This past weekend has been filled with terrible and remarkable stories. Baltimore, Maryland and Nepal have both been the point of tremendous suffering and incredible demonstrations of the human spirit since this past weekend.
Baltimore
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It has been a trying week in the City of Baltimore. Monday night resulted in 235 arrests, 20 police officers injured, 6 seriously, 144 vehicle fires and 19 structural fires. The peaceful riots turned to violent acts of vandalism and destruction of property.
The incident began with the arrest of 25 year old, Freddie Gray. About a week after his arrest, Freddie died of a spinal injury. Many in the Baltimore community have been protesting over the treatment of Freddie by the police. Up until Monday, the protests were non-violent. That all changed Monday, the day of Freddie’s funeral, when groups decided not to protest non-violently, but to create chaos and crime throughout the city.
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The residence of Baltimore, the family of Freddie Gary, and many Americans were horrified by the actions taken by these lawless thugs. The Mayor and Governor of Baltimore have responded with additional protection for the residence and the police.
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If Monday was utter chaos, Tuesday was a sign that peace can overcome. While protests continued, many of the people of the city spent the day cleaning the streets. A group of committed and considerate citizens spent the day standing between the police and angry demonstrators in an effort to maintain civility. Tuesday had 10 arrests and countless acts of concern and care for the community and law enforcement. While the underlying issue remains, hopefully the members of the community can continue to look for solutions in productive and non-violent actions.
Nepal
The country of Nepal was rocked with a 7.8 magnitude earthquake over the weekend. Most recent reports estimate the death toll at 6,100. Cities and communities were turned to rubble. Approximately 450,000 people will be displaced, having to find a new home. Additionally the earthquake triggered a landslide on Mount Everest, killing 19 climbers. The death toll is expected to continue to increase as the debris is cleared.
Nepal is one of Asia’s poorest nations. Recent estimates believe the cost to rebuild Nepal will exceed $5 billion. This is about 25% of the entire Gross Domestic Product. The international community is expected to assist Nepal in their recovery efforts.
With all the tragedy, there have been miraculous stories. For example, after 22 hours of being buried beneath the debris, rescuers recovered a 4 month old boy. The efforts of the first responders and the strength of the human spirit are never short of amazing.What are your reactions to the events in Baltimore and Nepal? What actions can we take to assist the people of Baltimore and Nepal?
I think that what is happening in Baltimore is wrong. It was all perfectly lawful when the protests were peaceful but the violent protests are wrong. I think that the Death of Freddie Gray was very sad but I do not think that it is right to let people do such damage to their city.
ReplyDeleteWhat has happened in Nepal is tragic and we as an international community. The best thing that we can do to help the people in Baltimore is to support the people that are helping to repair their damaged city, both physically and emotionally. To help the people in Nepal is to send as much help as possible. We can keep these places in our prayers.
I'm going to start with Baltimore. I am amazed that people would be able to do what they have done. They have robbed innocent people, harmed others, and more. There is most likely something more to the story, but that is no way to react. I believe that in order to help those in Baltimore people are going to have to look into the police forces ways. Also, help those that are innocent but were hurt. Some people's stores were robbed when they did nothing wrong.
ReplyDeleteNow to Nepal. I believe that when these devastating things occur that they are eye openers that some cannot see. Nepal and other poor countries need some system to know when an earthquake is coming. They also need a safe structure. I believe that all we can do is help them rebuild, the right way, and help them right now with anything.
I think it was all good until the funeral, everything was cool and collected then after the funeral, they just snapped. Kind of like what Grace said there has to be another side of the story, they couldn't just that because they felt like it there has to be something else going on. Someways we could help is by doing what that kid did giving the police man a drink of water and clean up the streets. The Baltimore baseball game, no one can go to that game because they are afraid they are going to do bad things there too. It really is sad as to whats going on in baltimore
ReplyDeleteI think it kind of brings us closer because of what happened in Nepal or at least brought the people of Nepal closer together, there were alot of other incredible stories. Don't get me wrong it really is sad. Ways we can help is donate money or if you are a doctor or nurse head of there to help them.
At the beginning of the Baltimore story I was slightly horrified. I was depressed that as humans, some of us are so willing to turn to violence that quickly. The worst part was the fact that the man's (the one that died) family didn't want the violence, in fact they were appalled by it. In helping Baltimore, I think that the best I can do is just pray that no one else gets hurt. But for the people that actually live in Baltimore, I hope that more and more people turn to the good side and help with cleaning up the streets and helping the officers; like the boy giving one of the officers a bottle of water.
ReplyDeleteThe story about the earthquake in Nepal made me SO sad. Those people are living in penury and maybe only living on one dollar (maybe less) a day or a week. Point being, these people are not able to just buy a new home they worked hard to build/pay for their own homes just to have them torn down by a natural cause. The part about the baby almost made me cry. I mean the fact that a four month old baby survived being under debris for TWENTY-TWO HOURS just shows the strength of the human spirit and the willingness to live. The baby was almost like a sign from God saying everything's going to be all right and I know you guys can persevere.
Let's all keep these two places in our hearts/prayers and let's hope for the best for them.
The Baltimore crisis is very wrong. Even though the dealth of Freddie Gray was sad, it is not right to go that extreme with the protests. The protest got way too violent. Many innocent people were hurt, stores were robbed, and many other horrible things. I think that the police are trying really hard to stop all of the protests, but there are so many people to stop. There were 235 people arrested.
ReplyDeleteI think that what has happened in Nepal is very sad. Especially since Nepal is one of the poorest places in the world. They are going to have a tough time trying to rebuild everything that they had before. It will cost around $5 billion. I don't know how they are going to do that. There were also so many inspiring stories also. Like the baby that was buried in debris for 22 hours. That is just amazing!
The chaos in Baltimore makes me question how advanced our society really is. It saddens me to think that this is the kind of world we are living in: where we turn on each other because of a dispute in which we do not know all of the facts. To me, this is a sign that we need to rally as one community, and support those who are grieving for their loss of Freddie Gray, as well as encourage those who are peacefully standing up against the protesters. My heart goes out to all those braving the protesters, and I pray that they will keep doing their selfless work.
ReplyDeleteMy heart sinks as I think about what has happened in Nepal. Before this tragedy, majority of the city was just barely making ends meat. Now, what these people had once called home is now buried under mountains of rubble, along with many of their loved ones. I can't even bare the thought of what these people must be going through right now. And who knows if Nepal will ever be able to recover from this. Those who were once barely making it along are now homeless with very little chance of ever seeing their loves ones again. And yet, as a small beacon of hope, a tiny infant survives in the chaos, standing for all to see as a sign that things aren't impossible. To help this struggling community, we should donate money as well as time to this cause, and especially keep them in our prayers.
I think that it is horrible people acting so horribly and uncicilized towards other humans. But then my heart goes out to the people in Nepal everything was distroied and I couldnt imagine what it would be like and how hard it would be to live on the streets ans every day look for loved ones or friends. When it comes to Baltimore people need to shape up the last year has been full of violense and horrible things happening everywhere. The people need to think before they speak and act. In Nepal all I can do is pray and hope for the best for everyone there found and not found, that they can recover from this horrible natural disaster that took so many inocent lives and still has more to clame. The world is going through tough times and all you can do is pray and act in a way that demonstrates a good thing when it comes to Baltimore.
ReplyDeleteI have two opinions for the Baltimore incident. I think that the people who were violently protesting should be ashamed of themselves. They need to talk a step back and look at what they are doing. I also think that the people who helped pick up the trash have a lot of character. I think that the Earth quake in Nepal is a terrible thing that happened. The earth quake struck a poor city and destroyed a lot of it. I think that he people in Nepal have a great chase to bond over this quake though. To help the situation in Baltimore, we can tell the protesters to step back and say good job to the people who picked up the junk. In Nepal, we can give the people money and workers to help repair the damage.
ReplyDeleteI believe that what happened in Baltimore was horrific. I think that it is attributed to many things. The prosecutor decided to continue forward with his case of homicide because they found substantial evidence to continue forward with their case against the police officers which leads me to believe that there may be some corruption in our police force. Also, those people that protested should never have turned to violence. It simply made what they believe in lose meaning and substance because with the acts of violence they lose credibility.
ReplyDeleteI think that what happened in Nepal was horrific. Watching the death count for those who have been discovered dead is incredibly sad. Not only have they lost many lives, but also many cultural and historical structures that represent Nepal's history have been leveled.
I think that both fixes in each situation require our continuous prayer each day. In Baltimore, I think that it will require national aid and it also calls for a need to reexamine our racial ideas and look into a possibly corrupt police force. I believe that Nepal require global aid including not only volunteers for cleanup, but it also requires funds for recovery. With Nepal being one of the poorest countries in the world, we must help and support them in their recovery from this horrible earthquake
My reactions to Baltimore are that lots of people are getting hurt and that burning buildings down and robbing stores will do nothing. In Nepal I think its amazing that they found the baby after 22 hours of being under rubble. well I think it wold be hard to fix Baltimore and the only way is to tell the protesters to chill out and thank everyone cleaning up and not participating in the violence. the way to fix Nepal is to send supplies and to start heading out to the outskirts of the villages.
ReplyDeleteWow. This was quite a week. In Baltimore, the acts are just horrifying. Violence and crime WILL NOT, I repeat WILL NOT fix anything. But then came Tuesday. I think it is great that people went and cleaned the streets; it was like counter-protesting by showing that there were some people that cared for their city, and thought of better ways. The picture of the boy handing the water to the officers was very moving. it showed me that this situation isn't just hate - it's love too. To me, in Nepal and in the rest of the world, things happen and shake people up. Like a 'crash test' on out world. The way I see it is that it's like a car. If it is crash-tested and the airbags don't work, than the car will be improved. When the world goes on a crash-test, people are improved and so is the world. In both these situations, we need to find the good and the bad and put it back together, but a little better.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe what has happened this week with Baltimore and Nepal. What has happened in Baltimore is purely wrong. There should be no violent protests going on. If there are protests at all, they must be non-violent. Protests need to stop now in Baltimore. What has happened in Nepal is terrible. So many people have died. 6,100 people is 6,100 people too many. Hopefully Nepal will recover soon.
ReplyDeleteBaltimore is really scaring me. So far this year there have been too many incidents involving the police. But VIOLENCE WILL NOT SOLVE ANYTHING!!!!! It will just make everything worse. These people need to stop now. As for Nepal, they need a better system for keeping track of earthquakes. They know that there will be one major earthquake every 70 years. So why weren't they prepared? They just need to know about when the next one will hit.
ReplyDeleteI was stunned and shocked by the story of Baltimore, it seemed so unreal, but as soon as pictures and videos were shown, I realized how scary this actually is. For some people, it may seem way out of proportion, but some people also believe that they are protesting for the rights of their friend who was killed under police custody, that gives them the right to be angry, but they should not be hurting people and having violent protests. In Nepal, that is such a saddening story. Even though many acts of hope have shown through it and the almost impossible has been done, many people's lives were ruined from this. In order for us to help them, I think we all need to pitch in and send prayers, money, people, and supplies to help them get back on their feet and on the road to recovery. As for Baltimore, I think we need to talk people out of the violence and lead them back to peaceful protesting.
ReplyDeleteThese are definitely trying times in Baltimore and America. This week has been a sort of wake up call that we need to pay more attention to problems all over the country. A big deal of attention needs to be put on our Police force. They need to tell our policemen when to pull the trigger and when to put it back in its holster. In Nepal, we need to send many people in a relief effort. We know only of the people we have seen on camera that are stranded and homeless. But there are most likely a lot more people who are stuck in tragedy.
ReplyDeleteI am very scared for Baltimore because there has been a lot of incidents involving the police which means there will be more violence in Baltimore Maryland. In Nepal there was a big earthquake and a bunch of people died because of the earthquake. They could use a warning system to see when a next earthquake will hit Nepal.
ReplyDeleteThe situations in Baltimore and Nepal started off different, but then ended in a similar devastating way. Baltimore was caused by human nature, and Nepal was caused by mother nature. To start with Baltimore, I can’t imagine what it would be like to be around all the violence. It’s fine to hold peaceful, non-violent protests because in this country we have privileges like freedom of speech. But when when situations start to turn violent like the one in Baltimore, we lose communication and respect. I have much sympathy for Freddie Gray and his family and friends, but there is no need to turn a tragedy into turmoil. It especially saddens me that the citizens had to use violence on the day of Freddie’s funeral. My prayers go out to the people in Baltimore, that they may find peace during this conflict. Ways we can assist the people of Baltimore is to encourage and educate them about how not to destroy property and what their behavior is doing to the city. The example they are setting for the United States, and what other riots may look like in the future depends on their current behavior.
ReplyDeleteI am so sad to hear what has happened in Nepal. This is Asia’s poorest nation, and it is terrible that an earthquake had to strike in a place where many are already struggling. It is so sad to think of all the people who have lost their homes, loved ones, and for those who are hoping that a missing loved one is still alive. My prayers go out to them. Ways we can assist the people of Nepal is to have supplies and support come from other countries. Volunteers can set up temporary camps that can provide food and water. Other things we can do are fundraisers that will provide money to help rebuild Nepal. I hope and pray for the best in both of these situations.
I think the riots in Baltimore will eventually go away but the people who have the civility need to increase in size. Nepal needs as much help as possible to recover all the people and homes that made Nepal so great. I believe that Baltimore is something that just needs to die out, but if we were to help we should create a peaceful protest. As for Nepal donating money to a rebuild charity or natural disaster cleanup.
ReplyDeleteI think that the events in Baltimore are needless and without thought. The rioting in Baltimore became something more than protesting about the death of Freddie Gray, and turned into senseless destroying of property. There is no reason to behave that way, and that is one way to protest that will NOT help at all.
ReplyDeleteI think that the massive earthquake that happened in Nepal is very sad and tragic, but the heroic stories that have come out of the event are quite amazing and inspirational. I have been and will continue to pray for those who are suffering from this event.
I believe a way that we can remove these riots in Baltimore is by refusing to accept these acts of violence, and by increasing productive after school activities will get these kids off the streets, and into a beneficial environment.
I think that we can help those in Nepal by sending over medical workers, which is being done, and also by informing the Nepalese government of the importance of constructing structurally sound buildings, especially in the location that Nepal is in, to reduce mortality rate and structural damage.
Rioters in Baltimore are taking things way too far. Setting 144 vehicles on fire, injuring 20 policemen, and burning 19 buildings down. If they are going to protest, protest peacefully. When they destroy property they are putting bystanders and themselves in danger. Others need to calm down and not be so angry to start violence. Bystanders need to stand up and show other how to protest peacefully.
ReplyDeleteThe disaster in Nepal is devastating. So many cultural customs are gone and buried under the gravel of buildings, plus the avalanche in Mt. Everest. Families and friends are distraught. People need to help and care for others in Nepal, volunteer time or donate money for rebuilding.
I am kind of surprised that the city of Baltimore is rioting. But this does make sense because the US is going through a tough time with racism and this does bring me back to Ferguson which was rioting for close to the same reason. With Nepal I am very surprised because I never realized how much an earthquake can effect a country. I think we can donate used things to Nepal and maybe send some clean up crews to help clean and rebuild houses and other buildings. With Baltimore I cant really thin kof anything I can do but the US should send in some more security just to keep the place under control. I think its stupid to riot and destroy your city because once this riot is over your city is going to be torn to shreds.
ReplyDeleteMy initial reaction to the Baltimore incident was confusion because I hadn't heard of the story other than there was rioting. Now that I know the whole story, I understand all the protests, but I think the riots are a little bit over the top. I don't think there is a lot we can do to assist the Baltimorians other than working through it. I don't believe that there is anything else we can do.
ReplyDeleteMy initial reaction to the Nepal disaster was that I was shocked. I knew very little about Nepal, but when I saw the aftermath of the earthquake, i felt empathy for the victims of this terrible disaster. I think there is a lot we can do to help the people affected, but I'm not sure what that is. I think we are in the right track to helping them right now and that's about all we can do.
I was and still am really confused on whats going on in Baltimore. All I know about is Freddie Gray and what happened to him...RIP. I know about how the rioting went from peaceful to painful in a day and that the Bloods and the Crips put a temporary peace treaty on in Baltimore so they could cause chaos together. Which is terrible. Also I agree with Todd that there is not much we can do to help.
ReplyDeleteI was horrified when I heard what happened to Nepal and how a lot of the people that live deeper in the mountains still don't have support. We need to give them food, water, blankets, and medical support. Otherwise we can't do much.
For Baltimore I think that it is sad that we would treat people and more important, law enforcement that way. They were protesting about how bad the police treated Freddie Grey, then they turned around and did just the same. Two wrongs do not make a right. It is sad that they can not be nice. And as for Nepal, I think that what is sad there is how so many have died and they can not afford medical care and can not rebuild the city. How we could help Nepal is we could send over supplies like food, and doctors, we could also help then rebuild. For Baltimore, I really think that instead of reacting with the police, they should talk about it. I know that sounds like a girl thing to say, but I'm not sure what else to say except, for the protesters, Stop Fighting!
ReplyDeleteI honestly do not know what to think of all this. Let's start with Baltimore. I know that what they're doing is wrong, but I do stupid things when I am mad too. Our country seems to be filled with violent protests, at least to me. I think that the black people want to be treated fairly and equally, and they surely should be, but they are the ones hurting thier reputation in doing violent acts. In Nepal, it is just so sad how many lives were lost. But, on the optimistic side, so many people were saved and now have inspiring stories to share with the world. I think that prayer is the main thing we can do to help all the people affected by these events.
ReplyDeleteI think no matter what the issue is people take protesting way to far. Yes this is a really horrible sad event but there is no need for violence. Violence is what started the issue in the first hand. My reaction to Nepal was that they are very misfortune. It is always sad when a poor country has a major natural disaster to make them poorer. I think we can help Nepal with giving them support and send them the basic needs like food and water. We can help Baltimore by helping the people and arrest the cops
ReplyDeleteFor Baltimore it's very sad because they decided to use violence then trying to resolve it anyway they could. For Nepal it's also very sad because they are very poor and already struggling now they have to deal with this problem. A way to help is we could donate things to Nepal and try to deal with Baltimore and not to have so much violence. I'm praying for both of them to recover as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteFor Baltimore it's very sad because they decided to use violence then trying to resolve it anyway they could. For Nepal it's also very sad because they are very poor and already struggling now they have to deal with this problem. A way to help is we could donate things to Nepal and try to deal with Baltimore and not to have so much violence. I'm praying for both of them to recover as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteI think what is happening in both places is really awful. In Baltimore the people have a right to be mad but they shouldn't be violent about it, that won't work. In Nepal the people need help and we need to help them. They need to pray and be faithful and take care of themselves. We can tell the people of Baltimore to be more peaceful and being violent won't work. We can donate money to organizations that go and help people in Nepal
ReplyDeleteI think that both are pretty sad. In Baltimore they really shouldn't be setting things on fire and throwing rocks at police. I mean do they really think that violent protests will work? In Nepal I was horrified at how so many people died there and that it also destroyed some culture with it too. I was very upset when I heard this because that sounds awful. We can help Baltimore by trying to contain the violent protests. In Nepal we are helping as much as we can already.
ReplyDeleteI think that what is happening in Baltimore is terrible. As many people have said, violence wont help anything. I cant help but think that what is hhappening is human nature. I have no idea what I would have done if I would have been in that situation so it is hard to give my opinion on what to do. What has happened in Nepal is devastating. The death toal is still growing today and many people have still not been found. I think that one thing we can do to help both places is pray for them and contribute to a relief program that can help those places.
ReplyDeleteWell for both of them there kind of sad. For nepal many people have lost their lives and homes. Also for Baltimore in the fact that people who live there their shops are getting destroyed or where they work is getting destroyed. Also they should do it in a nonviolent way such as just signs or something there is no need to vandalize things and burn down buildings. We can help Baltimore and nepal by donating money to help fix peoples lives. For Baltimore we can promote nonviolence in hope to stop the violence.
ReplyDeleteMy reaction to Nepal is very shocking for the most part. The death rate is rising by the thousands and we need to get some red cross over there! The people in Nepal never expected this earthquake, and we need to take action and save some lives. The people in Nepal desperately need us, and we need to take action. As for the riots in Baltimore, good lord! This is just more Ferguson bull crap. If a white guy was murdered in a police convoy, no one cares. As for a black guy, the city goes into chaos with riots and protests and is all over the media. The people in Baltimore just need to deal with it like the white people murders. It angers me that all the years whites and blacks have been living together, there is still quarrel between the two skins.
ReplyDeleteI think that what has been happening in both Baltimore and in Nepal is devastating. The amount of anger and hatred that must be happening in Maryland is crazy. I wish that we could go back in time and stop the whole thing. Luckily, the police officers were arrested which helped. The protests have turned more peaceful, though there is still a state of emergency. As for Nepal, the earthquake hit them extremely hard. Many people were killed, as well as many left without a mom, dad, or sibling because of it. I think that if this happened in a more developed country, they would be much better off, but it happened in Nepal, which is a poor country. To help these two places, we can do different things. In Baltimore, we can promote non violence and peace. In Nepal, we can send donations and our support. I hope the best for both places.
ReplyDeleteWhat are your reactions to the events in Baltimore and Nepal? What actions can we take to assist the people of Baltimore and Nepal? I think that the events occurring in Baltimore is wrong. I mean yes this is a devastating thing but it's not worth the time to worry about what happened to one person. This is very sad and devastating to the people that surrounded him that he died in the colostomy of the police and i would get angry, but not enough to set fire to a police car or kill anyone, yes this is sad but no one has the right to take away the life of anyone else. I don't think there is anything that we can do to help, you can advise the rioters to stop and find a more peaceful way of solving there anger. But they don't have to take it, if we forced them we would turn into a Communist country:) Just Kidding.
ReplyDeleteI think that what is happening in Nepal is sad i mean they was nothing we could do to prevent this from happening , they could have had a better earthquake reporting system but, there would still be and impact on the national landmarks that were ruined. Of-course there would be less people dead but nothing you could do. One way to help them would be(if you where in the area) to help clean up the mess and just help around. Again another way to prevent this from happening again is to make better systems of warning people that this is going to happen.
Well, it's safe to say the world is a wreck. Sometimes, but only because we let it be. With what's happening in Boston, it's wrong, but there's 100 more lives being saved for every bad police officer killing out of hate, and in Nepal, there's people who despise eachother providing comfort in ecah other's time of need. With every bad situation thats currently happeneing it really just depends on how you look at it.
ReplyDeleteThe actions we can take to help are no other than to keep doing what we are doing, and on top of that do more. There are plenty of unsaid prayers to make up for all of the unsaid good byes.
Well, it's safe to say the world is a wreck. Sometimes, but only because we let it be. With what's happening in Boston, it's wrong, but there's 100 more lives being saved for every bad police officer killing out of hate, and in Nepal, there's people who despise eachother providing comfort in ecah other's time of need. With every bad situation thats currently happeneing it really just depends on how you look at it.
ReplyDeleteThe actions we can take to help are no other than to keep doing what we are doing, and on top of that do more. There are plenty of unsaid prayers to make up for all of the unsaid good byes.
My reactions to the events in Baltimore are really just disgusted. Not with the death of Freddy gray but with the innocent people having there lives ruined by the protesters. What is looting stores going to do. It just makes the violence worse. I feel sympathy for the people in Nepal because they didn't know this was coming and many could have lived if they were warned. To help in Baltimore we need to calm the protesters. To help in nepal we need to get the first res-ponders out there.
ReplyDeleteThe events going on in Baltimore as joe said are out of hand. Yes it is wrong for Freddie's treatment but he was arrested. That doesn't give the police officers to abuse him. But at this point how do we know what happened. People often form options before they get proper knowledge. Thugs, such as the ones in baltimore will use every operatunity to excuse their immoral evil behavior. In nepal we need to help them rebuild and treat the injured. But as students in Boise Idaho, for the moment can pray. Praying will so;ve everything in the end
ReplyDeleteWhat is happening in Baltimore is completely out of control. It was wrong what happened to Freddie but the people should't violently protest. We don't even know what happened to him-or the full story- so we shouldn't be to quick to judge either of the parties. The people should peacefully protest instead of violently protesting. As said, violence gets you no were. In Nepal people are going through hard times. Because of the poor country and the bad earthquake people are going through bad things. I think we can maybe do a fundraiser next year to help them out. We can also pray and hope for the best.
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