I’ve been debating how and in what vein to write about my
hometown of Baltimore. The fact that the
city I love now belongs to a rather nefarious alumni of cities with civil and
social unrest surrounding the death of a black man in police custody is enough
to make me shake my head. As I watched
the events of a week ago today, I felt sick to my stomach. I felt for the family of the young man who
died and felt angry at the people who took it as a moment of opportunism. There is much that needs to be addressed in
Baltimore and there is plenty of blame to go around.
Issue 1 – Jurisprudence.
The six police officers who have been charged in the death of Freddy
Gray need a fair trial. I understand
the demands of justice but what will happen if justice as the protestors sees
it is not realized? If, in their hearts,
the protestors are demanding a conviction, that is not justice but a
railroading the likes of which the black community have dealt with throughout
their history. In order for justice to
be served, the police officers need a fair hearing, a legitimate legal counsel
and an honest deliberation by the jury – and the Baltimore community must
accept it.
Issue 2 – The race paradigm.
If the six police officers’ indicted are indeed found to be responsible,
protestors need to rethink how this issue is being characterized. The recent incidents of police officers and
young black men have been found to have as much to do with idiocy and
incompetence as racism. Yet, the death
of Mr. Gray was initially framed as a race issue. How will it be portrayed now that half of the
accused officers are black? The race
issue was used to inflame the situation into the inferno of Monday and if
racism is not a part of it, it needs to be removed from the dialogue so that a
more productive, less toxic conversation can be held.
Issue 3 – The faults.
Various black community leaders in Baltimore and interested observers
have suggested that this incident needs to be a catalyst towards permanent
change and reform. I whole heartedly
agree. However, changes are required all
around. The police department certainly
needs to get its house in order if the charges prove to be accurate. City officials need to be more consistent in
how it helps those in need and how it provides the means of citizens to help
themselves. The black community also
needs to change what it is doing in the name of civil rights. One can’t look at the last forty years and
declare it is entirely the government’s problem. The black community has soul searching to do
in addressing problems surrounding the family, community and personal responsibility.
Issue 4 – The perception problem. In recent days, there has been a conversation
(more a diatribe) on the characterization of the looters and rioters. Some officials and community leaders have lashed
out over the term “thugs” being used about those in question. I’ve mentioned in other forums that those who
cannot even honestly discuss an issue are not likely to solve it. One could call it ballet but it comes down to the same thing – there needs to be a
blunt and direct conversation over what happened and how to move on from
here. The word thug is no more racist than door
but has only taken on those dimensions because of the characterization of young
black men and women taking part in destroying their own block, neighborhood and
city. Stop trying to find ways of being
offended and start helping the situation.
I said start because this tactic is helping no one.
I know the city of Baltimore will rebound from this. Our city is more than what one sees on The Wire or on the evening news. There are beautiful neighborhoods,
communities, culture, food, history and heritage. The city is filled with good people, many of
whom were out the day after the riots cleaning up and reclaiming. However, remarks that much is left be done
are absolutely right. There must be
honest efforts to ensure everyone has the chance to do well. Baltimore has had rough periods in its
history before. It will need to rise
again as worthy of the anguish that has poured out of people the last
week. Still, to paraphrase a famous
line, there is nothing wrong with Baltimore that cannot be fixed with what is
right about Baltimore.
