It is very difficult to watch the Baltimore riots.
On the one hand, the impulsive response of the rioters would appear to give the
U.S. a free pass to ignore the actual problems that underscore the struggle
between minority communities and police officers. On the other hand, it ignores
the peaceful protest that took place the days before the riots began, which
were ignored by the media.[1]
There have been lackluster attempts to understand by
various people via social media. I feel like the attempt to understand can be
summed up by saying this; if these riots surprise you then I think your current
mindset makes it impossible to understand why or how these riots can happen.
To be clear, labeling the rioters as idiots or even
worse animals is the poorest most pathetic attempt of making sense of the
Baltimore riots. Such ignorance is unwarranted and must be corrected by a
complete shift of mindset if we are ever able to move forward toward racial
equality and reconciliation in this country.
My intention in writing this blog is not to speak on
behalf of every black person in U.S. nor is it to speak for the entire black
community of Baltimore. It is to share my thoughts and concerns when I see the
way the media responds and friends and various people respond on social media.
I can only raise my own voice on these recent occurrences.
I would like to first respond to a meme that has been
circulating the internet.
This meme shows two contrasting images. The image on
top shows Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other civil rights leaders, citizens
and people marching against oppression of blacks. They are walking peacefully
with locked arms looking to send a message of equality despite the color of
one’s skin. The second image on the bottom shows a young angry rioter in
Baltimore bust out a car window with a large object with a crowd of people
behind him rooting him on. The message is simple: the top photo is a protest,
the bottom is rioting. The conclusion: “if you can’t tell the difference, you
are a part of the problem.” The word *duh* comes to mind.
These types of responses are what I meant earlier regarding
“lackluster attempts to understand”. I believe it is important to take these
the images of Dr. King in context with
his own words. There is a video of Martin Luther King Jr. speaking on riots and
violence to the media that I would like to share that I think provide the
proper commentary for the top image. –A transcript of King’s words is posted
below the video.
“There is no real organization to the riots I think
they grow out of the conditions that I mentioned all along, and as long as
these intolerable conditions are there, as long as the negro finds himself
living every day in a major depression, then every city will sit on a powder
keg and can explode over the slightest incident. I feel that killing is a very
tragic way to deal with any social problem. There is no violent solution to the
problem that the Negro confronts in this country. There is why I have
constantly said that riots are socially destructive and self-defeating. After
all the Negro ends up on the losing end. We can’t win a violent revolution.
Most of the persons killed in the riots are Negro themselves. The persons who
end up not being able to get milk for their children are Negros because things,
where they have to live, are destroyed. So there is no practical or moral
answers in the realm of violence due to the Negro problem but I do understand
sociological, psychological and the economical…”
To be sure, Martin Luther King Jr. as expressed in
the video, did show compassion and understanding toward those in the black
communities who wanted to riot. He, too, was equally angry at the conditions in
Black neighborhoods. However, his ideology and approach in achieving justice
differed from many others. He believed that peaceful protest was actually the
strongest voice that the oppressed people had. Why? Well, in my opinion
peaceful protest forces the oppressor to listen to the concerns and complaints
of the people. Violent riots, as I said earlier, give people a pass to ignore
the true concerns and pains of the oppressed people.
One more point I want to make on this meme. If you
have ever read about Martin Luther King, Jr., and the civil rights movement,
you will find that convincing oppressed people that the way forward was a
peaceful protest was extremely difficult. The natural response of people who
feel as if they are unfairly treated is almost always not to be peaceful. It is
because the oppressed already feel as if their voice is ignored and overlooked.
It appears the only time people will listen is when things are being destroyed.
I mean look, at the media’s coverage of Freddie Gray’s death. How much T.V.
time was given to the thousands of people who were protesting peacefully in
Baltimore before the riots began? And now how much more media coverage is given
to the destruction? Nevertheless, the point I am trying to make is that Martin
Luther King, Jr. very much understood the fact that things could blow up at any
time. He did not agree with the response, but he was not labeling these
communities as idiots or animals, either.
If we take into account the U.S. history of slavery,
the oppression that black’s felt after the abolishment of slavery up to this
day, along with the recent media coverage of the warranted and unwarranted killings
of black citizens by police officers (I say this with the most caution and
restraint possible), then you have a chaotic recipe for Ferguson and Baltimore,
and perhaps even more of the same for other cities in the future. I ask all who
do not understand to ask yourself how hard it must be to feel as if you are
being oppressed by a system that is set in place to protect you. Think about
having to see all your friends and family forced to be a victim of a flawed
system. What must that feel like?
The last thing I will say is this. The United States
of America cannot continue to ignore the tension between different races as if
it doesn’t exist. Just because the riots are not happening in your city does
not mean that they cannot. Just because you may feel as if your relationship
with law enforcement is great because you are a “law abiding citizen” doesn’t
mean that every law abiding citizen feels the same way. And perhaps what I feel
may be the most important is just because you don’t feel like the government,
law enforce, or overall system is oppressing people of other races doesn’t mean
your feelings are correct. We must all change our mindset if we are to move
forward. Accept that you may not be able to understand the concerns of other
people. Adopt an attitude of empathy towards your neighbor. Don’t be so quick
to judge, especially before you seek to understand. Come on, America. We are so close. Let’s keep moving forward.
[1]
All photos have been derive from: http://blackwestchester.com/2015/04/27/10000-peacefully-protest-bmore/
and were taken by Bill Hughes
I must also give credit to my good friend Micheal Barret for his help in editing this piece.
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