The Baltimore Sun has a daily feature called What Maryland Thinks. The editorial staff poses a question and readers of the online version of the newspaper can vote. For some time, I’ve been considering using this feature as a way to ensure near daily posting to this blog as well as the chance to opine on politics and current events. Each day, I’ll post the question and try to predict the outcome of the poll that will be printed in the paper the next day.
Today, Monday, May 4th (may the fourth be with you!), the question is:
Are the criminal charges against the six police officers involved in Freddie Gray’s death appropriate?
The choices for the poll are:
Yes
No
Not sure
If you want to vote, follow this link.
Before I venture my guess at the outcome of this poll, I’ll tell you that I read the results every day and have for the last several years. As a consequence, I have some sense of the people that regularly participate.
For example, the poll question on Friday, May 1st was:
Do you believe that Freddie Gray “intentionally tried to injure himself” while riding in the police van?
This, of course, is referring to a leaked police document that indicated that another person arrested and being transported in the van, claimed that he could hear Freddie Gray throwing himself about while riding to the Western District lockup. Even after the State’s Attorney announced that criminal charges would be filed against the officers involved — and the coroner’s report that claimed that Gray’s injuries were inconsistent with the theory that he harmed himself — the good people of Maryland who voted produced the following result:
Yes 44%
No 42%
Not sure 14%
(208 votes)
Herewith, my prediction for the poll results:
Yes 38%
No 54%
Not sure 8%
I further predict that there will be 313 votes cast.
Tune in tomorrow.