Baltimore, Md. – On Thursday, a man who identified himself as an active Baltimore police officer named “Jeff” claimed that he and fellow officers were formulating plans to oust the elected mayor of Baltimore.
The announcement was made on a Baltimore radio show. “There is right now over 50 of us officers who are immediately asking for [Baltimore Mayor] Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to step down for what she did to us Monday,” the caller told WBAL radio.
“Jeff” alleged that there was an ever-growing movement within the Baltimore Police Department to sack the mayor.
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“Our numbers are growing of officers. We have black, white, female, Hispanic and other officers who are joining this movement now to get her out of office,” he told WBAL Radio.
One of the major precipitating factors, according to the caller, was the mayor’s handling of the riots. He claimed that officers could have put down problems before they began.
“The moment it started, we could have ended it. Trust you me. They would not let us. It’s on the mayor’s shoulders now for the people who were injured, the buildings that were burnt, and the officers that were hurt. The city may never recover from what she let happen,” the caller said.
The mayor’s office claims that there was no “stand down” order given and that the media misinterpreted her comments about providing “space” for protesters.
“Any other time in my career, if somebody were to throw a brick or a block at me, we would take immediate actions to pull our weapons on them. Numerous times on Monday when our officers were being injured, our commanders are telling us ‘stand down, stand down,’” the self-described “21-year veteran” of the Baltimore police department told WBAL radio.
As he continued, he revealed his true feelings about the urban youth of Baltimore he is allegedly supposed to “protect & serve.” “You had no idea what it did to us as police officers to sit there and let people, I’m gonna say it, thugs, hoodlums, little animals do what they did to us in the streets of Baltimore.”
“Jeff” attempted to explain that the way to keep situations from escalating is to “lock up” the first agitator the moment they start breaking the law. And while this may hold true under normal circumstances, the assertion that tactics such as these would defuse the situation is at best naive, and at worst just plain ignorant.
Perhaps what the caller failed to realize is that when in a situation such as this, a drastic escalation in force will only backfire. It will serve to embolden exactly the opposite response and create an even more intense and violent confrontation. Of course, a cop wouldn’t realize that, as they consistently escalate conflicts rather than pacify a situation.
“The mayor needs to answer for this,” claimed the officer.
The effort to deflect attention away from the alleged crimes committed by Baltimore police officers, and onto the mayor, cannot be overstated. If cops were as quick to hold their fellow officers accountable, as they are to attempt to hold the mayor accountable, perhaps the riots would have never transpired in the first place.
One thing is clear; these officers serve at the discretion of the mayor and threats of deposing the mayor should not be taken lightly.
Whatever transpires, don’t be surprised if many Baltimore police officers suddenly start missing work after coming down with the “blue flu.” We may even see a decrease in tickets written, in an attempt to strong arm the mayor by hitting the city in the wallet.
Be sure to keep a close eye on the Baltimore Police Department to be certain that they don’t attempt to illegally usurp the will of the citizens of Baltimore.
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H/T The Daily Caller
Jay Syrmopoulos is an investigative journalist, freethinker, researcher, and ardent opponent of authoritarianism. He is currently a graduate student at University of Denver pursuing a masters in Global Affairs. Jay’s work has previously been published on BenSwann.com and WeAreChange.org. You can follow him on Twitter @sirmetropolis, on Facebook at Sir Metropolis and now on tsu.
