On Saturday night, following the violence that broke out near Camden Yards, a photo of me supposedly protecting a woman from violent protesters surfaced on BuzzFeed and then trickled down to the conservative armpit of the internet where it was mischaracterized. In the photo, I look strangely heroic, and the picture was quickly co-opted by those who like to present an all-too-common and easy narrative: white people being terrorized by black people.
The truth, or as much as I have been able to cobble together from my own memory and notes, videos online, video I shot, and videos from City Paper’s Managing Editor Baynard Woods, is far less interesting, though much more important than “white dude saves white lady.”
I’m not exactly sure how the violence broke out around 6 p.m. in front of Pickles Pub on Washington Boulevard and traveled up the street to The Bullpen, Sliders Bar & Grill, and Frank & Nic’s West End Grille then down Howard Street. I know a small group of protesters and a small group of baseball fans started whipping bottles at one another and brawling. When the protesters turned the corner onto Washington Boulevard from Camden Street chanting “black lives matter,” some baseball fans applauded and a few angrily chanted back, “We don’t care”—someone who worked at The Bullpen confirmed this for me. He also said that some patrons chanted “run them over,” and one yelled “go get them.” Other protestors, including City Paper contributor D. Watkins and gang members interviewed on WBAL, recall bar patrons calling them “niggers,” among other racist epithets.
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Let me get this straight.
ReplyDeleteFans peacefully go to bars, all is well.
A group of "protestors" breaks off from their designated area and marches down towards Camden Yards in search of fans/white people to harass.
Aforementioned blacks decide to seek out whites.
Blacks discover whites unsympathetic to, and ever so tired of, their antics.
Whites refuse to be bullied. Blacks take this as "racism".
Whites return to the more important task of being whites people.
Blacks now have "racism" to kick off another round of "undocumented shopping."
Whites make plans to move out of the city, those that are left.
Report from a biased liberal who has been indoctrinated that it's always the white man's fault.
ReplyDeleteapparently you clowns have never been to a major sporting event or sports bar. If you find it incomprehensible that quite a few fans hopped up on alcohol on sat. night decided to talk trash and fight, then you sir should stay in mommy's basement a bit longer.
ReplyDeleteTo be honest, I don't doubt that there was name calling and heckling. That's usually how fights break out. It would be nice to see someone take personal responsibility for their actions. If the protesters can't control themselves when goaded, how do they expect the police to do the same?
ReplyDelete