There was a lot of publicity about the corporate executives who spoke up to
protest Indiana's attempt to legalize discrimination.
But I haven't seen much about the son of the owner of the Baltimore Orioles who
made a strong statement in response to a sports broadcaster complaining about
the Orioles keeping the fans in the ballpark after the game a few days ago.
The sports broadcaster argued that " ... protests should not violate the basic
freedoms of non-protestors."
Here's the response, copied from Huffington Post:
John P. Angelos, Orioles chief operating officer and son of team owner Peter
Angelos.
Angelos agreed that protests first and foremost should be peaceful, but said
the economic policies that are (in his view) devastating cities and communities
like Baltimore were his "greater source of personal concern."
We've pulled together the tweets for you (emphasis ours):
Brett speaking only for myself i agree with your point that the principle of
peaceful, non-violent protest and the observance of the rule of law is of
utmost importance in any society. MLK, Gandhi, Mandela, and all great
opposition leaders throughout history have always preached this precept.
Further, it is critical that in any democracy investigation must be completed
and due process must be honored before any government or police members are
judged responsible.
John Angelos (Source: Twitter)
That said, my greater source of personal concern, outrage and sympathy beyond
this particular case is focused neither upon one night's property damage nor
upon the acts group but is focused rather upon the past four-decade period
during which an American political elite have shipped middle class and working
class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the US to 3rd world
dictatorships like China and others plunged tens of millions of good hard
working americans into economic devastation and then followed that action
around the nation by diminishing every American's civil rights protections in
order to control an unfairly impoverished population living under an civil
rights protections in order to control an unfairly impoverished population
living under an ever-declining standard of living and suffering at the butt end
of an ever-more militarized and aggressive surveillance state.
The innocent working families of all backgrounds whose lives and dreams have
been cut short by excessive violence, surveillance, and other abuses of the
bill of rights by government pay the true price, an ultimate price, and one
that far exceeds the importance of any kids' game played tonight, or ever, at
Camden Yards.
We need to keep in mind people are suffering and dying around the US and while
we are thankful no one was injured at Camden Yards, there is a far bigger
picture for poor Americans in Baltimore and everywhere who don't have jobs and
are losing economic civil and legal rights and this is makes inconvenience at a
ball game irrelevant in light of the needless suffering government is
inflicting upon ordinary Americans.
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