The city of Baltimore is just 40 miles from our nation’s capitol and is now racked with chaos. For the past several days demonstrators have taken to the streets in protest over the police killing of unarmed Black man Freddie Gray. Gray, who had committed no crime, suffered a severe spinal cord injury, and according to his family, his trachea was crushed while he was in police custody. The arrest, but not the chase that led to the arrest, was captured on cellphone video. Police authorities admit that he was thrown into a police van and was not restrained by a seatbelt, in violation of police policy, and he was denied treatment for his complaints of injury.
The scenes from the turmoil in Baltimore are reminiscent of those from Ferguson, Missouri, as crowds break windows, confront police and vent their rage at a system that once again has marginalized the importance of Black life. Despite the high tensions and damage to property, only 35 people have actually been arrested. However, there have been multiple reports of photojournalists being harassed and assaulted by police, some even were cited for various reasons but the charges were later dropped. Representatives from the Obama administration are expected to be in attendance at the funeral, they have been identified as Broderick Johnson, assistant to the president and Cabinet secretary, who also chairs the administration’s My Brother’s Keeper task force; Heather Foster, an adviser in the Office of Public Engagement; and Elias Alcantara, with the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs.
