Themselves.

Editor,

There were no riots in North Charleston, SC after Walter Scott was murdered because municipal authorities moved swiftly to acknowledge foul play and charge Michael Slager.

In Baltimore, by contrast, police, the mayor, and the governor of Maryland stonewalled and talked tough about law-and-order while they dragged their feet and looked for a way to sweep Baltimore's problems under the carpet.

This approach gave white observers who enjoy the luxury of remaining blissfully unaware of the racist underpinnings of American society plenty of opportunity to blame the unrest in Baltimore on "black culture" and "thugs."

The moral of this story is to tear down the Thin Blue Line. When cops commit crimes, charge them swiftly. People become enraged and lose their minds when probable cause is ignored and excuses are sought to blame the victims of police brutality on themselves.

Re: "6 Baltimore Police Officers Charged in Freddie Gray Death" (5/2/2015)