And just more liberal local government and government officials who can't admit THEY are part of the problem. A BIG part of it. They are hostile to their police force and run officers and try to arrest them for legally carrying out the duties to keep the street safe and free of crime. So now she is going to tell stores to close early because she will not take steps to rid the streets of crimes. How much sales tax is that going cost the city? How much commerce and incomes for the people working there? Watch the out of their trunks blackmarket come alive and thrive selling beer and liquor and snacks and tobacco products. The front porch stores. And even MORE crime. Baltimore Mayor Tries to Address City's Violence by Telling Businesses When to Close The city of Baltimore has a real problem. It's been suffering from a wave of violence for some time now. Residents of the city thought it was over. After all, the murder rate for the first three months of this year dropped significantly, undoubtedly a good sign. Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. This month, the city has seen at least 29 murders as the violence surged yet again. This led Mayor Catherine E. Pugh to take to the streets to visit some local businesses. One of the exchanges recorded by the Baltimore Sun was a little concerning, though. You see, Pugh stood inside of an area convenience store and asked what time the store closed. When the owner responded that they closed at 11:30, that wasn't good enough for Pugh. "Isn’t that late?" the mayor reportedly responded. "That’s a little late. It keeps the crowds around here. Nine o’clock is nice. We need you-all to close at 9 o’clock at night." Maybe it's just me, but that kind of gives off a mafia-like "Nice business you've got here. It would be a shame if anything happened to it" kind of vibe.............. However, here's a thought for Pugh to consider. Instead of telling law-abiding business owners when they should close, maybe she should consider doing something about the "open-air drug market" on her city's streets. These kinds of illegal activities are closely tied to gang activity, and police do attribute the recent surge in violence to feuding gangs. Arrest them for drugs and maybe lock up the violent gang members in the process? Just a thought. It's certainly better than telling businesses when they should close. https://pjmedia.com/trending/baltimore-mayor-tries-address-citys-violence-telling-businesses-close/