Freedom: The Killing Must Stop

Stories of killings in the name of freedom hit the headlines and everyone is saddened:
Freddie Gray, Trayvon Martin, Stephen Lawrence, James Anderson, and many more. One of
them, Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his famous speech I Have a Dream in 1963. Heralded a hero
by all races, Dr. Martin Luther King was assassinated in 1968. His speech called for great changes,
and indeed many great changes have come about. Kings calls for nonviolence rang clear in his
famous speech:
Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the
cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on
the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative
protest to degenerate into physical violence. (King)
Yet the anger and hatred persist forty-seven years later when Freddie Gray suffered pain
and fear beyond imagination. He was beat so badly his spinal cord was severed. Seven days later,
on April 19, 2015 he died. During the weeks following Freddie Grays arrest, Baltimore found
itself in the core of violence fueled by racial tension and generational anger. Racism and
overzealous coverage by the media fueled the fire. Personal morals were cast aside pitting human
against human. That type of violence goes way beyond racism as we have seen it in the past. It
became obvious early in the crisis that incompetence could be seen from the police department, to
the mayor's office, to the governor's office, and even to the President's office. The combination of
a corrupt, splinted Baltimore Police department and an equally corrupt, inept local political
leadership set the backdrop for what would become one of the most violent riots in history.

The Baltimore police department has had a reputation for brutality and corruption. Many
efforts have been made over the years to integrate blacks and whites within the police department.
But with every small success in the police department came charges of abuse of power by officers
as well as charges of extreme use of force. Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts admits
that the community lacks trust in law enforcement saying,
"We are part of the problem. The community needs to hear from us
that we haven't been part of the solution, and now we have to evolve.
Now we have to change." (Bradner)
While several onlookers cried racism and prejudice, many soon realized that the issues
were much more complicated. In a New York Times article, Representative Elijah E. Cummings
said,
You cant just label this something racial. When you have three
African-American officers involved, youve got to say: Wait a minute,
is there a system in place in which they dont want to tell on each other?
Has it become a routine? (Stolberg)
City officials have found themselves having to clean up and even to cover up after the
police department. The City has paid nearly six million dollars since January 2011 to settle charges
against police officers. Charges of false arrests, false imprisonment and excessive force were kept
out of the public's eyes as a result of these payouts. These people not only won large cash
settlements, they also were cleared of any criminal charges. According to the Baltimore Sun,
The city has paid about $5.7 million since 2011 over lawsuits claiming
that police officers brazenly beat up alleged suspectsThose cases

detail a frightful human toll. Officers have battered dozens of residents

who suffered broken bones jaws, noses, arms, legs, ankles head
trauma, organ failure, and even death, coming during questionable
arrests. Some residents were beaten while handcuffed Others were
thrown to the pavement. And in almost every case, prosecutors or judges
dismissed the charges against the victims if charges were filed at all.
(Ferron)
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake found herself in the middle of the crisis when
outraged citizens felt that the mayor not only did nothing to ease tensions, but that she used the
crisis as a political opportunity for herself. It also seemed that the mayor was continuously having
to explain her previous statements. This defensive nature made her constituents even more
suspicious. They began to question her every statement which only made her more defensive. For
example, she was accused of taking the violence too lightly when she said,
"While we tried to make sure that (protestors) were protected from the
cars and the other things that were going on, we also gave those who
wished to destroy space to do that as well."(Schleifer)
Newly elected Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan did little to give the public a much needed
sense of confidence. Hogan had never held public office before and his public responses to the
crisis were vague and seemed to blame Rawlings-Blake for not getting the National Guard
involved sooner. One such response was especially accusatory, "We were trying to get in touch
with the mayor for some time. We are glad she finally called us." (Moody)

Even President Obama drew criticism of his delayed response when he referred to
Baltimore rioters as "criminals and thugs" in the following statement:
"My understanding is you've got some of the same organizers now going
back into these communities to try to clean up in the aftermath of a
handful of protestors -- a handful of criminals and thugs who tore up the
place." (Pappas)
As harmless as the use of the word thug may seem, it wove a thread through the statements
of all these leaders. The Merriam-Webster dictionary definition of the word thug is "a brutal ruffian
or assassin, gangster, tough." The word thug, which is commonly used to describe black, urban
males, is also viewed as discriminatory in nature by some. Consider the following quotes that used
the word thug by nearly every government official up and down the chain of command:
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

Gov. Larry Hogan

Baltimore City Council member

Carl Stokes
Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky

President Barack Obama

"It is very clear there is a difference between what we saw over the past week
with the peaceful protests, those who wish to seek justice, those who wish to
be heard and want answers, and the difference between those protests and
the thugs who only want to incite violence and destroy our city." (Schleifer)
"What we've now seen is outside agitators, gangs and just really thugs as the
mayor called them that are out there threatening people, injuring people and
destroying property and we're not going to put up with it." (Love)
"No, it's not the right word to call our children thugs. These are children who
have been set aside, marginalized, who have not been engaged by us."( Levs)
"The mayor obviously could have been stronger with saying: 'We are going
to secure the city. We are not going to have thievery. We are not going to
have thuggery.' He then added, "None of this excuses thuggery and
thievery." (Love)
"My understanding is, is youve got some of the same organizers now going
back into these communities to try to clean up in the aftermath of a handful
of criminals and thugs who tore up the place. (Pappas)

In the final analysis, we all failed Freddie Gray. We failed him at every level from the
corrupt, splinted Baltimore Police department, to the mayor, to the governor, and even to our first
African-American President Obama. Freddie Gray was much more that a thug. His death must
shine the light on poor Americans everywhere that have fallen through the cracks.

Works Cited
Bradner, Eric. "'We Are Part of the Problem,' Baltimore Police Commissioner Says." Baltimore
Police: 'We Are Part of the Problem' CNN Politics, 6 May 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.
Ferron, Karl. "The Problem with 'thugs'" The Problem with 'thugs' The Baltimore Sun, 29 Apr.
2015. Web. 11 May 2015.
King, Martin L., Jr. "I Have a Dream." Speech. Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D. C. 28 Aug.
1963. American Rhetoric. Web. 25 Mar.2013.
Levs, Josh. "After Baltimore Riots, Some Leaders Slam 'thug' as the New N-word." After
Baltimore Riots, Some Leaders Slam 'thug' as the New N-word. CNN, 29 Apr. 2015.
Web. 11 May 2015.
Love, David. "Calling People 'thugs' Solves Nothing." Calling People 'thugs' Solves Nothing.
CNN, 5 May 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.
Moody, Chris. "Riots Challenge Maryland's New Governor." Riots Challenge Maryland's New
Governor. CNN, 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.
Pappas, Alex. "Obama Refers To Baltimore Rioters As Criminals And Thugs." Obama Refers
To Baltimore Rioters As Criminals And Thugs. The Daily Caller, 28 Apr. 2015. Web.
11 May 2015.
STOLBERG, SHERYL. "Suspects in Freddie Gray Case: A Portrait of Baltimore Police in
Miniature." Suspects in Freddie Gray Case: A Portrait of Baltimore Police in Miniature.
9 May 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.
Schleifer, Theodore. "Baltimore Mayor Struggles in Response to Riots." Baltimore Mayor
Struggles in Response to Riots. CNN, 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 11 May 2015.

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