How the Baltimore Mayor's office explains her infamous 'space to destroy' remark

Washington Examiner ^ | April 27, 2015 | Philip Klein

[Zakeet]

With massive violence spreading in Baltimore on Monday, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is under fire for a statement she made over the weekend indicating that she ordered the city's police to give people the "space" to destroy property.

"I've made it very clear that I work with the police and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech," Rawlings-Blake said in a press conference.

"It's a very delicate balancing act, because, while we tried to make sure that they were protected from the cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who wished to destroy space to do that as well. And we worked very hard to keep that balance and to put ourselves in the best position to deescalate, and that's what you saw."

How could a mayor actually say she asked police to allow people to destroy property?

According to her office, her statement didn't quite come out the way she intended it to.

[william clark]

Oh, good, so I’m not the only one conversant enough in English to get what she thought she was saying. I’m taking a lot of flak on another thread for having the same take as you.

[dfwgator]

She meant what she said. She wanted them to destroy with impunity.

[just me]

Someone give the mayor a teleprompter...

[Charles Henrickson]

I’m giving her the benefit of the doubt in her intent. I really understand what she meant, but I’d say she’s incompetent. She meant that when you give space for free speech, you’re also allowing space for those who have malintent. But, as you said, she’s in a position above her competence, so she misstated it and inadvertently gave “permission”.

That's I have understood it also. She should have given space to lawful assemblers, but that does not mean she needed to give **any space** to rioters and looters. The moment the destruction started--which was very predictable--she should have had everything ready to stop it immediately.

[moovova]

Van Jones explained that all away last night. Now, move along...

[hal ogen]

LIBs are always good for a laugh... Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Doesn’t she realize that she is further hurting the image of affirmative-action?

[houeto]

She gave them the space to destroy again last night. Down at the main 'battle front' they stood there all night and watched. They pressed in one time to put a fire out inside a corner liquor store. When they got it out they backed all the way out and ceded that 'space' back to the rioters.

All this after backpedaling the comment that caused her grief.

[dfwgator]

She looks like one of those “Shoe Throwing Mothers” Eddie Murphy talked about.

[hattend]

I've made it very clear that I work with the police and instructed them to do everything that they could to make sure that the protesters were able to exercise their right to free speech,

Surprised she isn't out there beside the looters, burning cars.

How did we get to this?