This post is dedicated to the lasting memory of the greatest educator I've ever known...Mr. Edward Markowski aka Mr. M (6.30.1944-4.30.2015)...your legacy lives on in the souls of every student that had the opportunity to sit in your class...
Ever since the tragic death of Trayvon Martin, we've been dealing with the fine line between peaceful protesting and rioting when expressing various views on the deaths of unarmed Black men by the hands of overzealous citizens and police officers abusing their authority. The latest debate circles what has been the most serious to date; the protests and subsequent riots that broke out in Baltimore, Maryland regarding the death of 25 year old Freddie Gray. Details have finally been revealed that Gray's injuries, which included an almost severed spinal cord, were most likely sustained during transport in a police van after his somewhat questionable arrest. According to reports, Gray was handcuffed and had his feet shackled but was not secured by seatbelt in the van. It has been said that Gray's pleas for assistance were ignored by the police officers that took him into custody and that once it was noticed Gray was unresponsive, the officers didn't act to get him quick and proper medical attention. Gray died from his injuries a week after his arrest.
Once again, protesters took to the streets. There were "violent" confrontations with police, several businesses were looted and/ or damaged, some by fire. Police vehicles were torched. Two days of scheduled baseball games were cancelled and eventually played in an empty Camden Yards stadium. A Black mother was caught on video angrily removing her Black teenage son from the group of rioters and later labeled as a 'hero mom' for doing so. There were reports of gangs facing off with police, the rioters were repeatedly referred to as 'thugs' and some protesters threw rocks and bricks at police. It was labeled as 'disgraceful', marring the actions of those who had aimed to protest peacefully.
But in just under a week Baltimore's chief prosecutor, Marilyn Mosbey, charged six police officers(three black and three white) with a number of crimes ranging from manslaughter and murder to unlawful imprisonment. Police union representatives say that Mosley's action were an "egregious rush to judgment", politically motivated by ties she has with the Gray family's lawyer and her husband, Baltimore City Councilman Nick Mosby. Supporters say swift action was needed to show Baltimore residents and citizens around the country that the issues regarding police brutality is being taken seriously. Above all else, it brought an end to the destructive riots that raged through Baltimore on Saturday and then again on Monday.
Which brings me to my point. Personally, I don't condone the actions of those who choose to riot in the face of injustice. I feel it's counterproductive to the cause because businesses and sometimes homes in the affected areas often end up damaged, some beyond repair. These are the same businesses and homes that those in the affected community live in and spend their money in. But it seems like this extreme response initially is most effective at getting some sort of results. This isn't to say that these officers will in fact answer for their crimes, but the justice system will play a role in that aspect. We won't have another case like the Michael Brown/ Darren Wilson case out in Ferguson or like the Eric Garner case in Staten Island, NY. These officers will face charges based on their actions. That is a start.
The problems lies much deeper. In 1992, Los Angeles exploded when "race riots" broke out in response to the acquittal of four officers involved in the brutal beating of Rodney King. Just over 22 years later, we have dealt with multiple cases of police brutality over a very short period of time and the response in Baltimore echoes those we saw in LA in the early 90's. A lot of the blame is being placed on the citizens of Baltimore for their reaction but when we look around the world and we see citizens of other countries protesting and rioting against oppressive governments, policies and institutions, we applaud them because they are doing so in a fight for their "freedom". In the United States, the "land of the free", citizens are denigrated when they protest against things that occur in our democratic society. When it turns "violent", and the protesters are minorities or they are supporting a minority victim or a cause that affects minorities, emphasis is placed on "the thugs" and the ignorance of those involved. The victim's existent or non-existent criminal past is often used to discredit them, trying to give just cause to why the officers involved acted as they did. When the details emerged in the Gray case, it became clear that the officers actions of not securing Freddie Gray via seatbelt in the police van was deliberate, in order to give him a 'rough ride', as it were. This is an indication that these officers, and probably the department as a whole, often use such tactics when they feel they need to send 'a message' to individuals in custody. Freddie Gray's arrest, itself, was suspect. It's safe to say that they were just going to rough Gray up and put him back out on the street so he could go back and tell those he associated with his experience (if you ever watched 'The Wire', a show that was broadcast on HBO from 2002-2008 and was based on some experiences of a former Baltimore homicide detective, Edward Burns, and a police reporter from the Baltimore Sun, creator David Simon, you saw this tactic being employed often). Unfortunately for the officers, they went way too far.
I say 'unfortunately', because police officers everywhere, but especially in high crime areas like Baltimore, have a very tough job. Areas densely populated by low income groups tend to have very high crime rates. Usually these areas are populated by Black and Hispanic individuals. Police officers and city officials in these areas have to be creative in ways to suppress crime and sometimes they have to come up with different ways to combat it. Some ways are unorthodox and they get results. But when those ways start to infringe on the civil rights of citizens, even some who may be involved in criminal activity, a line has to be drawn. It has to be drawn! Freddie Gray was said to have been carrying a switchblade and that's why he was approached and subsequently arrested. But according to the reports that Mrs. Mosby received, the knife in question was not a switchblade, therefore legal for Gray to have on him. Everything that has been reported to have occurred afterward was excessive and suspect. Police officers are charged and paid to uphold the law, plain and simple. Just like the criminals they are charged to protect their respective communities from, police officers have to follow the law as well, to a higher degree in some cases. They are held to a much higher standard, or should be at least. When they are not, the onus should not be on the public to respectfully voice their outrage, especially when this is becoming more and more commonplace in minority communities. It was a problem before the LA riots in 1992 and it is still a problem today. The riots then did nothing to quell the number of cases where police overstep their boundaries as peace keepers and the riots in Baltimore may do nothing now, again, 22 years later. But they made somewhat of a difference this past Friday, in that charges were brought swiftly to the officers involved. Now we wait to see if it was all worth it or if history will, again, repeat itself.
For in-depth discussions on race and racial issues, visit the Speaking Dow Barriers facebook page here: Speaking Down Barriers: Race Related Conversations. I encourage you wholeheartedly to attend if you are able to.
