Source: Fire in Baltimore (Samuel Corum/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images) / Getty
The views of this post are not the views of Radio One Inc. This is an editorial from Kelson The Urban Informer:
From 2002-2008 folks who had never been to Bmore got a glimpse of what the city of Baltimore, Maryland was like. For those from Baltimore, watching ‘The Wire’ was a waste of your time because on a daily basis, you lived “The Wire”. Just like each city, Baltimore has a beautiful area for tourist but go 2-3 blocks away from there, you will see the real Baltimore. Boarded houses, families on welfare, drug addicts, unemployment, gun play, and “thugs” as Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake called people who were destroying the city last yesterday.
While the family of Freddie Gray, who had been severely injured and died a week later, was being laid to rest on Monday, many “credible” reports began to publish about planned riots at Mondawmin Mall and Baltimore gangs targeting Baltimore City Police Officers. Unfortunately, riots did start when city school were let out. On the local and national news, they showed students around the Mondawmin Mall area throwing rocks at police officers leaving multiple officers injured. As the day grew, you saw more cell groups in the area looting stores, burning stores down, burning senior citizen homes and destroying neighborhood facilities that one day soon, we will have to restock, rebuild and re-establish. Unfortunately, this violence didn’t stay in one side of town but ranged from West to East and according to things I’ve seen on social media, making its way out to Woodlawn.
As I write this this morning, I’m still waiting to see this “threat” that the Bloods, Crips or Black Guerilla Family issued on Baltimore City Police Officers. However, I did see on WBAL TV Gang Members talking about how they came together to help protect neighborhoods. They are “united for peace.” (video 1 video 2 video 3)
Now that the city is worst than it was yesterday, there is still no justice for Freddie Gray, families displaced, more people jobless, a city wide curfew for the next week, National Guard is present-What Now?
While the city is under a ‘State Of Emergency’, it’s time to rebuild. I can honestly say that I never imagined seeing my city on 100,000 like I did last night. I knew it could get there but never expected it to happen. My heart bleeds for my city because I know their pain. Just because I’m not there right now, I can feel it. My prayer is that Jesus heals our city, soften the hearts of the criminals that is destroying out city and that justice be delivered. I pray that the perpetrators be dealt with and that the victims be taken care of. Non of this violence is being displayed in my city is for Freddie Gray. This is misguided frustration from a group of people who are hurt and couldn’t think of a better way to express their hurt.
Being a son of Baltimore as well as a media member, I wish that all of the negative images that the media is displaying that they would show just as many of the positive images that are happening. They didn’t show the images or video of the clergy of Baltimore walking through the streets praying or the other peaceful protest that were happening. Of course getting the negative images boost ratings and we’re supposed to tell the story but it doesn’t show the full picture and it doesn’t do anything to help the city. I thought as media, we’re supposed to be biased?
Today, we must do better. Today, we MUST rebuild.
Kelson!
Stay up to date with everything unfolding in Baltimore, here or here.
