No better example of the shortcomings of the group hug mentality as therapy for criminal evil may exist this morning than in Baltimore, Maryland, where a weekend “72-hour ceasefire” saw two people murdered and the city’s body count climb to 210, according to WPMT, a local Fox affiliate.
The grassroots effort had been broadly announced, so this was no secret. And, as if to demonstrate how the anti-violence agenda works, an organizer of the event, Erricka Bridgeford was quoted by the station insisting that “their effort at quelling the deadly violence was a success – a start.”
The WPMT report also quoted Baltimore police spokesman T.J. Smith observing, “This situation didn’t get to where it is overnight and we’re not going to emerge from the situation … overnight.”
But he added, “One thing for sure, the organizers of the ceasefire did something: They got a movement started.”
But is that movement headed in the right direction?
Last year, according to the Independent Journal Review (IJR), Baltimore rolled up a disturbing 318 murders in 2016. That’s not good for a city with 621,849 people, and the city appears to be headed toward matching that number this year.
In Baltimore and all of Maryland, it is nearly impossible to get a concealed carry permit. The criminal element pays no attention to the process. Bad guys simply carry guns regardless of the laws.
On Saturday, there was a peace march organized by Marylanders to Prevent Gun Violence, WPMT reported. Evidently some people skipped the march and ignored the message.
Bridgeford, who was one of the event’s organizers, has lost a brother and two cousins. A stepson was murdered. Cousins have been slain.
IJR noted that the state has some of the strictest anti-gun laws on the books, and that a research group called Freedom in the 50 States, says Maryland is one of the “least-free gun states in the Union.”
Despite all of those gun control laws, the city is still considered one of the most dangerous in the nation. There is even a video out by Nick Johnson that identifies the “Ten Worst” cities in the state, and Baltimore is No. 1.
