And while Rawlings-Blake may not be accustomed to “aggressive” reporting, Vittert wasn’t about to let that deter him from trying to find out why there has been an increase in crime. “Is that because the police are doing less?” he asked.
“As I said before, there are a lot of reasons why,” Rawlings-Blake replied.
“Is that one of them?” Vittert interjected. “Arrests are down 50 percent.”
At this point, the mayor paused out of frustration, then said, “I am not 100 percent sure what you are doing.”
“I am just asking a question,” the reported replied.
“You’re not. You’re being rude, just like you were before,” the mayor snapped.
“So if you would like to ask a question and give me an opportunity to answer, we can do this. Otherwise, I will end the conference.”
Rawlings-Blake has plenty of reasons to not be happy with the Fox News reporter.
Vittert was the first to report that the mayor told Baltimore police to stand down against rioters, saying “let them loot, it’s only property” — which she continues to deny.
He also attempted to interview Rawlings-Blake on her way to speak at an Al Sharpton event. She took a lot of heat nationally from that encounter when Sharpton, acting as if he were a member of her security detail, intervened to prevent the interview.
Nonetheless, with the level of leadership on display in Baltimore, and cops hesitant to police aggressively, residents there need to hunker down for what is likely to be a long, hot, and violent summer.
