Riots are very common in today’s society but have you ever been affected personally by one of the many Black Lives Matter riots? I have. The Freddie Gray case had a large impact on the Baltimore community. A black man was taken into custody where he suffered severe injuries which led to his death. In “The Roots of a Riot” David Von Drehle and Time Magazine discuss the decades long systematic failure and racism in Baltimore that led to Freddie Gray’s death and eventually the Baltimore riots in 2015. The image below “Demonstrators climb on a destroyed Baltimore Police car” has a deeper historical meaning behind it. The destroyed police car shown in the image below of the Baltimore Riots is showing resistance to the injustice and systematic racism in Baltimore’s police department through the use of the focal point of the protestors, the emotional appeal to both sides, and the story behind the image.

The death of Freddie Gray put Baltimoreans over the edge and sparked the riots. Freddie Gray was taken into custody where he suffered severe spinal cord injuries which led to his death. This is not the first instance of police brutality in a city where over 100 cases have been settled for more than $6 million dollars. “As powerful as the 1996 and 1999 conferences were, noticeable for its absence at both was even a single explicit mention of the civil unrest—the riots, the disorder, the revolution, the rage—that exploded in April 1968, following King’s murder” (Elfenbein 15). After the community held conferences about the problems that need to be addressed in the city, nothing was mentioned about the riots in 1968, which has led to even more unrest in the community. The focal point of the image is the rioters destroying the police car. The image of young teens destroying the police car has a deeper historical meaning behind it. The image below shows the result of systematic racism and police brutality in the city’s police department. The result to the systematic racism in Baltimore’s police department led to the eruption of conflict these citizens were fed up and acted in a horrible way that shows their built up frustration with Baltimore’s Police Department and society as a whole. 

The Baltimore riots are a cause of controversy any way you look at it. From the picture society will draw one of two conclusions, these are “thugs” or these are young citizens expressing their distrust and anger with the systematic racism of the Baltimore Police Department and the city in general. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, a black mayor, caused more drama in the community with her choice of words about the rioters “characterized the rioters in her city, she chose a word—thug—that seemed to distance her from the deeper problem” (Time). Calling the rioters “thugs” caused a lot more conflict in the community that has struggled with a police brutality problem for the last several decades. The rioters demand changes in the government and change in how the police treat the citizens. Emotions are running high with everyone and they choose a side and sticks with it. 

The history behind the image is long and horrible. For the last several decades Baltimore has had two major riots, the ’68 Riots and the most recent riots in 2015. “Baltimore, Maryland is confused regarding its regional identity. Northern in its industrial heritage, Baltimore is southern in many other ways. In the wake of Dr. King’s death, a long bifurcated community exploded, resulting in six deaths, 5,700 arrests, damage to 1,000 businesses and homes, and the acceleration of suburban flight and urban disinvestment” (Elfenbein 14). Both riots occurred due to systematic racism and issues that have never been fully resolved. The city is again seeing problems of racial injustice that have plagued us in the past, and the present. Some of the main stores and areas of work were destroyed after the riots, and the city never fully healed from its racial issues. The racism in Baltimore has been felt by many since the time of “Rough Rides”. The citizens in the most troubled areas of Baltimore seem to never have a shot at getting out which just leads to more crime and frustration. “Here, opportunities are few outside the drug trade, and the police are more feared than trusted” lacking hope that they can make it out of the city, most teens resort to criminal activity to “get ahead”, which lead them towards a dangerous path. It is no secret that Baltimore has a police brutality problem, they have for decades, which makes the community live in fear. Since the previous riot in 1968 the Baltimore community has never been the same. “We never really recovered from the riots of 1968[…] Our infrastructure was destroyed” (Time).

The issues that are in Baltimore are not unusual in today’s society. From Trayvon Martin, to Ferguson, to north Charleston, issues with the police have shaped us as a culture. In the late 60s the Civil Rights Movement helped to unite us as one country and people. What happened to the progress? We as people need to get over our racist thoughts and unite to help fix these problems before the whole country turns out like Baltimore or Ferguson. 
