Throughout US history, race relations have been a divisive
issue. Recently the death of a gentleman by the name of Freddy Graves has
sparked the controversy yet again. Graves was a twenty-five year old African
American living in Baltimore, Maryland; he encountered police after they
stopped him for "for looking at them and then running from them."
Graves was arrested and taken to jail. On the way to jail, he received a broken
spine and other injuries. As a result of his injuries, he died a week after his
arrest while still in police custody. His death would send the city of Baltimore
into an uproar.
At first, the protest against the police treatment of Mr.
Graves was non-violent. Protesters seemed to be peacefully voicing their
displeasure over several issues, including the treatment of the minority
community by the Baltimore police over decades. However, on the day that Freddy
Graves was buried, tensions rose, and the peaceful protesters were overshadowed
by violence. The violence went on for several days. It has included hurling
objects at the police, luting, and burning down a CVS and senior citizen center
built; there was also a planned purge at a Baltimore Mall. The rioting has
raised many questions about race in this country. However, I find myself asking
other questions as well.
The people that are rioting are not rioting over Freddy
Graves. Instead, they use Graves' death as an excuse to voice their opinion
about issues within the black community. I cannot argue with this. I say that
throwing bricks and burning down buildings will not get them anywhere. It will
only cause the majority of the people to overlook the protest and real issues,
and instead, classify a whole community of people as thugs. The
riots have calmed down since the arrest of six officers, but we will have to see
if charm city can bounce back and once again live up to its name. The exciting
thing about the arrest is that there was not a race motive behind them. Three
whites and three blacks were arrested in connection with the incident. The
question now is, will charges stick in this case, considering that it involves
law enforcement.
One final and interesting note about the Freddy Graves
situation and the riots is local officials' response. On the initial day of
rioting, the mayor of Baltimore said, "Let them lute, it is only property."
As many have commented, this is perhaps one of the most asinine statements ever
made by a political official. However, the words that came out of the Baltimore
mayor's mouth were not the only mistakes made throughout the situation. The
mayor's entire approach to the riots is questionable. On the first night,
police were seen backing away from protestors. Since then, it has come to light
that perhaps those gave them a stand-down order higher up the command chain.
Whether this is true has not yet been determined, but the idea that it is even
a possibility is scary. Now that the riots have concluded, the question remains
"What do the Baltimore riots show us?"
As I said before, destroying one's city does not make sense
to me. What it demonstrates is the lack of knowledge and ability to voice one's
grievances effectively.
The
riots had little to do with one single death. Mr. Graves' death was only the
tipping point in a volatile situation between two different groups with two
different cultural experiences. Even in the 21st century,
decades after the civil rights bus boycotts and the assassination of Martin
Luther King, Jr., race relations are no better now than they were then. Some
may say that this is a bold statement to make, I counter that even though we
have a black president, there is still an institutional difference between
being white and black in this country. The riots are only the latest example of
hostility that may never end.
