Posted on 08/07/2019 1:40:28 PM PDT by Kaslin
Last week, Townhall covered MAGA supporter Scott Presler's call to action in Baltimore by inviting "Americans to help Americans" and go clean up neighborhoods in Charm City. Presler at first kept secret when the event would occur for fear of retaliation from the far-left like Antifa. But, on Saturday, Presler and 100 other citizens from all over the country traveled to West Baltimore for the massive trash clean up. By all measures, it was hugely successful. However, on Monday, the Baltimore Sun's editorial board ran an op-ed, trashing Presler and his group saying they only did the event to embarrass Baltimore and its residents.
The op-ed was snarkily titled, "We assume it was pure motives that led a Trump supporter to launch a cleanup in Cummings’ district, right?"
"The effort was organized by pro-Trump activist Scott Presler. He claimed the event was not political. Yes, he was inspired to come by tweets from President Donald Trump describing the area, represented by U.S. Rep. Elijah Cummings, as a 'rodent infested mess,'" the editors wrote. "But the visit wasn’t about showing support or animosity for either man, he said."
"Call us skeptical," the paper remarked before going off on a litany of excuses, complaints, and verbal attacks as to why it was so wrong for out of towners to clean up the city.
"Look, we appreciate anyone who is willing to roll up their sleeves to help Baltimore. More than 170 people came from all over the country and cleaned up nearly 12 tons of trash, according to Mr. Presler’s Twitter feed." the paper claimed.
"But if this was all about 'Americans helping Americans,' why all the videos of Baltimore residents thanking Mr. Trump for bringing attention to the issue? We happen to know that not everybody in West Baltimore feels that way. And in the same posts as the videos, why the frequent reminders that this is in act Mr. Cummings’ district?," the editors pondered.
They then attacked Presler for posting a photo of a newspaper from President Barack Obama's inauguration in 2008 that the organizers and volunteers stumbled upon while hauling debris from the streets.
We found this newspaper while cleaning up trash in West Baltimore.
It's been 11 years. #AmericansHelpingAmericans pic.twitter.com/rK9fUif0Z2— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) August 5, 2019
For the writers at the Baltimore Sun, Presler's visit simply "reinforces the tired image of our failing urban cores. That the poor people in this dilapidated city can’t take care of their own neighborhoods and all the public officials around them have failed as well."
"The bureaucratic, all-talk Democrats strike again. If a crowd of volunteers could clean up 12 tons of trash in 12 hours, how incompetent and helpless must Baltimoreans be if they can’t manage it in decades, right?"
One would point out to the editorial board that this isn't just a "tired image" but a reality of the fact that Democratic policies and politicians have failed.
But as for why the trash hasn't been cleaned up before, the editorial board blamed it on death threats from criminals, saying, "Does Mr. Presler know that drug dealers use trash to hide their product and have been known to threaten people who try to clean it up? The solutions are just not that simple." The paper also blamed people from out of town who dump trash in the city illegally.
The writers did begrudgingly admit, "The silver lining in all of this is that the residents of West Baltimore did get a much needed cleaning up. That is something that they deserve." But they said that what they really need is leadership, money, and programs from the federal government.
They also hinted that they would do nothing to keep the neighborhood clean, saying, "In the meantime, we’ll see how clean the neighborhood still is when he returns in September."
Here are some of the photos from the event that the Baltimore Sun believes was so wrong to hold.
President @realDonaldTrump,
we spent the day in West Baltimore cleaning up trash.
A local woman, Louise, took me by the hand to show me where her neighborhood needs help.
She wanted me to thank you for bringing attention to Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/s8gT3DTuoO— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) August 6, 2019
Thank you to the 170+ volunteers who joined local residents to help clean up Baltimore! https://t.co/vYsHU9QIFa— The White House (@WhiteHouse) August 6, 2019
Imagine if we picked up trash in every city across America. #AmericansHelpingAmericans pic.twitter.com/9Ucyvgew6Y— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) August 6, 2019
One West Baltimore local said, "I'm really happy. I want to cry. I truly appreciate it."
West Baltimore local says, "I'm really happy. I want to cry.
I truly appreciate it." #AmericansHelpingAmericans #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/KCXZUXH36x— #ThePersistence (@ScottPresler) August 5, 2019
All of this begs the question, instead of writing a whiny, lazy, and excuse filled editorial attacking good samaritans for doing the work that Baltimore's elected leaders will not do, why wouldn't the Baltimore Sun use their energy to hold those representatives accountable?
Baltimore Sun(set)...
Hopefully this piece of crap paper goes belly up soon and is used to line the bottom of bird cages
Like I need another reason to hate the eneMedia.....
The Sun is committed to dirt and trash. They identify W Balt as dirt and trash. Clean it up and you are demonstrating hatred for W Balt’s natural condition. GTH Sun.
Who cares about their motives. They cleaned things up.
How far The Sun has sunk.... Ugh.
What, there weren’t 100 residents of Baltimore that could do it themselves?
Did they call them racists?
If not, don’t worry - they’ll get around to it.
I’m expecting them to accuse him of littering.
Boy! That REALLY takes the cake - what gall!! You know what SHOULD be embarrassing? That people from outside of Baltimore HAD to come in and clean up THEIR mess!!
They will come up with Something.
It was way to early in the day for the locals. They were still sleeping off the effects of the previous night's drugs and alcohol, God bless 'em.
Hey, Bucko! Baltimore NEEDS to be embarrassed that they let the city fall into ruins. The citizens of Baltimore consistently reelect the same crooked politicians, but are stupid enough to expect a different outcome from the same people. They should be embarrassed.
Puerto Rico couldn’t manage to pass out water bottles to people. Leadership is needed.
The Baltimore Sun is hopeless. Blinded by their own leftist beliefs.
Similar to the media downplaying the Dayton shooter’s beliefs.
It’d be interesting to know if any residents, upon seeing what was going on, pitched in to help.
(I’d guess, but y’all would think me cynical ;-)
Piece of crap paper
Feels threatened by the clean-up. Might suck them up in the ‘clean-up’
Tribune Publishing Company (formerly Tronc, Inc.) is an American newspaper print and online media publishing company based in Chicago, Illinois. The company’s portfolio includes the Chicago Tribune, the New York Daily News, The Baltimore Sun, the Orlando Sentinel, South Florida’s Sun-Sentinel, the Hartford Courant, additional titles in Pennsylvania and Virginia
I don't know of a thing that kept the good folks of the neighborhood from chipping in to help the effort. But did they? If not, why not? Now that answer would be telling. And why didn't employees from the Baltimore Sun join in and help? Leftists and their complicit journalists are the pond scum of the human race.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.