The shit has hit the fan once again. This time it happened in Baltimore.
In case you live under a rock, there have been days and days of protests and a day or two of riots in Baltimore, Maryland, A.K.A. Charm City. The civil unrest (the right has figured out long ago it is all about terms and coded language, and I believe the same holds true in court) was "sparked" by the death of Freddie Gray. Freddie Gray died after the police arrested him. Why did they arrest him? We are still not sure why. The allegation is that the police saw Mr. Gray, made eye contact with him, and that he ran. They then allegedly found a knife on his person.
The fact of the matter is that running alone does not create probable cause to detain someone.
Luckily, some bystanders were recording the incident on cell phone video. The video shows Freddie Gray's legs limp, while he screams in agony. At some point, his spinal chord became severed. He died a week later. One theory is that his injury occurred while being arrested, another theory is that his injury occurred while he was unbuckled in the paddy wagon. There is no doubt that he suffered his injuries in police custody.
It was only after his death that the protests turned into riots. We have seen this time and time again.
The sad thing is that most white people only care that property is destroyed.
The fact of the matter is that the problems run much deeper than the death of Freddie Gray. Yes, police brutality, excessive force, not following proper procedure to ensure the safety of members of the community are a huge problem, but that is not all. All of these problems can be directly linked to the war on drugs, poor educational systems, and lack of job opportunities. These are the systematic remnants of Jim Crow, which is the systematic remnant of slavery. The ghettos of Baltimore, Ferguson, Houston, Dallas, and any city in the country are there because a group of people want them to be there so that they can profit from the subjugation of others.
This country needs strong criminal defense lawyers. This country needs strong public defenders. This country needs to stop the war on drugs. This country needs to pay good teacher good money to teach in the ghetto. This country needs soccer in the ghetto. This country needs to invest in the ghetto.
Freddie Gray's death was the boiling point. It was not the cause for the protests.
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