May 6, 2015: Don't let Baltimore happen here
Bill Fine, WCVB-TV President and General Manager
Updated: 1:20 PM EDT May 8, 2015
We've seen this before. The questionable death of a black man at the hands of police. Peaceful protests pushed aside by angry rioters. Another American city boils over.Watch videoBaltimore's strife so closely mirrors recent turmoil elsewhere -- it's tempting for outsiders to draw conclusions, taking a short-cut to quick answers that will help us avoid scenes like that here in Boston.Discussions center on police outreach programs, building trust with minority communities -- and the assumption all will be well in Massachusetts. It's a comforting, albeit elusive, thought.Baltimore's problems surpass mistrust of the police. With an African-American mayor, police chief and over 50 percent minority police force, Baltimore's problems are more than skin deep. There is profound and systemic poverty and unemployment, pocketed in well-defined geographic areas. And here's where we need to pay attention.There's a similar toxic mixture in Massachusetts communities of color; double-digit unemployment, scarcity of jobs offering more than a living wage, inadequate public transportation, limited access to wealth creation, lack of affordable housing, and public school systems that are not preparing today's youth for tomorrow's economy. Unlike Baltimore, it may be harder to see because the city of Boston has fewer expanses of poor neighborhoods. As Boston real estate prices soar, those with fewer resources are pushed out to cities and towns with a lower cost of living: Brockton, Chelsea, and Lawrence, to name a few. While dispersed, the underlying problems remain.Almost 50 years ago, during another wave of insurrections that swept the nation, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. forewarned that "a riot is the language of the unheard".Now is a crucial time for our policy and lawmakers to listen carefully
We've seen this before. The questionable death of a black man at the hands of police. Peaceful protests pushed aside by angry rioters. Another American city boils over.
Baltimore's strife so closely mirrors recent turmoil elsewhere -- it's tempting for outsiders to draw conclusions, taking a short-cut to quick answers that will help us avoid scenes like that here in Boston.
Discussions center on police outreach programs, building trust with minority communities -- and the assumption all will be well in Massachusetts. It's a comforting, albeit elusive, thought.
Baltimore's problems surpass mistrust of the police. With an African-American mayor, police chief and over 50 percent minority police force, Baltimore's problems are more than skin deep. There is profound and systemic poverty and unemployment, pocketed in well-defined geographic areas. And here's where we need to pay attention.
There's a similar toxic mixture in Massachusetts communities of color; double-digit unemployment, scarcity of jobs offering more than a living wage, inadequate public transportation, limited access to wealth creation, lack of affordable housing, and public school systems that are not preparing today's youth for tomorrow's economy. Unlike Baltimore, it may be harder to see because the city of Boston has fewer expanses of poor neighborhoods. As Boston real estate prices soar, those with fewer resources are pushed out to cities and towns with a lower cost of living: Brockton, Chelsea, and Lawrence, to name a few. While dispersed, the underlying problems remain.
Almost 50 years ago, during another wave of insurrections that swept the nation, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. forewarned that "a riot is the language of the unheard".
Now is a crucial time for our policy and lawmakers to listen carefully