Locals Address Crime Plagued Baltimore

I love conversations with my 89-year-old black preacher dad. We chat over the phone. I live in Florida and Dad lives in the Baltimore area of Maryland. Blacks are killing each other in record numbers in Baltimore. Dad said a young black male, crazy from taking a new street drug held two elementary school kids hostage with a knife. Police tried to talk the man into letting the children go. Unfortunately, SWAT was called and they had to shoot him. He died. We chatted a bit about how the police were in a no-win situation, branded racist whatever they did. Some said SWAT shot too quickly. Had the drug-crazed man stabbed the kids, SWAT would be criticized for acting too slowly. The incident inspired a young black man from Pumphrey, Maryland, the community I grew up in, to plan a prayer vigil. He asked my dad to come and speak. The young man agreed to pick up Dad because he no longer drives. Dad will be 90 in April.