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From the Other Side of the Edge….
Baltimore is
NOT the “Preakness”, ….it’s “The Wire”
By Joe Facinoli
There have been 36 murders in Baltimore City since April 27th.
That was the day Freddie Gray’s funeral was “celebrated”, at the New
Shiloh Baptist Church in West Baltimore.
The date the riots, and the looting, and the fires all started, …here
in “Charm City”.
Thirty six murders, …in 21 days. Almost two per
day.
Even Detroit and Chicago would be appalled. Well,
…maybe not Chicago.
That averages out to 625 murders, …for all of
2015. Beyond belief, in a city of only Six
Hundred Thousand residents.
And I should tell you, since neither the national media, nor any of our
elected officials will mention it, but every one of these thirty six
homicides, was the result of one Black man, …killing another Black
man.
Shocking, …I know. Thirty six times the Cops
missed a good chance to add to their “resume”.
But the Police aren’t completely to blame for this disturbing rise in
violence (which also shows non-fatal shootings up by 50%, in that same
period), …there just aren’t enough of them.
And anyway, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, our preppie Black Mayor (who
tries so hard, and just can’t understand why people get so mad at her,
and say so many nasty things about her, …geez), has told all the Cops
to “stand down”, during and since the riots, …so it’s fair game in
town, now that all the street “Players” know what will NOT be coming,
from the Po-Po.
And then there’s that bad training, the racism, the mean-spirited
hatred of the “street people”, by the folks in
Blue.
I mean, …what could we expect, from such a worthless bunch, …am I right
??
Truly terrible stuff, …if only it were true.
And the Mayor shouldn’t be held totally at fault either, in fact, for
this alarming (but not surprising) situation.
After all, like our President (of the U.S.), this is her first real job
(uh, …being on the City Council, hardly counts), and she’s working
really, really a lot of hours (all in a row, too), as she learns how to
manage employees, make a budget, deal with logistics and
infrastructure, …and oh yeah, a pesky crisis now and then, …for the
very first time.
Stopping the looting of over 200 city businesses, and putting out
dozens of building fires (and hundreds of car fires), all at the same
time, all on the same long night, …just wasn’t part of the curriculum
at dear old, and extremely liberal Oberlin College, the good Mayor’s
alma mater.
Being in college, then public defender’s office, and finally the rubber
stamp City Council, are her only actual “experiences”, …for this
out-of-her-depth job, which she now has.
And no one (Cops, the Mayor, and all of the elected and appointed
Democrat city administrators), can overcome what amounts to “turf wars”
among the very sophisticated, ubiquitous, and all-encompassing
drug-gang hierarchies, …all over our fair city.
They are everywhere, in every part and facet, of this city’s life.
If you will allow me a personal-knowledge example, …I have a short
story to tell, which will illustrate my point.
There was this hard-working and aggressive (and White) city landlord,
who saw the value in many of the neighborhoods that others ignored, in
West and Northwest Baltimore (but who was also, …maybe a little
stupid).
He worked in places that even God had forgotten.
Places you may have heard on the national news lately, like
Sandtown-Winchester, and Penn-North, …Pimlico and Park Heights,
…Walbrook and Mondawmin.
He had even worked for a time, years ago, at the Sears store in
Mondawmin Mall, before it shut down mainly out of self-defense, …or
self-preservation.
This landlord learned quickly, the ways of the
streets.
There were certain things one could do, …and other things that one
could not do, .…ever.
And he learned early, how to deal with, …and what to expect from, …the
two major groups who fought for control of the city’s streets.
And just who were these groups, who were not to be tangled with, nor
crossed?
The first was obvious: The Drug Kingpins.
Not the street level guys, …even the ones who controlled small
territories, …they were always being chased away, or bumped off, by
other street level guys who wanted that area, …and often just for fun
(and/or profit).
No, ….the Big Boys. The financiers of the whole
enterprises, …the ruthless overseers and dictators of large swaths of
the city, …these guys were never to be even approached in any way,
…muchless “dealt” with.
The other group ? Of course, and almost
by default, …was the Baltimore City Police
Department.
The first group ran the show, and the town, …the second fought daily to
take back that control, …but were always outnumbered, outgunned, and
sadly and amazingly, out-budgeted.
There was no respect for the Cops from the communities, …and
specifically the drug lords who ran them, …for obvious
reasons.
But also because they couldn’t get into the drug controlled areas often
enough, nor with enough force, to make any real difference, except to
annoy those there, who had struck a “balance”, and an “understanding”,
before the Cops would arrive, …and after they
left.
And the Blues were frustrated, because they got little or no help,
ever, from virtually anyone in their designated
areas.
And sadly, for whatever reasons, too many of these Police either simply
ignored these activities, out of their frustrations, …or played along
with the whole system (for personal gain, or just to simplify their
lives).
Our landlord rented out a large end-of-group townhouse, in what used to
be a “nice” neighborhood, but which now was at the center of an active,
and sometimes “open-air”, drug market.
He had no real idea (naively) of the activities in his area, even
though he had three other rental houses on the same
street. It was just three blocks from Pimlico Race
Course, …so how bad could it be ??
He learned.
After the tenants stopped paying, he went by the house, …and got the
lesson of his life.
He found the whole place a wreck, with people going in and out
constantly, doing as they pleased.
Yep, …he had been gamed.
After getting the sheriff to come out and evict the current
“inhabitants”, he set about putting the house back into reasonable
condition, for the next renter.
It was a major task.
As he stood on the front porch, watching the repair work happening
inside, he was paid an unscheduled visit by a very large, well-dressed
and impressive looking, young Black man, who was now standing in front
of him, at the top of the porch’s stairs.
And the young man’s whole entourage, of other large and well-dressed,
young Black men, were down on the street, leaning against several large
black SUVs, …windows tinted.
The landlord had never seen this man before, nor the others down on the
street, …but he knew immediately who they were.
After some pleasantries were exchanged, and discussions had, it was
“agreed” that the large, impressive looking young Black man, standing
on the landlord’s porch, would now be renting this particular house,
and at a fine increase in the rent, as well.
With six month’s rental being paid in advance, and four of the young
man’s “helpers” being sent to assist with the repairs.
The landlord knew he had little choice in the matter, and what was now
going to be happening on a daily and constant basis, with his
house.
More importantly, he knew what would have happened next, had he not
“agreed” with the well-dressed young man’s deal.
So he swallowed hard, while at the same time feeling relieved, …and
shook this “persuasive” man’s, very large hand.
If you are still confused, as to why he would do this, …just think of
Vito Corleone, and his line about “…an offer he can’t refuse.”
Just as the deal was completed, a fully marked, B.P.D. Cop car
“coincidentally” drove by, stopping at the bottom of the porch
stairs.
The Officer inside, seeing the “fleet” of vehicles, which he quickly
recognized, and the “staff” that went with them, looked right up at the
well-dressed young man on the landlord’s porch and
asked: “Everything OK now?”
And then he turned his gaze to the landlord, and
asked: “You good?”
After both nodded affirmatively, the cruiser moved on, …no harm, no
foul.
That Cop was outnumbered, surely outgunned, and could have done little
with the Police Dept’s limited resources, …so he chose to fight another
battle, on another day.
Or, he was doing his newfound “duty”, …the landlord will never
know.
This is a true story, …I can personally vouch for it.
It is indeed very sad, in so many ways, but it is the way of life in
Baltimore City. And in so many other large Metro
areas, …all around America.
Baltimore City is not what the world sees, in the “Preakness” infield,
…nor through the rose-colored presentation, made by NBC
Sports.
No, …it is every bit as portrayed and advertised, in the brilliant, and
so sadly true, HBO series “The Wire”, from a few years ago.
This city hasn’t changed in fifty-plus years, and won’t, …until the
people in it change the way they see, and live, their
lives.
They are not “victims”, …and simply have to get past, and away from,
these thoughts and excuses.
And the leaders must deal with the REAL problems, …and not the
politically manufactured ones, made up for their own personal and
political gains.
All, while the City continues to suffer, year after year, decade after
decade.
Joe Facinoli
--Joe can be reached at: joefacinoli@gmail.com
Intelligent Response Encouraged !!
© Copyright 2015, Joe Facinoli
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