Our hearts are heavy for what’s happening in Baltimore. A passionate city is in unrest because they’re hurt and they need answers afterFreddie Gray’svoice box was crushed and his spine snapped like a twig, while he was in custody of the Baltimore police.
On Monday evening, local news caught footage of a mother who saw her son on TV throwing rocks at police and promptly disciplined him for all the world to gawk at. The mother slapped her son several times as he struggled to get out of her reach. She tugged at his clothes and the black ski mask he was wearing, yelling at him to take it off. This mother wanted her son to know one thing that day: rioting was not allowed, not her son.
Many people took to social media to share their support of the mother’s actions against her son’s misguided rioting:
While we don’t necessarily applaud the uprising in Baltimore, we’d be remiss if we didn’t admit that we understand where these residents are coming from. We’d never condone rioting, but breaking windows and burning trash cans hardly compares to crushing a restrained man’s spine. What do you think of the mother’s actions?
Up Next: Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake Enforces A Curfew
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has announced a weeklong, citywide 10 p.m. curfew starting Tuesday April 28. This decision is said to have been made to help quiet down the rioting and looting that’s been taking place since Monday night.
Maryland’s mayor Larry Hogan has declared a state of emergency and has asked for help from the Maryland National Guard to assist the police in enforcing the curfew. Under this curfew, residents may not be out unless they are driving to or from work or it’s a medical emergency.
Baltimore has already had a curfew implemented for kids younger than 14 to be inside by 9 p.m. on school nights. Juveniles older than 14 could stay out until 10 p.m. on school nights and 11 p.m. on weekends and over the summer.
This, of course is coming from a woman, who we’d like to respect, given her esteemed position, but she continues to shape the narrative of her city by referring to the passionate uprisers in the street as “thugs.”
Do we think this curfew will help Baltimore heal itself?
Up Next: Gang Members Unite, But Not To Hurt The Cops
There may be devastation in Baltimore, but the most unlikely of people have become allies and that’s a beautiful thing to witness. Rival gangs are reportedly teaming up, not to retaliate on law enforcement, but to encourage calm in Baltimore.
Baltimore Sun released a video of Charles Shelley, a member of the Crips gang, along with a Bloods member named Jamal, calling for protesters in the streets of Baltimore to stop rioting.
“We not out here for nobody to get hurt. All that about police getting hurt by gangs, that’s false. We’re not here for that. We’re here to protect our community and that’s it. We don’t want no trouble. We’re doing this because we don’t want trouble. It’s mayhem out here because people don’t want trouble. If y’all keep hurting us, that’s what you’re going to have to deal with,” Charles said.
“They hate to see this right now. We’re supposed to be out here killing each other. We’re supposed to be at arms, but instead, we’re standing out here hugging each other,” he continued, as he hugged Jamal. The two looked like brothers and even claimed they were, as they’re now united by a city’s fiery tears.
But to have the media tell it, these gang members have united to retaliate against police officers. Police have claimed that they received information that members of “various gangs” are organizing to attack them. Who’s story do you believe?
Up Next: Clergymen & Freddie Gray’s Family Call For Peace
When looking for news on Baltimore, you’re more likely to find burning cars and shocking images of Black youth facing off with riot gear police. One beautiful story that failed to make major waves in the news was the call for peace from hundreds of clergymen and women as they banded together, linked arm-in-arm, to walk the streets and take back their city.
Deborah Weiner, a WBAL reporter said, “These are the church leaders who are putting themselves in harm’s way to end the violence… they are linked arm-in-arm… one gentleman is in front in a wheelchair. One of the most extraordinary things here. The clergy have banded together, different denominations, Pastors and Imams, are heading right now across North Avenue, as Maryland’s churches try to have good prevail over evil.”
The peaceful march is a strong contrast of the images that the media is perpetuating: burning cars and screaming, angry Black faces. Rev. Dr. Jamal Bryant said, “Marching has always proved itself to be beneficial and effective to us. Violence has never moved to justice and that’s the message we have to get out to young folks.”
And let us not forget that Freddie Gray’s parents have asked for peace as well. “I want you all to get justice for my son, but don’t do it like this here,” Mr Gray’s mother, Gloria Darden, said during a press conference on Monday evening. “Don’t tear up the whole city just for him. That’s wrong.”
Mr Gray’s twin sister, Fredericka, also spoke of the family’s distress and said she did not think the people wrecking the city were doing it in the name other brother. She said, “I think the violence is wrong. Freddie Gary wasn’t the type of person to break into stores. I don’t like it at all.”
Freddie’s family has called for peace, but this is only day two of the unrest in Baltimore. Can their emotional urgings help stop the destruction? Can it help calm Baltimore’s residents down?
