For about nine hours, the country watched an urban riot as inner-city Baltimore burned. But out of this anarchy, came at least one positive thing, writes Daniel Henninger. “Baltimore neighborhoods have black leaders who know the difference between preening and progress.”
Brandon Scott, a young city council member, spoke with blunt eloquence about being born in 1984 but knowing that the riots of 1968, whatever their justification, had left Baltimore physically and emotionally ruined for years. And now they were on the brink of again losing what he and others had tried to build in their neighborhoods. It was heartbreaking to hear the pastor who watched his new affordable-housing units for the elderly poor burn down Monday night.
In a better world, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake would step down, and Brandon Scott would step in to start the road back.
For as long as Mr. Obama has been in the White House, unemployment for young blacks has been between 30% and 50%., and the just-released numbers for first-quarter GDP growth of 0.2% is going to do nothing to help them. “We’re making investments so that they can get the training they need to find jobs,” pronounced President Obama after the rioting. But as Mr. Henninger asks, what jobs? And that’s the real powder keg, not the police. Read more here.
Debbie Young
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