This is not just about Baltimore Part 3 of 3

In this last installment (barring the conclusion to be posted next week) of my response to Baltimore and the #Blacklivesmatter campaign, I find myself a little fatigued. I’ve lost “friends” (and I use that term loosely) simply because I’ve posted my opinion. My intention is start a dialogue; to show another side that some don’t know exists. I appreciate the opinions, even those that differed. This is how we grow.

“Blacks kill Blacks, too”

True. But what does that have to do with the point? Using this as a response is like saying, “Well because Black people kill Black people, other races should be able to kill them, too.”

First let me say that there is a difference, when Blacks kill Blacks. Usually, they are immediately sought, investigated, charged and usually convicted.

Second, I never really understood this reasoning. I will never understand why people think exposing one justifies another. They are both problems. Pointing out one doesn’t make the other one disappear. They both need to be addressed.

So let’s do so. Black-on-Black crime is not unlike, well…just crime. Yes, Black-on-Black crime exists. And the statistics are high. Just listen to former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani talk about how many Black people kill Black people.

But Giuliani neglected to share other statistics in that same study. According to Justice Department Statics, between 1980-2008, 84% of White people were killed by other White people. Yet when this happens, the media doesn’t label it “White-on-White crime.” When we see this, we don’t hear comments like “let the animals just kill themselves off,” or “well White people kill Whites, too. So why are we focusing on the <insert other race here> murderers?”

The problem comes when we differentiate between the two. Not labeling the others as “White-on-White crime,” “Asian-on-Asian crime,” etc., by omission, leads the public to mistakenly believe that Black-on-Black crime is more prevalent.

But since we’re all about statistics, how about a few more? According to a 2014 ProPublica analysis report, statistics show that from 2010-2012, Black males ages 15-19 were 21 times more likely to be shot and killed by law enforcement than White males of the same age demographic. And for those who would say young, Black males commit more crime, the FBI Uniform Crime Report of 2012 indicated that out of 9.3 million total arrests 69% were White and 28% were Black. Based on those two statistics, one would have to wonder if more Whites are being arrested because more Blacks are being killed.

Continuing to say “Blacks kill Blacks, too,” only further perpetuates the idea that the Black community is the only community that is single-handedly undoing itself. That’s not true because a) it’s not the only community with infighting and b) its infighting isn’t the only factor causing the high mortality rate. Much like all communities, there are both interior and exterior forces that are to blame. Each should be dealt with accordingly.

“Let the justice system work. There’s an investigation.”

This response will be short.

It didn’t work. It consistently doesn’t work. That’s what started the campaign, to begin with.

People think the reason for the unrest and anger is the treatment of Black people. And while that is an issue that seems to be ever-present and continually growing, the salt in the wound is that the justice system continues to deny justice.

If we look at the timelines of many of these instances, many of the protests and marches didn’t happen immediately. They happened after justice was either denied or woefully delayed.

In many instances, people were only charged when the community got angry. And, even then, they were not convicted. So “[letting] the justice system work” would be preferential, if only it were an option.

“Why are people rioting? Martin Luther King, Jr. would be appalled. Violence doesn’t solve anything.”

The oppositions to the recent race riots are endless. And, I understand. I do. I would agree that some of the people looting are doing so not out of anger at the situation but because it’s an opportunity to get something free. But not every rioter is the same.

I get that burning a car doesn’t undo what was done. I get that looting stores is only theft. I get that breaking windows of establishments doesn’t bring back the dead. But I can’t say it doesn’t do anything.

I can’t say this because I also understand that people are angry. I understand that people are hurting. I understand that people feel like they are being attacked and threatened.

A community is treated like the proverbial stepchild, given subpar education and then people complain that they “perform abysmally” on testing. Their community is overrun with buildings that have long since been condemned and then people complain they don’t take pride in it.

Have you ever been so mad you just had to punch something? So mad you wanted to scream? So mad you broke something (even if it was yours)? Well that’s what’s happening.

People are angry at false depictions on the news. People are angry at burying innocent family/friends. People are angry that they have to protest and march to get the justice that is often easily dispensed to other races. At least, I know I am. I would much rather spend my time building up my community than pleading for a justice system to do its job and protect it. That shouldn’t be a request when it’s an obligation.

Several comparisons of the Baltimore riots and the University of Kentucky riots have been made in the past few weeks. When you examine the coverage, there’s an obvious difference. News anchors reported on both. Baltimore rioters were consistently called “thugs destroying their community,” while arguments for the college students are made saying they were “blowing off steam.” Other broadcasts denounced their activity but called psychologists into the newscast to discuss the psychology behind of the sense of entitlement and the government was blamed.

Social media even plays a part with memes of the students making reference to drunken parties and a good times while memes of Baltimore depict monkeys and other various animals looting stores. Tweets and posts boast, “Whites don’t act like this” or “You don’t see them looting the welfare office.”

Race riots are not new. In the last 100 years, over 212 race riots occurred in the states. This includes the 159 in the Red Summer of 1969 where over half of the riots were started after the death or false accusation of a Black man. Historically speaking, the largest riot incident in the U.S. was the LA riots of 1992. Over 20 years later we are literally protesting and marching demanding the same justice. Over the last 20 years there have been many peaceful protests but clearly the results are minimal.

For those who constantly use the legacy of Dr. King to invoke peaceful actions, let me remind you that the Civil Rights Movement of the 60s did not happen by non-violent methods alone. The movement had many heroes and heroines who employed both non-violent and militant tactics to achieve their goals.

So, let me reiterate. I’m not condoning violence. I’m not supporting property destruction. But I understand the rage and unrest. When opportunities are limited because we don’t provide the same education and resources for success, then allow a system to police them without accountability for unjust behaviors and mistakes, we invite hostile counteractions.

When news outlets accuse a community of animal behavior, falsely report cases in that community and re-enforce their lack of value by ignoring the intentional and/or unintentional actions and inactions by a system that is supposed to protect it, we can only conclude that we first set a low expectation and then complain that they don’t exceed the expectation with the faulty tools they were given.

I don’t mean to excuse the behavior. But I do mean to expose the part we all play. We each have our roles in this. At the very least, the rioting has gotten the attention of the country. At the very least, Baltimore’s struggles can no longer be dismissed or invisible.

We gave the Kentucky rioters excuses. We gave them the benefit of actually psychoanalyzing and determining the root of the problem. It seems to me that the people of the Baltimore community deserve the same consideration. In light of the systematic destruction, dismissal and degradation often directed at a group of people they resemble, I think they are more deserving than a bunch of sore losers.

Our country has a long history with violence and riots. It is a very well choreographed dance between the oppressor and the oppressed, between the served and the servers and between the rich and the poor. Usually, the formers take the lead. Until we choose to force the narrator to give a more balanced narration, we will continue to see false reports, over exaggerated statistics and underpublicized/never acknowledged issues in our country. These are the things that lead to present-day riots.

People are in pain and tired of being ignored and devalued. Instead of dismissing all of them as opportunistic thieves, we should examine some of this pain and attempt to alleviate it.