“If our society really wanted to solve the problem, we could; it’s just that it would require everybody saying, ‘this is important; this is significant.’ And, that we don’t just pay attention to these communities when a CVS burns, and we don’t just pay attention when a young man gets shot or has his spine snapped, but we’re paying attention all the time because we consider those kids our kids.” – President Obama
The uprising in Baltimore has been the center of discussion in America recently. When it comes to the events in Baltimore, televised and social media hold a power that can either help or hurt the situation. Yet in reality, media coverage has a tendency of diverting from the original cause of Baltimore’s disrest: police constantly abusing black people and getting away with it.
Wolf Blitzer recently had an interview with Deray McKesson, one of the community organizers in Baltimore. Despite McKesson bringing up valid points as to why the Baltimore uprising occurred, Blitzer constantly tried to make McKesson condemn and demonize the rioting, calling them “inexcusable.” Blitzer’s irrational focus on the rioting is a prime example of how the masses are focusing on the wrong thing: the reaction. 300 black lives were lost to the police this year alone. If issues like this didn’t exist, there would be no reason for the rebellion we see in Baltimore today. Yet for some reason, there seems to be unnecessary concern around the riots themselves.
@baltimorepolice Twitter post.
Viral content on social media has been taken out of content, focusing more on the alleged violence and not the original cause of it. People who’ve been there or are involved in the story are able to shed new light on these situations. The images shown reveal what could be interpreted as senseless violence, such as theft and aggression. However the “victims” in the photos have turned out to be the bullies, provoking rioters and causing damage to the city. These eye witnesses have proven to be crucial in making sure the right story gets told.
Among the events happening in Baltimore, many people are praising a mother who dragged her son away from the rioting. The masses see images like this and praise the mother for disciplining her child. She’s even been titled “Mom of the Year.” She’s personally came forth and explained that it was due to her not wanting her son to be the next Freddie Gray. Her motivation was to teach him not to resist the system for self-preservation. Yet her lesson still won’t keep him safe forever, not as long as the system people are fighting against continues to exist.
In addition to the mayhem, there’s been several accounts of residents helping clean up their community. Among these, is a photo of a young black boy who was recently shown handing a water bottle to a police officer. During the Ferguson riots, a photo of a young black boy similarly interacting with an officer went viral. That photo was staged and used as a way to discredit the rioting, implying that non-violence would work just fine and the people were unjust in their anger. However, photos like these are distracting from the real issues. The relationship between white cops and black citizens is still shaky. There’s still a system that lets cops repeatedly get away with murder.
There’s recently been a crowd, attempting to get Fox News out of Baltimore. To their point, Fox never covered the poverty, violence, death of Freddie Gray, or even the peaceful protests. They only showed up when the rioting happened. The community is aware of how the story is inaccurately being told. They know the dangers of the wrong media sources telling their story. This is why it’s crucial in these times to consider the bigger picture, there’s patterns of the entire story not being properly told.
The uprising in Baltimore may be illegal, but so is the murder conducted by people who are ironically employed to enforce rules. What we need is for everyone to shift their attention from the cause of the rioting to the bigger picture. To the total history of this country. To the justice system that fails to protect citizens. To the voices and cries of those suffering.
