A Republican member of the Maryland General Assembly thinks he may have a way to stop the rioting in Baltimore and quell what he deemed "Thug Nation": Take away food stamps.
Maryland state Del. Pat McDonough appeared on a conservative radio program and agreed with a caller who suggested that the way to end rioting in Baltimore was to punish the parents of those who participated by cutting their food stamps, according to The Intercept. "I think that you could make the case that if there is a failure to do proper parenting and allowing this stuff to happen, is there an opportunity for a month to take away your food stamps?" McDonough said Wednesday during the radio broadcast.
"It would never get past the Legislature because it seems a little bit harsh, but I think the principle is there has got to be some way to connect to the lack of parenting," McDonough continued.
On Monday, 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died while in police custody, was buried, and shortly after the funeral, protesters took to the streets, with some people looting and destroying property.
At one point, during a discussion about the possibility of a "scientific study" on "police relationships with the black community," McDonough noted that although the project is necessary, it will require "brilliant, honest, objective people" in "this community, this culture, this thug nation."
"These young people, they're violent, they're brutal, their mindset is dysfunctional to a point of being dangerous," he said, adding that he doesn't want to "put them in a test tube or cage."
"We have got to study, investigate and really look at what this is all about," he said, according to The Intercept.
He added that "thug" isn't a loaded term, citing President Barack Obama's use of the word to describe some of the protesters who looted and burned property.
Read more at The Intercept.