Rioting charge carries a maximum of life in prison in the state of Maryland

[Jesus Malverde]

In a frightening example of the hypocrisy of the justice system, a Baltimore teen who turned himself in for smashing a police car window is being held on $500,000 bail and facing life in prison. This as the cops who arrested Freddie Gray are all walking free and still collecting their paychecks.

Allen Bullock, 18, was seen smashing a police car window with a traffic cone in an image that ran on the front page of the Baltimore Sun’s coverage of the uprising in the city this week. According to The Guardian, after being encouraged by his parents to turn himself in, he was charged with eight criminal counts including rioting and destruction of property.

Bullock’s step father, Maurice Hawkins, told his son that he feared the police would “find him, knock down our door and beat him,” if he didn’t turn himself in.

So he did. And it appears he is now being made an example of by law enforcement.

http://hellobeautiful.com/2015/04/30/baltimore-teen-facing-life-in-prison-after-turning-himself-in-for-smashing-cop-car-window/

[Cali_Democrat]

1. Is it any wonder why folks are rioting?

When the system fucks over a certain group of people time and time again, they're gonna lash out.

[NuclearDem]

2. Confirmed: BPD are all fucking idiots and have learned nothing.

If you're black in Baltimore, carrying a maybe-kinda-sorta-not really switchblade is punishable by death, smashing a window, life in prison.

[NuclearDem]

9. No, but they enforce the laws of Maryland in Baltimore.

[merrily]

3. Why not? The 1% never riots. To get what they want, they have someone make a call.

Rioting has never done plutocrats a bit of good. To the contrary. So, of course, let's come down hard on it. Makes the plutocrats sleep better to know that "thugs" will get punished severely

Mind you, rioting is a separate charge from hurting a person or property damage or being a public nuisance, etc. all of which are covered by other laws.

Madison's fear of common people was certainly contagious.

[stillwaiting]

8. The 1% most definitely riot.

They use our military to break shit all around the world to get what they want. Their riots make the Baltimore riots look like Romper Room.

And the 1% riot within our own country when police forces bust up peaceful demonstrations and treat the 99% like animals. That is definitely the system working on behalf of the 1%. It's been set-up to work that way by the elite, and they want it to happen exactly this way. To me, it is them rioting against us.

To clarify, the 1% are the generals that are directing the most destructive and riotous forces within our country. They are to blame for these ensuing riotous acts.

[merrily]

11. Thank you. On this, we are on the same page.

[tblue]

4. Oh for crying out loud!

Please don't let this happen.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Well at least they require you to ***actually do something***

Sorry, but after covering our local criminal code 182.5 YAY another long day in court on Thursday. I am a tad on the very cynical side anymore.

Here is what I mean... but the short of it, just because we think you are a gang member, (meaning the DA) and we believe you benefited from a crime, while associating with the wrong crowd, never mind you had no clue the crime happened... how does life sound to you?

http://reportingsandiego.com/2015/03/16/charges-dropped-in-the-brandon-duncan-and-aaron-harvey-case/

The even more shorter of this. Yup, this is one reason people are pissed all over the country. Mass incarceration and the myriad of excuses for it.

By the way... most of this crap, and it is national, just different offenses, is well hidden from view.

[C Moon]

6. They can't be serious! This is going to start another riot.

[romanic]

12. This is extreme.

Unless a rioter causes a fire that ends up killing someone (like the deaths of three people in a bank during the Greek crisis) or is using a deadly weapon against others during the riot; the most they should get is a misdemanor and a fine.