Fresh out of the police academy, Baltimore County police officer Jennifer Lynne Silver did not shy away from unleashing her opinions on Instagram about the protests taking place in Baltimore over the death of Freddie Gray, referring to them as “animals” and a “disgrace to the human race.”
But the social media backlash was quick, forcing the cop to shut down her Instagram and Facebook pages where she had proudly[**displayed her colors**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Jennifer-Lynne-Baltimore-County-police.jpg) along with a [**penchant for selfies.**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/Jennifer-Lynne-Baltimore-County-police-3.jpg)
While Silver is entitled to her opinion, it does not help mend relations between police and the community when she expresses such contempt along with a photo of herself in full uniform standing in front of her patrol car, along with her boyfriend kissing her on the cheek.
In fact, an Instagram page emerged titled [**TerminateOfficerJenniferSilver**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/terminateofficerjennifersilver)calling for her job. At this point, it only has 38 followers, not yet close to the 192 followers Silver had before [**shutting down her account**](https://instagram.com/jennifer_lynne_19/).
Also shutting down his Facebook page was a high-ranking Baltimore city cop [**named Avi Tasher**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2015/04/purported-baltimore-cop-claimed-on-fb-freddie-gray-broke-his-own-neck-in-police-van/) who stated that Gray broke his neck by repeatedly bashing his head against the inside of the police van, even though video shows he could not even walk when police were dragging him into the van.
We have reached out to the Baltimore Police Department to inquire why an officer would say that when the official word is that it’s still “under investigation,” but they have not responded.
However, another man who may be associated with the Baltimore Police Department as well as the Baltimore Ravens is also tweeting that Gray committed suicide.
It is not clear what role Henry Mack III plays with either entity but he describes himself [**on Twitter**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hmack3) as follows:
> Terp alumni. I’ve walked the thin blue line & throw around ladies for the best team in the NFL. Fitness, running, movies.
And on [**Instagram**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/hmack31) as follows:
> Work hard. Never settle. @NutsNMore athlete and sales. Fitness junkie. Movie nerd. Bleed police blue. 11 years with the Baltimore Ravens
But he is not on the Ravens team roster and he is not listed as working for the city of Baltimore either, but if he “throws around ladies,” then perhaps he is a cheerleader for the Ravens.
And he if does “bleed police blue,” then perhaps he is a cheerleader for the Baltimore Police Department. His [**LinkedIn resume**](https://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=135725731&authType=NAME_SEARCH&authToken=nMbm&locale=en_US&srchid=100665471430147417850&srchindex=12&srchtotal=42&trk=vsrp_people_res_name&trkInfo=VSRPsearchId%3A100665471430147417850%2CVSRPtargetId%3A135725731%2CVSRPcmpt%3Aprimary%2CVSRPnm%3Atrue) states that he spent less than two years as a cop for the Anne Arundel County Police Department, which is in Maryland.
Perhaps he is just playing his pom pom role as police cheerleader, helping spread and spin a false narrative in the hopes that it catches on through social media, where many times, facts are pushed aside for ideology.
But when you have violence and destruction as we saw over the weekend in Baltimore, there will always be ideological spin.
Not to excuse the violence because there is never an excuse for that, but one protester named Janelle Tillman stated on Facebook that it turned violent when some white people outside Camden Yards waiting to attend the baseball game began hurling racial insults towards them.
She also said those involved in the violence were not part of the protest, which is usually the case in these situations (I’ve documented many protests of various groups in various cities over the years and they go to extremes to keep it orderly, even annoyingly dictating where I can stand to take photos).
And while that still doesn’t excuse violence, rioting is hardly a cultural trait restricted to black people as we’ve seen several times over the years, including in [**Penn State in 2011**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/search?q=penn+state+riots&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=62Y-Vem5DsjHsQSW-4DIBQ&ved=0CAgQ_AUoAg&biw=1415&bih=1208) when it was announced the Joe Paterno will no longer be coaching the Nittany Lions, [**Huntington Beach, California in 2013**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/search?q=huntington+beach+riots&client=safari&rls=en&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=OGc-VfH3CYS1sASKs4HwDg&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAw&biw=1415&bih=1208) after some surfer tournament, [**West Virginia in 2014**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/west-virginia-baylor-fans-riot-tear-gas) after a college football team won a game and let’s not forget the infamous riot in [**Keene, New Hampshire in 2014**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/story.html) over some pumpkin festival.
Rioting seems to afflict young males in packs, which are never the smartest bunch, regardless of color. And that also goes for cops, who we’ve seen turn animalistic when they get together in packs and begin beating on citizens in the name of “officer safety.”
And that’s really what this is all about.
It’s about the police aggression that is not restricted to Baltimore nor restricted to black people, although they sure as hell seem to receive the brunt of it (and [**statistics from Maryland**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/5-Key-Facts-Behind-Baltimores-Protests-20150426-0019.html) back that up).
And it’s also about the spin that police constantly spew to justify that violence.
##### Baltimore PD’s statement is tantamount to a declaration of war by cops against city residents, in retaliation for Freddie Gray protests
In fact, earlier today, the Baltimore Police Department [**issued a press release**](https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=10152743066951956&id=58771761955) informing the public of a “credible threat to law enforcement” where various street gangs have united to “take out” law enforcement officers.
If a threat were that credible, then police would be busy making arrests rather than churning out press releases. Let’s not forget how many people have been arrested for [**making vague, ranting threats**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2014/12/former-cop-not-arrested-asking-police-facebook-kill-cop-critic/) against police on Facebook where everybody turns into a keyboard warrior, including cops themselves.
And let’s not forget [**Baltimore police claimed Ismaaiyl Brinsley,**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/killer-nypd-slays-ran-black-guerrilla-family-article-1.2052069) the man who killed two New York City cops in December, was a member of the Black Guerilla Family prison gang, whom they claimed was also targeting police.
But that turned out to be [**“no credible threat**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/black-guerrilla-family-not-credible-threat-time-article-1.2036963),” meaning Baltimore police were trying to capitalize on the murder of two NYPD cops to spin their own narrative.
Just remember, the Police PR Spin Machine is strong because it taps into the public’s fear of the “bad guys” as well as the public’s preconceived notion that police are the “good guys.” It has a tendency to make people not think critically.
We want to believe in police but police have proven too many times over the years that they are actually worse than the so-called bad guys because they don’t have to fear the so-called strong arm of the law.
Perhaps that is [**why Freddie Gray ran.**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/2015/04/freddie-gray-death-exposes-constitutional-disparity-of-so-called-high-crime-areas/)
After all, the Baltimore Police Department has proven many times over the years to be a “credible threat” to the general public. We’ve seen the videos. We’ve heard the stories. We know they’ve dished out [**$5.7 million in settlements**](http://photographyisnotacrime.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/police-settlements1) since 2011.
But having said all that, things definitely got ugly over the weekend as you can see in the following video.
And things will continue to get ugly throughout the country if police are allowed to continue the killing with complete impunity. And that, unfortunately, is no spin.
