In the days and weeks ahead, I’m sure there will be much written about how angry mobs were handled in Baltimore.
- Why wasn’t the National Guard called in earlier?
- Why weren’t the police more aggressive in quelling the vandalism?
Instead of using force first, the mayor rallied people in the neighborhoods, empowering local citizens to remind each other about their better selves, their higher values, their greater goals.
We saw mothers vigorously telling their sons to Stop It! We saw pastors, community leaders, veterans standing up for resistance—Yes!—but peaceful solidarity against discrimination, not anarchy.
It empowered the neighborhood to take responsibility for their actions. To stand up to injustice in a way that garners respect rather than ridicule or disgust.
This changed the perspective of the people in the neighborhood—at least for one night. No longer did they see themselves as victims, lashing out in an opportunistic mob. They were people who wanted to hold up for all to see the injustice and discrimination in how authority is applied to them.
They want to be seen. They want their message to be heard. And they want to be taken seriously. So they are taking responsibility to show up with the strength and determination of peaceful resistance.
It’s the same strategy that great men like Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Jesus used. Armies create winners and losers, drawing on bitterness and hatred. Peaceful resistance holds up our moral standards and reminds us of the core human values we want to stand for and the people we want to be.
It’s too early to know if neighborhood empowerment will hold up. The forces of mob anger and mentality are very strong. But the road to respect, influence, and change is through empowering self-responsibility and collaboration for change. That’s true leadership for change.
It is my hope that Baltimore will lead the way in rethinking policing policies and procedures. I want the city to soon return to its historical tagline: The “City of Brotherly Love.”
What do you think about the mayor’s strategy as a leader trying to quell her angry constituents?
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