Freddie Gray will forever be a symbol of police brutality. When the Baltimore man died on April 19 under mysterious circumstances in police custody, the backlash was swift and violent. Gray was yet another unarmed black man killed by police. His death sparked protests throughout the nation as well as riots in Baltimore. A number of public figures reacted to the uprising by calling the rebels involved “thugs.” Using this language to describe the individuals who lashed out triggered a backlash against public officials such as Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. While one controversy after another arose in relation to Gray’s death, his family said that the late 25 year old would have disapproved of the riots in his name. But the Baltimore uprising was triggered by far more than Gray’s death. Police brutality, joblessness and poverty are all part of the web of social problems responsible for turning the protests in Baltimore violent. Get a better understanding of the uprising, its catalyst and aftermath with this review.  

1. Who Was Freddie Gray?

Freddie Gray was a Baltimore man who died in police custody after suffering spinal injuries. He’d had several run-ins with the law before his death, mostly related to drug dealing. Gray’s start in life was just as tragic as his death. He was born premature to Gloria Darden, a woman who said she was illiterate and had never attended high school. Accordingly, she could not help Gray and his sisters perform well in school. All of the children had learning difficulties which may have been a result of lead poisoning. Experts say that lead exposure can have long lasting neurological effects on children, regardless of upbringing. But most of the youth in the U.S. who suffer from lead poisoning likely are born in poverty. With the cards stacked against him from the outset, Gray turned to drug dealing to support his family, a relative told the media. Just how Gray sustained spinal injuries while in police custody remains unclear as of May 2015, but six officers involved in his arrest were indicted on criminal charges ranging from the equivalent of second-degree murder to assault. The U.S. Justice Department also investigated his death. More »

2. Improving Media Coverage of the Baltimore Uprising

When protesters set Baltimore ablaze in April 2015, media from across the world descended upon the city to report on the uprising. Journalists and public figures inevitably asked the same trite questions that often emerge during civil unrest. They questioned how the rebels could destroy their own neighborhoods and focused on the lawlessness and loss of property that took place as a result instead of the despair, poverty and institutionalized racism to which the “rioters” reacted. Responsible reporting on civil unrest should not leave out information about the neighborhoods in which protesters live. The unemployment, homicide and poverty rates can all paint a picture of the factors that lead people to “destroy their own neighborhoods.” The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. discussed the injustices that lead “poor Negroes” to riot in 1968, remarking that the “nation’s summers of riots are caused by our nation’s winters of delay.”

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3. Public Figures React to The Baltimore Riots And Freddie Gray Killing

A number of public figures weighed in on the Baltimore riots, including Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, President Barack Obama and Baltimore City Councilman Carl Stokes. While the mayor blasted the “rioters” as thugs, Stokes vehemently opposed that term to describe “our children.” He said “thug” was equivalent to the N-word. “These are children who have been set aside, marginalized who have not been engaged by us,” Stokes remarked on CNN. “...No, we don't have to call them by names such as that. We don't have to do that.” More »