baltimore riots

Freddie Carlos Gray, JrFreddie Carlos Gray, Jr Born on Aug. 16, 1989 His mother was single, poor, a

heroin user. When Freddie was 2, the family

moved into an old house, with paint peeling from the windows and walls, in Sandtown, and stayed four years, according to reports by the Baltimore Sun based on court records.

Freddie and his two sisters suffered lead poisoning, which led to behavioral and developmental conditions, a lawsuit the family filed in 2008 against the landlord alleged.

Freddie Gray’s BackgroundFreddie Gray’s Background

Freddie was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Known for his sunny disposition, he attended a vocational high school.

He got into trouble with the law. Sentenced in 2009 to four years in prison for drug possession with intent to deliver, he was paroled in 2011, returning to Sand town, where one in four juveniles were arrested between 2005 and 2009.

Causes for riotsCauses for riots

On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray, Jr., a 25-year-old African-American man was arrested for allegedly carrying a switchblade knife

Cause for RiotsCause for Riots

During the transportation of Mr. Gray in a police van, from the location of arrest to police station, he fell into a coma and later died.

Causes of Death Causes of Death Reports indicate he suffered a

saver spinal cord injury at some point between the arrest and the police station.

Baltimore police chief stated, officers involved failed to secure Gray inside police transport

Police Station ProtestPolice Station Protest

On Saturday, April 18, 2015, hundreds of Baltimore residents protested outside the Western District police station over the injuries Gray sustained during his arrest.

Arrested ProtestersArrested Protesters

The sixth night of protests continued in Baltimore's streets. Two people were arrested and although tensions flared police say remaining protesters were peaceful.

Violent Acts Violent Acts On April 25, 2015, protests were

organized in downtown Baltimore, they walked from city hall to the inner Harbor, but as the final stages of the protest ended people started to become violet and destroyed 5 cars and pelted police with rocks.

Baltimore Police DepartmentBaltimore Police Department On May 1, 2015, Gray's death was ruled to be a homicide and the 6

officers involved in the incident were charged with murder

Social media Social media Social media was used to

organize the riots, calling on a “purge” at a certain time, this media call certainly propelled the violence.

Media outlets focused on the rioting and violence making the citizens look bad nation wide.

Social Media Reporting RiotsSocial Media Reporting Riots

Peace in Baltimore Peace in Baltimore

The media should also have their focus in the peaceful protest or the clean up efforts put forth by individual people.

Black citizens Black citizens

Black citizens organized themselves by using social media like Facebook and twitter to communicate with each other and plan.

Peacefully ProtestingPeacefully Protesting

Some individuals preferred violence to express themselves, but protesters stood face to face against officers, in complete riot gear, not caring if they were exposed to mistreatment or brutality

Continue Black CitizensContinue Black Citizens

While some where able to stand their ground to promote how they felt towards the Baltimore PD, others took a more hidden approach and used violence and destruction to show their level of frustration towards police actions towards the black community

PolicePolice Prosecutors want a gag order to prevent

lawyers from disclosing information to the media

Baltimore Police department place Grays death into the city's homicide list, almost 2 weeks after cities State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby filed charges.

After learning of the “purge call” police got ready in full riot gear, closing Malls and closing principle city streets

Police Brutality NationwidePolice Brutality Nationwide Across the country Police officers take advantage of their power Watch video until 6:22 mintues

Conclusion Conclusion The death of Freddie Gray was the

cause of the protest which led to the riots, but in my opinion this situation cannot be blamed on the simple fact that a man was obviously murdered by a group of people, that in today's society, fear no repercussions to their actions.

The group of people I refer to are the police officers who have a complete disregard for the law, the Baltimore police department isn't at fault though because this problem does not just effect Baltimore but our entire nation, from coast to coast, we have well documented cases of police officers taking advantage of their power or get caught on video beating on a person simply because they can.

My Opinion My Opinion

The only way this sort of behavior will end is by setting down stiff penalties regarding the mistreatment of people, another way to avoid handing over the power a badge carries over to an unstable individual would be better background checks, it seems every time we find out a police officer beat on someone on camera, we also find out that the officer in question has a violent history.

Until actions like this carry harsh punishment, individual officers will continue to engage in this sort of behavior.

Works CitedWorks Cited

ABC. "Freddie Gray Protests Turn Violent in Baltimore." Youtube.com. N.p., 28 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.

AnarchyWorld. "Police Brutality in 2015 | NWO Police State."Youtube.com. N.p., 24 Feb. 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.

Mercer, Marsha. "Freddie Gray's Neighborhood -- a Sad Story of Failed Good Intentions." MarshaMercer.com. N.p., 30 Apr. 2015. Web. 14 May 2015.

Sundance. "The Freddie Gray Transport Van." The Last Refuge. N.p., 08 May 2015. Web. 17 May 2015.

Wikipedia. "2015 Baltimore Protests." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, n.d. Web. 17 May 2015.