O’Malley: Blacks are not ‘disposable citizens’

Former Gov. Martin O’Malley on Sunday said that recent racial tensions in Baltimore were the result of national disinterest in black communities.

{mosads}“What happened in Baltimore should be a wake-up call for the entire country,” O’Malley told host Chuck Todd on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

“We need to stop ignoring people of color and acting like they are disposable citizens,” he said.

“There are people in our cities who feel like they are being totally left behind and disregarded,” O’Malley added. “They’re angry and feel ignored.”

O’Malley’s comments come as he considers seeking the Democratic presidential nomination in 2016.

He argued on Sunday that a lack of political leadership had damaged urban population centers.

“We have not had an agenda for America’s cities in two decades,” O’Malley said.

“We are creating the conditions,” he added, citing New York and Philadelphia as other examples of neglect besides Baltimore.

“We have left cities to fend for themselves,” O’Malley said.

The former Maryland governor additionally called on politicians to engage in “constant work” for improving their urban communities.

“We are getting smarted and better at this process every day, but there is still much left to do,” he said of urban reform.

O’Malley has vowed he will decide on a 2016 Oval Office bid in the near future.

Should he run, he would join Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) and former secretary of State Hillary Clinton as Democratic contenders next election cycle.