by John M. Curtis
(310) 204-8700

Copyright April 27, 2015
All Rights Reserved.

              Erupting in violence the streets of Baltimore, rioters took to the streets to protest the unexplained April 21death of 25-year-old African American of Freddie Gray.  With his spinal cord severed,  Baltimore officials, led by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Chief Anthony Batts, did little to prepare for riots, looting and chaos that forced Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to call in the National Guard.  While the National Guard can’t get back the 150 structures burnt to the ground, they’ve put a Band-Aid on the urban decay that’s led to the spate of high-profile vigilante and police murders preceding the Baltimore riots.  When you consider the Feb. 26, 2012 death of 16-year-old Trayvon Martin and July 13, 2013 acquittal of his killer George Zimmerman, it paved the way for the Ferguson, Missouri riots from the August 9, 2014 death of 18-year-old Michael Brown, shot in the face by White police officer for stealing a pack of Swisher Cigarillos. 

            Baltimore’s riots were the worst street violence since the April 4, 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when the city burned for two weeks.  “We certainly understand at that time why a city like Baltimore and quite honestly the nation at large was outraged and pained,” said Katrina Bell McDonald, associate professor of sociology at Johns Hopkins University.  Whether the United State made progress on race since 1968 is anyone’s guess.  Citing President Barack Obama as proof of progress doesn’t deny that some 11.4% black unemployment rate, double that of whites.  Unlike 1968, Baltimore’s riots reflect a far worse situation than 1968 where a series of high-profile police killings of black citizens caused the current street riots.  While condemning the violence and rioting, Obama also noted the spate of police killings of black citizens that sparked the recent rioting in Ferguson and now Baltimore, leaving an anxious nation, especially in big cities.

             Baltimore police reported at least 15 officers suffered injuries, at least six serious, in rock-and-bottle throwing on Monday night.  Calling in the National Guard, Maryland Gov. Hogan hoped to stop the rioting that spread from East Baltimore to near downtown.  Calling the riots “senseless violence and destruction,” Obama expressed his disgust over the extent of looting, not legitimate protesting.  “There’s no excuse for the kind of violence we saw yesterday.  It is counterproductive,” said Obama, not dealing with the socioeconomic inequality that has caused a bigger wealth-gap between rich-and-poor during his over six years in office.  Watching white police departments shoot or choke black citizens reflect the deteriorated state of American law enforcement.  Not only does newly minted Atty. Gen. Loretta Lynch have her work cut out dealing with law enforcement reform, she must deal with run-a-way violence erupting in American cities.

             Baltimore’s riots call out for Lynch to initiate urgent national law enforcement reform to stop the spate of black killings that raise disturbing questions about racism, racial profiling and biased treatment toward blacks in the American justice system.  No matter what Lynch does, it won’t undo  the current anti-government mood of Republicans in Congress.  Since Obama took office Jan. 20, 2008, Capitol Hill republicans have opposed expanding the federal workforce, pushing private sector employment.  As Wall Street helped the economy recover from the worst recession since the Great Depression, the unemployment rate has shrunk to 5.3%, with federal budget deficits dropping to about $400 billion, unheard of when former President George W. Bush left Obama with a $1.4 billion budget deficit.  Federal Reserve Board Chairman Janet Yellen hasn’t been able to raise interest rates because the nation’s Gross Domestic Product remains sluggish around one percent.

             Today’s shrinkage in federal employment has kept the GDP from growing at a reasonable rate, allowing the Fed to raise interest rates.  When you look at the way U.S. workers have been stuck in a rut unable to spend into the consumer economy, it doubly bad for African Americans locked in the inner city.  Without the living wage and benefits paid by government jobs, the middle class can’t make any progress.  With Maine Sen. Bernie Sanders entering the Democratic presidential race, he’s going to drive home the importance of government infrastructure projects to the economy.  Baltimore’s riots say a lot about the lack of opportunity in the inner city.  While targeting blacks is a law enforcement failure, the federal government must do more to help disenfranchised minorities succeed with better jobs.  GOP objections to more federal jobs defy recommendations by mainstream economists, not those consumed, like Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), with Austrian economics.

            Baltimore’s riots speak volumes about the problems African Americans face with law enforcement around the country.  Atty. Gen. Lynch much urgently deal with law enforcement agencies around the country that target blacks.  White House and Capitol Hill Republicans must strike a balance when it comes to expanding the federal work-force .  Federal Reserve metrics show that since the recovery began in April 2010, the economy’s added about 8 million private sector jobs, many part-time and low-paying.  If the government really wants to provide opportunity for disenfranchised members of society and reduce the chance of future rioting, they need to add more good-paying government jobs.  Problems with racism or racial profiling won’t change overnight but there’s something the White House and Congress can do to create opportunity, increase the middle class and add to the country’s GDP:  Add good-paying government jobs with a future.

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