Lynch follows the liberal formula in Baltimore

From the files of Jeff Crouere at Ringside Politics on WLAE-TV 32 in New Orleans, Louisiana

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It was no surprise that new Attorney General Loretta Lynch announced the Department of Justice will launch a civil rights investigation of the Baltimore Police Department. This is the second investigation that has been authorized in the wake of the riots that broke out following the death of Freddie Gray. The other investigation is looking into potential violations of Gray's civil rights.

The investigation will examine whether the police department engaged in excessive force or any other discriminatory policies. It follows Lynch’s visit to Baltimore earlier in the week in which she promised city leaders that she would do “all she could” to help the city heal.

Lynch's authorization is similar to what her predecessor, Eric Holder, did 20 times, including the investigations following civil unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. In her confirmation hearings, Lynch promised to continue the policies of Holder, so she is certainly following through on her promises.

The Justice Department investigations will likely show that Baltimore police officers committed civil rights violations. It is almost a foregone conclusion that a negative report will be issued because it will be necessary to satisfy civil rights leaders who have been highly critical of the Baltimore Police Department.

This announcement follows the official charges leveled against six police officers involved in the Freddie Gray case. Despite the hoopla, none of these investigations will solve the problems of Baltimore, a city that has been led by liberal Democrats for five decades. Since the 1960's, Baltimore has been beset by issues that plague other inner city communities.

The Great Society programs that were instituted to solve longstanding urban poverty have failed. Over trillions of dollars have been spent, but the problems of blight, drugs, and crime, poverty as well as race relations remain.

The answer from the Obama administration is always more spending and more government. Yet, the root causes of Baltimore’s problems will not be addressed by President Obama, Attorney General Lynch or any other administration official.

Instead of solving underlying issues, the Baltimore Police Department will be sacrificed amid charges of racism. Sadly, when the Justice Department gets involved, the results are usually not positive. New Orleans is an example of a police department that has suffered after enhanced federal government involvement.

After the Justice Department began investigating the New Orleans Police Department and a consent decree was signed, the results have been striking. In the last five years, the NOPD has lost almost 600 police officers. A police department of 1600 officers in 2010 has declined to one that is barely over 1,000 officers today. Baltimore will likely suffer a similar result.

Instead of a federal investigation into the Baltimore Police Department, the city's Mayor, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, should be investigated. She promised to give the protesters “space to destroy” and allegedly gave police the orders to “stand down” because the rioters were only targeting property. As a result, scores of buildings and automobiles were destroyed, and even though law enforcement officials were in full retreat, 100 police officers were attacked and some were seriously injured.

The Mayor’s ineptitude and mismanagement created a much more severe crisis in Baltimore. Although her actions need to be probed, she will likely get a pass.

While the focus is on a supposedly racist police department and more lectures about police racism, there has been limited action regarding the hundreds of rioters who brought a city to its knees. These criminals need to be held accountable for their violent behavior.

As the Justice Department investigates police misconduct in Baltimore, root causes of criminal activity are being ignored. It shows, once again, the agenda of the Obama administration is not to solve the real problems afflicting urban America.

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Jeff Crouere is a native of New Orleans, LA and he is the host of a Louisiana based program, “Ringside Politics,” which airs at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 10:00 p.m. Sunday on WLAE-TV 32, a PBS station, and 7 till 11 a.m. weekdays on WGSO 990 AM in New Orleans and the Northshore.

For more information, visit Jeff's web site at www.ringsidepolitics.com or email him at jeff@ringsidepolitics.com.

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Black America should blame Black America

From the files of Wayne Root at Root for America.com

Where are the black fathers in Baltimore? They don't exist. I saw black mothers in the streets. I saw black male teens. But no black fathers trying to keep their kids off the streets and away from violence.

Where is Obama? Our nation's first black president has been silent as blacks tear apart a major America city. He's quick to weigh in and assign blame every time one black kid gets shot by a white cop. But not a word when thousands of blacks rampage and terrorize a city? Not a word about black-on-black crime, rioting, looting, burning or murder?

Where is the black Mayor of Baltimore? She clearly ordered police to stand down, make no arrests, stop no crimes while her city was being destroyed, while the businesses she is sworn to protect were being looted and burned. She clearly said days before the riots went ballistic that she wanted to create a "space for those who want to destroy." Then she blamed the media for merely repeating her words verbatim.

Where are the black leaders? Where's Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson?

How about the war on poverty? How's that worked out for black America? The longest and most expensive war in American history has been in place since LBJ and inner cities like Baltimore look exactly the same. Same poverty. Same hopelessness. Same anger and violence. Same rioting and blame and excuses. After $22 trillion has been spent - more (by far) than all the wars in the history of America combined, the results are...nothing.

I hear plenty of excuses from black America. I hear they feel powerless. Really? With a black president, the first black Attorney General, another black Attorney General, a black Mayor of Baltimore and a black city council? All that and you still feel powerless?

How has having the first black president helped black America? With black unemployment double that of whites, who is to blame?

I heard ultra-liberal (and pathetically politically correct) CNN analyst Sally Kohn blame white America today. She wished white America would be half as outraged as outraged over "police violence" as they are over the riots.

Well I have a message for Sally Kohn:

I wish black Americans would be half as outraged over black on black violence, black on black murders, black gangs, black drug dealers, black looting, black burning of black small businesses, black rioting as they are about one white cop killing one black kid.

And one more thought for Sally and liberals like her...

What has 50 years of black rule, liberal welfare and entitlement policies, excuses and blame towards white people done for black Americans in inner cities like Baltimore and Detroit? Where's the progress in those cities under 100% Democrat politicians and policies?

The sighting of a white Republican on the streets of cities like Detroit and Baltimore is just a rumor. There were no Republicans at the podium in Baltimore yesterday with the mayor. 100% black leadership. Yet urban inner cities like Baltimore and Detroit are in ruins.

It's time to take personal responsibility. Slavery was a long, long, long time ago. My Jewish relatives were enslaved by Hitler and the Nazis much more recently than your ancestors were enslaved by the South. It's time to move on.

It's time to fight for jobs, not welfare. It's time to look within yourselves. It's time to stop blaming others. It's time to blame black fathers. It's time to blame black leaders. It's time to blame a black president. It's time to ask what the Democratic Party has ever done for you except insure you're helpless, hopeless and dependent on government to survive. It's time to blame the war on poverty.

It's time for black Americans to blame black America.

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