“If you don’t like it, then leave” is the war cry of fake patriots who believe our country is above criticism, when, in fact, we live in one of the most corrupt and inequitable societies of the first world nations. The rare times this lowkey shithole country has made progress towards a better and more equal society has been through the adoption of socialist programs. But keep dreaming that capitalism, a system of infinite growth in a world of finite resources, is the way forward. You know what else grows for the sake of growing? Tumors. There’s a metaphor for you…

I walk by this cop car multiple days a week to get to/from work. I, an average Baltimore resident in the L, have alerted the police to issues with traffic lights on multiple occasions since July, the kinds of issues you could easily see from inside the vehicle, so they’re clearly not doing traffic enforcement. The police are there for one reason and one reason only: to avoid (or deter or maybe just delay the city from) another high-profile murder involving a squeegee worker at a major intersection that would force the city’s hand and force the city to police behavior that realistically will not stop until larger systemic changes are made and implemented by the city government.