The Baltimore Sun has been bought and sold and bought since it was the newspaper I knew as a kid. My grandmother worked for The Sun when Mencken wrote for them. She believed he was the devil incarnate. Odd coming from a woman who was a Ward Chief or some such for the Democrats and the money collected went right off to the IRA to buy guns and killing things.
Welp, The Sun, like many (most) newspaper outlets can be sad for stretches. But the coverage and actual journalism (see ancient idea of investigative reporting) has been quite remarkable as to the Freddie Gray murder. First time I heard the term, "rough ride," meaning handcuff behind the back, shackle, don't seatbelt an arrestee in the back of a van and drive like a fucking maniac through the streets of Baltimore.
I'm a Baltimoron by birth and early education. I also am a graduate of UMD law school which is downtown Baltimore. I spent 13 adult years in the better section of the city but I know the Sandtown neighborhood well.
If you want to see/read a paper which is actually reporting stuff important -- please look at today's Sun. They have had live blogs of the protests. They have shown the peacefulness amidst the righteous anger. They have done more investigation than the police department (checked out security video -- police didn't for a week and critical video taped over). They have reported that the citizens of Baltimore don't want outside agitators but also welcome the peaceful folks who have arrived from Ferguson in solidarity.
My grandfather was a Baltimore cop. He bragged about using his billy club on niggers. I have a rather healthy sense, as a white woman, that my city of majority African Americans still fucks over the majority.
Pray or just send positive thoughts for a peaceful march today. It is a long walk from the intersection of arrest to City Hall.
Blessings for our brother Freddie. Blessings for his family and friends. Blessings for the protesters.