Since the mysterious death of 25-year-old black male Freddie Gray while he was in police custody on April 19th, the city of Baltimore has been on fire. Literally and figuratively. And celebs, politicians, and even gang members are giving their two cents and some change on the issue. Check out what folks are saying inside...
The death of Freddie Gray, who died due to a severed spinal cord injury while in police custody, is still masked in mystery. NewsOne reports:
Gray died of a severed spinal cord April 19, a week after police chased him on foot, arrested him, and placed him in the back of a police van. In a Friday press conference, Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said the young man should’ve received medical treatment after the arrest.
It’s still unclear how Gray sustained the severe injuries. Video of Gray’s arrest shows him screaming in pain as officers place him under arrest. Several witnesses said police “folded his body like origami."
This latest incident of police brutality seems to be the the extra dose of heat that caused an already tortured city to have tempers boil over. For the last few days, protestors have taken over the streets of Baltimore. And things have gotten REAL. While many media outlets are using certain rhetoric to paint a certain picture -- like "riot" and "thugs" and the likes -- PLENTY of citizens are fighting back and telling the true story of what's happening. Yes, pharmacies and neighborhood businesses were set on fire, hundreds of people are expressing outrage in the streets, cop cars have been set on fire, and the like. If you watch mainstream media, you would think that is the ONLY picture of what is happening in Baltimore right now. And plenty are condemning the "violence" occurring.
Actually, there are more peaceful protestors than not (of EVERY race and color, not just blacks like mainstream media has portrayed), gang members have unified to stop the violence currently occurring, volunteers are stepping in to clean up the debris in their communities, and so much more. And plenty of people are voicing their concerns about why the main focus is HOW people are protesting....instead of being equally, if not more, outraged that a life was seemingly taken at the hands of police.
Activist and actor Jesse Williams broke down the frustrations of the disenfranchised Baltimore residents in a series of tweets:
David Banner, also an outspoken actor and activist, gave an interesting take via Twitter as well:
People criticize riots but benefit off of past uprisings daily. They are the ones crushing our spines but we beat our kids.
And what's crazy is - they called this a war and I didn't see one shot fired. I'd say that is discipline. Shoot cop can't do that!
Slave rearing - break the young bucks - keep them docile - (fight the damn cops when they kill innocent kids.)
Applaud these kids for having the balls to do what we wouldn't. Stop beating them in public like the police.
If we as grown ups did a better job our kids wouldn't have to be in the streets doing what was supposed to have been done in the 60's.
Baltimore native Jada Pinkett Smith addressed the frustrations of her hometown in a Facebook post, in addition to calling for peace:
Baltimore!
I know we are angry, I know we want to be heard. We want answers, we want justice but most of all we want the corrupt systems of authority in our neighborhoods that continually steal the lives of people of color and the underprivileged to be revealed and rectified. But we must do our part. Today, I see that violence begets violence making it difficult to differentiate the victims from the perpetrators. Violence creates a window to vilify the victims, even in the deepest recesses of the most condolent mind. Nonviolence creates a clear view to who the offenders of justice really are. Don't give the very system that has been using violence to terrorize and exterminate us any justification to use that very violence upon us to keep us in order. This is a time of self-discipline so that the true offenders of justice can be revealed.
Stand down so that justice and the preservation of our communities are the priority and have the opportunity to prevail.
Baltimore-raised NBA star Carmelo Anthony pleaded with citizens to ind a different way to express outrage:
We all want Justice. And our city will get the answers we are looking for. My deepest sympathy goes out to the GRAY Family. To see my city in a State of Emergency is just shocking. We need to protect our city, not destroy it. What happens when we get the answers that we want, and the media attention is not there anymore? We go back to being the same ol Baltimore City again. If not yourself, then Think about the youth. How this will impact them. Let's build our city up not tear it down. Although, we want justice, let's look at the real issues at hand. For example, When was the last school built in Baltimore? That's just one example. I know my community is fed up. I'm all about fighting for what we believe in. The anger, the resentment, the neglect that our community feels right now, will not change over night. Continue, fighting for what you believe in. But remember, it takes no time to destroy something. But, it can take forever to build it back up. Peace7. #Thisonehitshome #BeMore #LetsNotFallForTheTrap "Please Understand What State Of Emergency Mean"(Destroy and Conquer)
He was criticized by some for not focusing, instead, on people being rightfully outraged about what is happening in the long time tortured city. Especially when an understandable feeling of hopelessness is pervasive in the community.
Retired Baltimore Ravens Superbowl champ Ray Lewis tweeted:
While reports spread like wildfire yesterday that "gangs" were teaming up to crate a "Purge night" to harm police (similar to what happened in the movie franchise with people recklessly harming other citizens), said gang members say none of that was true.
And members of the Crips and the Bloods gave their eye opening side of the story to WBAL TV last night:
WE WANT THE PEOPLE OF BALTIMORE CITY TO KNOW THAT THE IMAGE THEY ARE TRYING TO PORTRAY OF GANGS IN BALTIMORE, WE DO NOT MAKE THAT TRUCE TO HARM COPS. WE DID NOT, TOGETHER AGAINST COPS. WE HAVE SOLDIERS OUT RIGHT NOW. WE DIRTY. THEY FOR BOMBS AT US AND ARE TRYING TO STOP WHAT'S GOING ON RIGHT NOW. YOUR GAME PLAN HAS BEEN TO STOP THE VIOLENCE? TO STOP WHAT'S GOING ON. WE JUST WANT JUSTICE FOR FREDDIE GRAY. WE BELIEVE IN THAT. WHAT YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THIS HAPPENING IN THE STREETS? BUSINESSES LOOTED, CARS ON FIRE, POLICE INJURED? IT MAKES US LOOK REAL BAD. AND IT IS BACKING UP WHAT THEY ARE SAYING. THEY ARE SAYING WE ARE ANIMALS. AND WE ARE ACTING LIKE THAT. BUT I DON'T AGREE WHAT -- WITH WHAT'S GOING ON, BUT I UNDERSTAND WHY PEOPLE ARE MAD.
BUT WE HAVE TO HANDLE THINGS ANOTHER WAY. I THINK THE SAME THING. WE HAVE BEEN OUT HERE ALL DAY TRYING TO PREVENT PEOPLE FROM BREAKING INTO STORES. THEY HAD US WITH A BOMB. THEY RIPPED OUR SHIRTS AND WE WERE STILL STANDING RIGHT THERE. WE CAME RIGHT BACK AND HELD HANDS. WE MARCHED TOGETHER. WE WERE HOLDING STRONG. WE WANT THEM TO STOP HURTING US SO WE CAN LIVE OUR LIVES AND KEEP GOING. WE ARE TRYING TO HELP THEM. WITHOUT THEM DOING THAT, IT IS GOING TO MAKE EVERYONE ANGRY. WE DON'T WANT TO BE ANGRY. WE AS A COMMUNITY, WE WANT TO CALM EVERYONE DOWN. THEY HAVE HEARD A LOT OF PEOPLE AND KILLED A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR NO APPARENT REASON. WHAT GROUP IS THIS? WE ARE ONE RIGHT NOW. THAT IS THE BLOODS OVER THERE BUT WE ARE UNITED RIGHT NOW. WE ARE BLACK MEN AND WE ARE UNITED. NO MATTER WHAT PEOPLE SAY, WE ARE NOT TRYING TO SHOOT POLICE. WILL NOT -- WE WILL NOT LET THAT STOP US FROM DOING WHAT WE PLAN TO DO. TO PEOPLE WATCHING, HOW DO YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN WHAT IS HAPPENING TONIGHT? STOP BELIEVING EVERYTHING YOU HEAR IN THE MEDIA. IF YOU WERE NOT AT THE PROTEST ON THE DAY WE PROTESTED FOR FREDDY, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED. THEY DID NOT TELL YOU THAT WE WALKED PAST DOWNTOWN, THAT PEOPLE THREW BAGS AT US. PEOPLE CALLED US NAMES. THEY CALLED US THOSE THINGS. THE PROTEST WAS AGITATED.
The spokespeople addressed why they are being used as the scapegoats to the violence occurring:
BECAUSE WE ARE BLACK AND WE HAVE FLAGS ON, THEY ASSUME WE ARE GOING TO HURT SOMEBODY OR BREAK SOMEONE DOWN. MOST OF US, WE BRING EVERYBODY CLOSE. WE GO TO OUR JOBS AND GO TO SCHOOL ON TIME. THEY MAKE IT SEEM LIKE, HE HAS A FLAG ON, HE IS DOING THE WRONG THING. BUT I JUST CAME HOME AND I AM TRYING TO DO EVERYTHING I CAN TO PREVENT THIS. I GOT LOCKED UP FOR HELPING A FEMALE DOWNTOWN ON BALTIMORE STREET. I STOPPED IT. I USED SELF-DEFENSE. THEY LOCKED ME UP BECAUSE I AM ME AND I'M A BLACK MALE. THEY HAVE BEEN FOR TRAINING US THIS WAY FOR SO LONG. A LOT OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS, A LOT OF THE SO-CALLED GANG BANGERS, THAT IS WHERE THEY COME FROM AND WHAT THEY ARE. BUT WE TRY TO GET ACROSS, WE ARE A DIFFERENT FACTION. WE WANT TO START SHOWING PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT WE CAN COME TOGETHER AND B.P. SPOKE. THERE WERE SO MANY THINGS GOING ON ON SATURDAY THAT GOT PORTRAYED IN THE WRONG LIGHT. FOR SOME REASON, AND NOSE, RIGHT? KNOWS WHAT HE WANT TO PASTE -- PAINT THIS PICTURE. WHEN A GROUP OF 30 BLOODS WALKS UP ON A GROUP OF 30 CRIPS, AND THE PICTURES THEY TAKE, THEY SAY, THEY ARE UNITING TO KILL COPS. BUT THEY DIDN'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT THE GOOD SIDE OF WHAT WE ARE DOING IN THIS COMMUNITY.
Their side of the story wrapped with this:
WE WERE ARE AT THE CHURCH TONIGHT. ALTHOUGH OUR CAUSE IS RIGHTEOUS, WE CANNOT CONTROL EVERY PERSON. JUST BECAUSE SOMEONE IS A MEMBER OF THE BLOODS OR CRATES, WE CANNOT CONTROL EVERY GANG IN THE CITY AND STATE -- AND SAY, STOP THIS. I ESTIMATE THAT WE WERE 30 PEOPLE STRONG. OUT OF THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO WERE DOWN THERE, YOU MEAN TO TELL ME YOU ARE POINTING THE FINGER AT US BECAUSE WE HAVE COLORS ON? THAT IS NOT WHAT WE STAND FOR. JUSTICE FOR FREDDIE GRAY. JUSTICE.
Check out the video HERE.
Some believe destruction of your own city will resolve nothing, others say these same protests ("riots" and hostile interaction with authorities) are praised and called "revolutions" when people in Egypt did them, or when the same types of protests occurred during historical times like the Boston Tea Party. Change did come about then. But do these actions work today in America?
Thoughts?
Source: http://theybf.com/2015/04/28/speaking-out-celebs-speak-about-baltimore-protests
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