City, State, & Country Officials

The Mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

The city of Baltimore turned to Mayor Rawlings-Blake for leadership during the violent demonstrations. The city police confessed to being underprepared and outnumbered, and debates erupted as to whether the Mayor waited too long to ask the Governor to send the National Guard. Mayor Rawlings-Blake admitted to have faced a "very delicate balancing act" and tried to avoid creating a militarized atmosphere that could further "escalat[e] and increas[e] the problem," which happened in the case of Michael Brown in Ferguson, MO.²⁴ The Mayor further implemented a city-wide curfew for one week from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM, which was lifted on May 3, 2015. Small business owners and employees voiced concern, as some places operate in the evening hours and could lose one week of revenue and income. The curfew affected all transportation facilities and "non-essential business operations," including restaurants, entertainment venues, and bars.²⁵

The Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan

The Governor reported to the New York Times that he was ready and prepared as early as Saturday [April 25, 2015] to declare a state of emergency and to send in the National Guard. As per protocol, however, he had to wait on the Mayor's decision, which she requested on Monday evening [April 27, 2015] approximately 2 hours after the rioting began. The Republican Governor led efforts in collaboration with the state's insurance commissioner and the Small Business Administration to ensure businesses receive financial assistance for any damages incurred during the riots.²⁶

The Police & the National Guard

The police and the National Guard played paramount roles in the Baltimore unrest by patrolling the streets and restoring order in West Baltimore.²⁷ According to Baltimore Magazine, it is the first time the National Guard has been deployed since the April 4, 1968 assassination of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.²⁸ Approximately 2,000 National Guard troops and nearly 500 law enforcement officers from other states including PA, NJ, and DC joined Baltimore and Maryland State police officers in efforts to quell the violence.²⁹ The Baltimore police admitted to being underprepared, as they prepared for a high school demonstration event that unfolded quite differently. Some community members said the police had "inflamed the situation" by sending hundreds of officers to the Mondawmin Mall following the school day.³⁰

 

The President, Barack Obama

The President worked to reassure the public that the federal government and local officials were seeking answers to what happened to Mr. Gray. He criticized those who carried out violent demonstrations and criminal looting calling them "criminals and thugs."³¹ He said, "There is no excuse for the kind of violence that we saw. It is counterproductive."³² He made it appoint to distinguish the violence from the peaceful demonstrations taking place after Mr. Gray's death.

Researchers and the Academic Community

Researchers and the academic community are continued leaders in examining and disclosing ways to mend the inequities in Baltimore. Open discussions with students and faculty covering poverty and unemployment, race relations, drug and law enforcement policies, crime, and other important issues have and will continue to occur. Shortly after the riots, for instance, Richard Rothstein, at the University of California (Berkeley) School of Law, wrote a piece in the Washington Post titled, "From Ferguson to Baltimore: The consequences of government-sponsored segregation."³³ He describes in detail the historical steps towards segregation in the city and how it has led to "aggressive policing" and ghetto conditions leading to cyclical poverty and violence.³⁴ Additionally, the Johns Hopkins' Office of Critical Event Preparedness and Response center (CEPAR) has been asked to evaluate how Baltimore City agencies responded to the riots to make improvements for future emergencies.³⁵ The University established the center after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks where they saw the need to bring together expertise for disaster planning and response.³⁶

Reflection Points

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• What is public health's role in community disturbance/civil unrest?
• From a public health perspective, what are some of the challenges Wen and her team faced during and after the riots?
• How did the community and outside forces work together in quelling the violence?
• How have they worked together in the aftermath of the riots?
• What role does community members play in a crisis?
• What is the role of social media in a crisis?
• What are ways (either mentioned above or not mentioned) that social media could positively contribute to a crisis?
• List any negative contributions of social media during a chaotic event such as the Baltimore city riots
• How can leaders remain flexible, yet have plans and protocols in place to address a crisis?
• How would you conduct an evaluation (after-action-review) on how Baltimore City agencies responded to the unrest in the city?
• Based on Snowden and Boone "A Leader's Framework for Decision Making," how would you categorize the context of the Baltimore City riots?
• How would the Cynefin framework help leaders determine the context in order to make appropriate choices?

References

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1. For a more complete timeline of Freddie Gray's arrest and charges filed: http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2015/04/30/us/what-happened-freddie-gray-arrested-by-baltimore-police-department-map-timeline.html?_r=2
2. JAMA, April 12, 2015
3. Calvert, Scott for The Wall Street Journal, July 17, 2015 http://www.wsj.com/articles/baltimore-police-transmissions-show-struggle-during-riots-1437162125
4. TIME Magazine, May 14, 2015
5. Wen, Leana writing for NPR, May 4 2015; Public Health Newswire, May 8, 2015; JAMA , April 12, 2015
6. Wen, Leana writing for NPR, May 4 2015
7. Huffington post, May 13, 2015
8. Wen, Leana writing for Public Health Newswire, May 8, 2015
9. JAMA, April 12, 2015
10. The Baltimore Sun, June 10, 2015
11. Wen, Leana writing for Public Health Newswire, May 8, 2015
12. The Baltimore Sun, June 10, 2015
13. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015
14. The Huffington Post, April 29, 2015
15. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015
16. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015
17. JAMA, April 12, 2015
18. Mims, Christopher for The Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2015
19. Mims, Christopher for The Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2015
20. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015
21. Mims, Christopher for The Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2015
22. Mims, Christopher for The Wall Street Journal, April 28, 2015
23. CNN breaking news stream, April 28, 2015
24. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015
25. Yan, Holly and Janet DiGiacomo for CNN July 29, 2015
26. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015
27. AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
28. Cassie, Ron for Baltimore Magazine, April 28, 2015
29. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015 & Cassie, Ron for Baltimore Magazine, April 28, 2015
30. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015
31. Stolberg, Sheryl Gay for NYTimes April 28, 2015
32. CNN breaking news stream, April 28, 2015
33. Rothstein, Richard for the Washington Post, May 3, 2015
34. Rothstein, Richard for the Washington Post, May 3, 2015
35. jhu.edu Hub staff report, August 12, 2015
36. jhu.edu Hub staff report, August 12, 2015

 

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