Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Republican representing District 7 in Baltimore and Harford counties.By Nicholas Stix
Patrick L. McDonough is an American hero. This country used to be full of men like him. Rush Limbaugh dreams of acting like McDonough.
I had the pleasure of meeting Delegate McDonough in the fall of 2010. He’s as unpretentious a public figure as you’re likely to meet, reminiscent of Pat Buchanan.
The racist black attacks on whites in Baltimore (City’s) Inner Harbor tourist trap have been such an open secret, for so long, that all the way up on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, Larry Auster dubbed them “Baltimore's black youth intifada” three years ago.
I posted the following comment, expressing my characteristic subtlety:
[B.S. editorial:] “Why is the race of those involved in criminal behavior pertinent? It isn't, of course.”
When racist blacks are targeting whites, based on the latter’s race, of course it’s pertinent. Do you talk like that when whites are accused of racially targeting blacks? Of course, not. You don’t believe your own words.
Patrick L. McDonough is an American hero, while you are an evil, racist, liar.
There was only one other comment posted, thus far:
LEGAL_Immigrant at 5:33 PM May 17, 2012
"Our view" ? You didn't even have the courage to sign your name to such a hit piece. Yup, NO Black on white violence problem in Baltimore. Nope, nothing to see here, move along.
Delegate warns of “black youth mobs”
McDonough urges 'no-travel zone' at Inner Harbor
Comments
436
By Michael Dresser
May 17, 2012, 3:36 p.m. EDT
The Baltimore Sun
A Baltimore County delegate said Wednesday that the governor should send in the Maryland State Police to control "roving mobs of black youths" at Baltimore's Inner Harbor, prompting a colleague to label the message "race-baiting."
Del. Patrick L. McDonough, a Republican whose district includes part of Harford County, distributed a news release with the headline: "Black Youth Mobs Terrorize Baltimore on Holidays." In it, McDonough said he had sent a letter to Gov. Martin O'Malley urging him to use the state police to help prevent attacks and to declare the Inner Harbor area a "no-travel zone" until safety can be guaranteed.
McDonough's message, which came on the last day of a General Assembly special session, offended some colleagues who thought it gratuitously highlighted the issue of race.
"It's a throwback to the '50s and '60s, and it's obviously race-baiting," said Del. Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr., a Baltimore Democrat who offered to take McDonough on a guided tour of the Inner Harbor on a weekend night.
McDonough, a radio talk-show host, is best known in the legislature for his relentless and sometimes confrontational efforts to crack down on illegal immigration in Maryland.
"I'm not surprised at this inappropriate behavior," said Del. Ana Sol Gutierrez, a Montgomery County Democrat. She said that in her 10 years in the legislature, she hadn't seen such a racially tinged statement released by a colleague.
McDonough refused to back down, saying he had heard from police that the crowds involved in several recent incidents were all black. Failing to mention the race of the participants, he said, would be "political correctness on steroids."
McDonough said his statement was prompted by several recent problems, including a St. Patrick's Day disturbance and a recent incident in which he and his wife witnessed a fight involving about 100 youths at Pratt and Calvert streets.
The lawmaker said that his statement has brought attention from out-of-town news media and that he planned to give national television interviews warning visitors against traveling to the Inner Harbor. He charged that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and city police haven't taken sufficient action and have been covering up the extent of the problem.
"A no-travel zone is an action that needs to be taken to protect lives," he said.
Mayoral spokesman Ryan O'Doherty said today, "Del. McDonough's sad and racially-charged publicity stunt is not deserving of a response and Mayor Rawlings-Blake is proud of the men and women of the Baltimore Police Department for reducing crime to historic lows. As an elected official, Del. McDonough should show more respect for the work our police officers do with the community every day to make Baltimore safer."
O'Malley, a former Baltimore mayor, dismissed McDonough's suggestions, saying Baltimore had cut its crime rate more than any American city of comparable size.
"Delegate McDonough should come and visit some time," the governor said. "He might enjoy it."
Nevertheless, there were signs that McDonough's comments were resonating outside Baltimore. The Drudge Report, a well-known conservative news website, carried his remarks to a national audience, raising concerns among potential visitors such as Bruce R. Weidman of Wyomissing, Pa.
Weidman, executive director of the Berks County Medical Society, said he had been planning a family trip to Baltimore in June but was now wondering whether he should cancel his reservations at the Hyatt Regency.
"What's going on at the Inner Harbor?" he said.
Weidman said he would hate to cancel because he and his wife visited Baltimore last summer with their granddaughter and "we loved it." He said he and his family felt safe at the Harbor, including at night, but McDonough's comments made him wonder whether conditions had changed.
"I don't want to come into a situation where it could be dangerous for us," Weidman said. He said he would talk with his wife before making a decision whether to cancel.
michael.dresser@baltsun.com
Baltimore and bigotry
Baltimore Sun
Our view: Where others might view the unruly mob behavior on St. Patrick's Day at the Inner Harbor as criminal, one delegate sees 'black youths'
4:05 p.m. EDT, May 17, 2012
It is always tempting to ignore the bluster and bombast emanating from the vicinity of Patrick L. McDonough, the Baltimore County delegate and radio talk show host who considers himself a man of the people but mostly is a self-promoting bomb-thrower. His is a career built on angry sound bites and finger-pointing, particularly at minority groups, while his actual legislative accomplishments in Annapolis can be contained in a thimble — with room to spare.
But his latest bloviation demands attention — if only because ignoring it might suggest it was excusable (which it was not) or something other than blatant racism (which it was). To paraphrase Will Rogers, once ignorance gets started, it knows no bounds.
Delegate McDonough issued a press release this week entitled "Black Youth Mobs Terrorize Baltimore on Holidays" that invites reporters to attend a "press conference" on the subject at noon on Friday at WCBM, which broadcasts his show. In his one-page release, the delegate frets that the "image of Baltimore is suffering" and then fatuously suggests that Gov.Martin O'Malleydeclare the city's harbor area a "no travel zone."
Why is the race of those involved in criminal behavior pertinent? It isn't, of course. People are people. Criminals are criminals. One doesn't have to be of any particular race to break the law. Yet after Del. Keiffer J. Mitchell Jr. challenged his "race-baiting" tactics during the last day of the special session, Mr. McDonough decried the criticism as "political correctness on steroids."
Sorry, but it isn't even steroid-free political correctness. Political correctness is when there's excess sensitivity to race, gender, ethnicity, etc. Race is simply irrelevant in this instance. That those involved in the St. Patrick's Dayincidents [sic] at the Inner Harbor were black is no more pertinent than their height, weight or eye color. Why is it so important to the delegate?
Had the St. Patrick's Day incident involved roaming groups of white youths, would it have been more acceptable? Less scary? Would Mr. McDonough have issued a news release headlined "White Youth Mobs Terrorize Baltimore on Holidays"? His views are, as Mr. Mitchell described them, a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s.
That's when "breaking the block" — the prospect of an African-American or other minority moving into one's neighborhood — was enough to send whites fleeing to the suburbs in a middle-class diaspora that continues to haunt the city.
[And this fear had nothing to do with black violence, eh?]
It's also reinforced by the delegate's suggestion that no one should visit the Inner Harbor, one of the state's most popular tourist attractions. Would Mr. McDonough offer the same suggestion in the wake of crimes committed in his own legislative district? It's always easier to blindly hate people who are outside one's base of support.
Earlier this week, we chastised Baltimore officials for playing down the extent of the problems that took place over St. Patrick's Day. After reviewing several hours of dispatch tapes and talking to eyewitnesses, The Sun's Peter Hermann discovered the mob was far more unruly and the situation more difficult and threatening than police had let on. His reporting also documented how ill-prepared the city was to deal with the sudden appearance of hundreds of young people downtown on an unusually warm spring day.
But to the best of our knowledge, police never hid the race of those accused of any crime. It was simply irrelevant — the equivalent of mentioning whether they were wearing Nike or Under Armour brand athletic shoes. And race was never cited as a motivating factor for any of those involved in any of the reported violence that took place.
Yet with his own attack, Mr. McDonough has single-handedly given city officials justification for withholding information from the public. After all, they now know there's an irresponsible politician itching to exaggerate the extent of the threat and give people the false impression that the Inner Harbor is especially unsafe — no matter that the facts (and falling city crime rate) don't support that view.
Known outside his district primarily for championing anti-immigrant legislation in Annapolis, Mr. McDonough may seem a mere buffoon to his colleagues, but his rants can't go unchallenged. That he might personally profit from outrageous behavior in the form of higher ratings on his radio show makes it all the more distasteful.
At minimum, the delegate's behavior deserves to be more broadly condemned by his fellow legislators. Perhaps it even fits the definition of "disorderly or disrespectful behavior" that could be sanctioned with a two-thirds majority vote under Article III of the Maryland constitution. Certainly, it's a view that brings shame to him, his party and his constituents in Baltimore and Harford counties.
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