I would like to dedicate this post to the family and close friends of Freddie Gray. It is always hard to lose someone that is close to your heart, no matter the events that lead to their death. My thoughts and prayers are with you all...
The Death of Freddie Gray (4/12/15-4/19/15):
Seeing, reading and hearing, in the media, about the death of a young black man is never easy for me, no matter the events that lead to their death. Whether or not I am aware or unaware of the absolute truth does not make it easier. It does not matter if his actions or the actions of others caused him to lose his life, the end result is what fuels my fire—the death of a young black man.
We do not know, and will probably never know, the full story, without falsity, behind the death of Freddie Gray. The fact of the matter is that his death could have been easily prevented. I am clueless to what Freddie did to end up in a cat and mouse chase with Baltimore Police and I am not supporting his actions in running from them while they were doing their job, but I am also against police abusing their authority in situations that may cause them to lose their composure. I have worked since I was 13 years old and I know how frustrating it can be when someone makes your job difficult, but I also know that as an employee it is my responsibility to remain professional. Recently, many police officers have been in the media for getting too hot headed and simply being unprofessional. Freddie Gray's injuries are what caused his death and those injuries could have been attended to much earlier if the officers were being professional throughout the entirety of the situation. When a human being is pleading for medical attention they should not be ignored, no matter what said human has done. Freddie Gray should have received medical attention at the scene of his detainment, before he was placed in the police van. Not only that, but he should not have been treated the way he was after his arrest. The actions that occurred post arrest undoubtably caused his injuries to escalate.
This morning I read in an article that Freddie Gray was not the first victim of careless handling by Baltimore Police. I read that Baltimore Police are actually notorious for giving "rough rides" where they do not put seat belts on the people that they have taken custody of. There was a man by the name of Donde Johnson that died, in 2005, from a spinal fracture after a "rough ride" with Baltimore Police. The deaths of both Johnson and Gray could have been avoided if the police were doing their jobs correctly and respectfully. I am not saying that all police officers in Baltimore go about their days in such a manner, but things need to change.
Baltimore Protests in Response to the Death of Freddie Gray (4/25/15):
The protests that took place yesterday were very much needed. It is important that the black community in America makes it known that we will not sit back and allow people to treat us as if we are still, although we know that we never were, second class citizens. I am glad that protests such as yesterday's take place and that government officials allow them to happen. There were a lot of positive signs, speeches and actions that took place that I am sure were heard and taken into consideration. It is also great to see people of many colors and races joining forces for a good cause. Many of these things were not seen because of the media's cravings to distribute negativity to the public for the purpose of gaining viewers. I would not have known about the positive aspects of yesterday's happenings if it was not for word of mouth and social media. I wanted to take part in helping make a difference, but could not due to prior engagements. Founding fathers of the civil rights movement proudly look down on the recent protests of the past few years whether they be for racial, social or sexual injustice. We are not all equal and we should not all be treated the same, but we are all human beings that obtain the same rights and when that line is crossed, and nothing is done about it, attention should be brought to the situation. What I mean by everyone not being equal and not being treated the same is that we do not all have the same background that would put us on equal playing fields or call for us to be treated as if we were. We come from different cultures, races, sexual orientations, etc. A Korean surgeon from Orange County is not equal to a Hispanic man that migrated from Honduras to better himself. Also, we should not treat a child with autism the same way that we would treat a high functioning child at the top of his or her class. Those that say people should not protest and that protesting is stupid are most likely privileged and have never had to deal with being treated unfairly in a country that claims to be open to all races, cultures and walks of life. I want you to know that your ignorance is not necessarily your fault, but due to your ignorance you should not speak on such situations because of your lack of knowledge and unwillingness to gain knowledge about the historical and present struggles that many minorities have had to go through in America. So, to those that take action in protesting, or whatever it may be, I am proud of you and am proud to stand next to you all, literally and figuratively, as we continue on our journey for peace and equality. For those on the opposite side, I want you to know that we will not stop until we are truly heard. Everyone else, either educate yourself and stand for something, or simply refrain from voicing your voiceless opinions.
Violence That Stemmed From the Protests in Baltimore (4/25/15):
Although I was not able to attend the protests that took place earlier in the day, I did end up downtown for an impromptu visit to Camden Yards. Our timing was quite impeccable because we slipped into the city right after the climax of the turmoil that was taking place and left the game right before the local government declared the area a war zone, shut down all of the local businesses and denied fans an exit from the stadium. While walking to the stadium there was broken glass all over the streets and sidewalks due to small businesses being damaged during the outbreak. I was imagining what it was like just moments before we were there. As I passed by Sliders, a bar right across from Camden Yards that I once visited on a previous occasion, I saw the frustration on the faces of the employees while they were cleaning up broken glass. While in the stadium, I was looking at stories and videos of the violence that took place and it was worse than I imagined it to be.
Trust me, I understand the anger and frustration that is built up when it comes to injustice, but there are better ways to express such feelings. Even Mr. Malcolm X had second thoughts on his "by any means necessary" philosophy after his enlightening visit to Mecca. I believe that if he had the chance to put his new ideology into practice that he would have made an even greater impact on the civil rights movement than he previously had. I am not taking anything away from the great legacy of our late brother, but some of his tactics did not reflect the message that the black community was trying to spread at that time and even the message that we are still trying to spread today. No, protests do not always work and yes, I agree that, at times, more pressure needs to be applied in order for our message to be heard, but violence is not something that can be heard. The only response to violence is more violence and when we are done destroying small business and the property of those that have nothing to do with the situation we are left with more blacks in jail, more blacks dead, police acting as if they instantly enlisted into the marines and a message that has been drowned out by the sounds of exploding cars, shattering glass and the screams of innocent bystanders. If we react with hatred we will only be hated more. Have we not seen the posts on social media of people flipping the script, pointing the blame on us and acting as if the situation is completely one sided? I know that I have seen the true colors of people that I once called friends due to these events. I am glad that those colors have been revealed, but I wish that they were revealed under different circumstances.
We are all familiar with the white men that ride horses and wear white hoods, whether it be from stories, or through first hand experience, that reap havoc on minorities. Their tactics are violent riots, burnings of minority owned businesses, etc. When we resort to violence in our actions, what makes us any better than them? When we end up hurting and ruining people's lives, what makes us better than them? Yes, we have a valid reason, unlike them, but our actions are no different. The least that we can do is respect the families of those that have lost their loved ones when they ask us not to respond with violence. The cases of Trayvon, Mike and Eric were not swayed by the violent outbreaks of the black community and neither will Freddie's. When we want to fight, we should fight with our minds, for those are the most powerful weapons that God has equipped us with. More of the black community needs to take action in becoming part of, creating and living out the dreams that our ancestors envisioned. Malcolm X was right when he said, "by any means necessary," but if he was alive today, I am sure that he would say violence is not a necessary means.
Reference:
Jonsson, Patrik. "Protesters' Vow: 'Shut Down' Baltimore over Freddie Gray Killing." The Christian Science Monitor. The Christian Science Monitor, 25 Apr. 2015. Web. 26 Apr. 2015. http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2015/0425/Protesters-vow-Shut-down-Baltimore-over-Freddie-Gray-killing-video.
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