City On Fire - Out With The Old Boss

Since the riots back in May, the leadership in Baltimore has taken some heavy criticism. The ongoing barrage of daily shootings has many believing that the Mayor and police department are powerless to the street thugs. The numerous murders have transformed Baltimore into The City That Bleeds.

So, it was only a matter of time before someone in the city's leadership got thrown under the bus. Yesterday, the Mayor announced that she was firing BCPD Commissioner Anthony Batts. Although many people were calling for his resignation, it was somewhat of a surprise that Rawlings-Blake actually fired him. You see, the Mayor was between a rock and a hard place. First off, SRB brought Batts to Baltimore, so by firing him, she kind of concedes that she made a mistake. And up until yesterday, the Mayor had pretty much stood by the Commissioner's side and defended him against any criticism. 

The Mayor herself has been heavily criticized in recent months. So, by sacrificing Batt's, I assume her goal is to distance herself from the political lightning rod. With the move, she's rolling the dice in hopes of a gradual decline in the city's violence under the interim Commissioner. With her re-election campaign looming, she needs anything that can help end her current term on a positive note. I don't expect much to change for the good in the near future, but if it does, Rawlings-Blake can then "legitimately" claim that she had the insight to make the difficult decision to fire Batts. She gets feather in her hat while the former Commissioner continues to clean the tire tracks off of his back. (Are you starting to understand how politics work?)

I am certainly not saying that Batts didn't deserve to be fired. During the riots, he allowed his men to by hung out to dry. Standing by while his troops were getting pummeled by bricks and bottles was pathetic. I don't care if Jesus Christ issued the order to stand down, you don't allow your guys to take an embarrassing beat-down like that. Especially, when it was being broadcast live across the world!

One of the City Council members said that Batts had "lost the locker room." After what I've heard from a few cops, I'd say that's a pretty good analogy.

I did find it rather odd that during the press conference yesterday, SRB continuously praised Batts for his good work and dedicated service. It was almost like she was about to present him with a merit award. She also mentioned something about the crime rate going down under his watch. Really? Someone dies in the streets of Baltimore everyday and crime is going down? 

Summing it up, the Mayor basically said that Batts was becoming a "distraction". Personally, I find the random gunfire in the city more of a distraction. But what do I know?

kw