us to communicate on this site at all!
Heck, I even add reasonable suggestions of what to do about the bad policing that does occur (even though some of these ideas are relatively liberal) such as community policing by men and women from the very ethnic communities themselves. Or increased use of surveillance cameras by individual police. These are ideas that I believe would go a long way towards eliminating the very problems of bad police work that evidently occurred in this case!
Does ANYBODY else here actually have anything constructive to add? Or even dispute my own ideas, fine, then go ahead and let us have a constructive discussion here.
Dear God, how I sometimes dislike and regret the kind of attitudes (in both liberal and conservative extremes) that I daily see going on here. Everybody always seems to only be interested in their own particular ideology, and nobody actually seems to be even slightly interested in solving any of the problems not only facing our own great country, but even our very civilization at all!
And how about when I mention sympathy for the good law abiding, and hard working black citizens of this great American city, that had to see hoodlums (many from outside their own areas) burn down the fruits of their long time hard work. Even future black citizens, such as the elderly who could have occupied those 60 apartments for them that were burned down in this despicable rioting!
Peaceful protesting is guaranteed to every American, regardless of race by our constitution itself. But, NOBODY (regardless of race, religion, or other cause), at ANY TIME, has the rite, for ANY cause to such violent rioting! Do we really want to go the route of the great Roman civilization, and be only a foot note in the future history of this sorry world! I would like to think NOT!!!
So, how about a reasonable and civil discussion of just how to eliminate this bad policing that everybody is now talking about?
Oh, and forget the links for once, are we not capable of our own thinking? After all, you can Google to find links to support any position at any time, but actually thinking for ones self, now that takes some time does it not? So, I will now get off of the soap box, that I do not usually get upon, and wish you all a very Great Day!!
HabaneroBuck about 9 years ago
I did not say Gray deserved to die for his numerous run-ins, only that his record is such that confrontations with the law are inevitable and that the arrest did not happen in a vacuum. Mr. Gray had an active warrant out for his arrest at least as recently as one month before this incident, so it is completely within an officer’s right to arrest Mr. Gray on suspicion of probation violation if they are familiar with his background and see him running. The officers did not actually arrest Gray, they were in the process of detaining him when they discovered a knife, which may or may not have been illegal. Everything the officers did was completely legitimate and within the powers of their jurisdiction. Detainment looks like this all of the time in law enforcement. The video shows nothing but an uncooperative arrestee. You claim unequivocally that the officers “fatally injured him.” Apparently Bennett agrees with you. All of you are making assumptions, and it is just getting old.
Dtroutma about 9 years ago
Still have a lot more questions than answers on the Gray case, but the cops absolutely screwed up in not getting him medical attention instead of putting him in the paddy wagon. Making a failure to act homicide, the DA is perhaps overreaching though.
frodo1008 about 9 years ago
Nat a bad answer, and I appreciate it. I already said that I felt somewhat badly about my calling the young man in question a criminal, but he did have a high criminal record, and was out at night in a high crime area, so my call might have been too harsh, but was not entirely untrue. And how about giving the police at least the same benefit of the laws that we give others? There has been no actual trial of the officers in question yet, so why does everybody automatically assume their guilt? It IS thinking such as that, that leads to eventual anger and rioting!
As to the objectivity of the laws governing the use of illegal drugs, if this is a miscarriage of justice to expect people to obey such laws, then the answer is relatively simple “Change the laws!”, but in the meantime, they are the law, and law abiding citizens will obey them, at least to the extent of not selling such drugs to others such as children.
Please note, that I am in no way excusing bad police work here, and if the officers in question did do what the law says they must not do, and as a result caused the unnecessary death of this young man (no matter his criminal activities) and they are found guilty of such by a reasonable jury, then they should receive the utmost in possible penalties. Especially, as they were indeed police officers and therefore should have known better!
And as I stated, constructive ideas upon how to help such cities as Baltimore do a better, more humane, and sympathetic job of policing should be what is being discussed here and elsewhere. As I stated, perhaps actually hiring more black men and women as police for their own ethnic and crime ridden areas would be a good start. Then placing them in pairs and walking beats (with individual cameras to record just exactly what happens), and getting to know the people that they are meant to protect (called community policing) would hopefully follow. And only when there is a real evidence of high criminal activity itself, should the full affect of the police and law makers be let out for such communities.
However, I must say that I greatly appreciated your very civil reply here. So, once again, Have A very Good Day!!
Cerabooge about 9 years ago
Some cartoons are a needle tickling the brain. And some, like this one, are a brutal punch in the gut. Once again, well done.