“When white folks ask, “Why are they so angry, and why do some among them loot?” we betray no real interest in knowing the answers to those questions. Instead, we reveal our intellectual nakedness, our disdain for truth, our utterly ahistorical understanding of our society. We query as if history did not happen because, for us, it did not. We needn’t know anything about the forces that have destroyed so many black lives, and long before anyone in Minneapolis decided to attack a liquor store or a police precinct.”
But by all means, white people, please tell us all the one again about how having to wear the mask at Costco is tyranny.” – Tim Wise
The Fire You Can’t Put Out, by Anifa (reblogged from a story published in the Daily Kos)
It’s Tuesday, November 25th, 2014. Ferguson, Missouri is burning.
I live several states east of there, but I’ve sat up all night watching live streaming feeds of the rioting in Ferguson and St. Louis, MO. The grand jury’s decision to whitewash and stonewall the murder of Michael Brown came out at 9 PM hereabouts. I think the first police car on fire came an hour later, and the night devolved into one store after another being looted and burned.
It’s quite something to watch image after image of flaming stores come rolling up on the screen. For the amount of property destruction going on, the police are being remarkably restrained. They have the weapons to put this situation down real damn fast if that was their goal, but it isn’t. They say they haven’t fired a shot, which is a remarkable change of pace from the full clip execution of Michael Brown back on August 9.
If they were to shoot anyone in the current riots then they’d be the bad guys in today’s news cycle, and that’s where they plan to win this thing. They actually want riots, and they want to look like decent guys for a change, all for today’s news. Behaving themselves puts all the criminal color onto the black community for carrying on the way they do.
These riots will be covered in the media as yet one more historical example of black people getting mad and burning down their own neighborhood, just like in Watts and Detroit in the Sixties. Black residents burned down the very places they work at every day, shop at every day, just senselessly wrecking the small businesses of their very own community.
And there it is, that stupidest of questions, that rhetorical question most white Americans will ask one another this morning: “But why do they burn down their own neighborhood?”
And their only answer will be, as always, to shake their heads and shrug their shoulders and never, ever understand. They just can’t come up with an answer. And with no answer, there is no need, no way to seek a solution. So they don’t.
Let’s be specific about what’s going down.
While the stores being burned are mostly national chain stores like Walgreen’s, McDonald’s, Auto Zone, Dollar Store, local car dealerships, and so on, they are locally owned branches or franchises in most cases. There are also some independent small businesses being torched, like Ferguson Market and Liquor. These are the places that the black residents of Ferguson shop, eat, and hopefully work at as well. At least one local business that was looted was clearly owned by a black couple.
And yet these local shops have promptly gone up in roaring anger and flames tonight, and probably will for nights to come.
Why do these stores attract such anger and direct action?
Yes, I know that it is probably only a few hundred mostly young black men who are making their way from store to store to pillage and burn, while 20,000 other black residents of Ferguson are protesting peacefully, or are at home, not destroying local stores. They may be at home, but trust me, there’s real satisfaction being felt across the entire community at this hitting back that’s going on. It’s widely seen as something well deserved and a long time in coming.
‘If this is what it takes to get some help for our community, to get some attention and some justice for what goes on around here, then so be it.’
So Why Loot Stores? Why Burn Them to the Ground?
You’d have to grow up a young black male in a place like Ferguson to grasp why these stores are the immediate, prime targets for looting and flames. There are 365 days in every year. And on every day of every year of your life you’ve had to walk past these cathedrals of consumer culture and see things you don’t have and can’t get because you have no money, no real education, and very little hope of ever being employed.
Or you grew up seeing your mother, father, sisters or brother slaving away behind the counter in one of these stores for minimum wage or less (part time workers so no health benefits could be earned) and bringing home a pittance for their family to subsist on. Maybe you’ve been behind the counter at Mickey D’s yourself, and it did wonders for your self esteem because you did that instead of going to school; you did that to bring home a few dollars for food and rent. Dead end jobs for dead end, unwanted lives. In the land of the free.
You grew up tagging along with your mother or aunt to shop in these stores using food stamps, coupons, buying only things on sale, and putting up with the stares of the people around you who have real jobs, and can afford to shop without government assistance. And when you go alone into one of these stores, you are immediately followed to see if you’re going to steal anything. If you linger or look around at all, pretty soon some bastard of a white cop will show up to take you outside and check out who you are and what you’re doing in the store, boy.
This is normal times for a brother. And it wears on you, it really does. It gets bleak.
Before you’re ten years old you know right down to your bones that you don’t belong to the America of white people. That your black life is not valued at all. The America you read about in the papers or view on television is not for you. It’s not ever to be yours. You’re permanently shut out of that world. What you experience is quite the opposite. You come to see that it’s there to feed on you.
So the local car dealership or chain restaurant or chain drug store is not “my neighborhood store.” It is instead the most visible symbol of your impoverished options and status that you see every day as you go without in white America, all because you decided to be black. Now, that’s a lifestyle choice that can eff up your whole life.
As a young black male, your future is statistically going to be chronic unemployment and a fair chance of going to prison. That’s just going by the numbers. Those are your odds. As a young black male, your future is to be stopped and frisked frequently for walking while black, driving while black, or being black in a white neighborhood. A life of petty crime will be forced on you, the same way going to bed hungry was forced on you, the same way dressing in hand-me-down clothes at school was forced on you, the same way high odds of being shot down on the street might suddenly be forced on you.
Capitalism is the Ultimate Looter
Are you getting a glimpse into why that is the stupidest of questions? Do you understand that that is not what’s happening in Ferguson? You loot because you don’t care for these local businesses any more than they care about you. You burn them down to exact revenge for not having a fair chance in the richest country in the history of mankind.
It’s not your local store. It’s not your country. Loyalty works both ways, and it doesn’t work at all for most young black American males.
Let’s be perfectly clear about this. What’s being burned down in Ferguson tonight is not the homes of black families, it’s the consumer stores that feed off the black families of this ghetto neighborhood. What’s being methodically burned are the local businesses that pay the taxes to hire the racist white police who stop and frisk blacks in Ferguson relentlessly right around the year, who take young black males to prison at six times the rate that they do with white offenders for the same crimes.
It’s a stupid question because the answer is so obvious: to a young black male these stores are not in any sense “my neighborhood.” These stores represent a crushing economic system set in place to hold you down and crush you in place. It’s American consumer culture behind plate glass, with consumer goods lining the shelves, and you are not welcome in these stores even when you pay cash.
The hatred and distrust you feel when you enter these places is often palpable. You probably first felt the urge to hand some of that hatred back when you were still a boy. Now you’re an uneducated, unemployed, and unemployable young black man with little hope of changing your circumstances — not in a country with a real unemployment rate for young black men of over 50%. You’d actually be better off financially with forty raw acres and a mule out in Nebraska or Montana than trying to pick up honest odd jobs in run down segregated neighborhoods like Ferguson, MO.
But then, no. The good white folks of Nebraska and Montana don’t want you around any more than these Ferguson merchants do. They’ll accept your money, sure, but they won’t help with the endless desperation you live with because of your poverty. Not their problem. They won’t do a damn thing about the shithole schools provided for your community, nor let you into their lily white suburban schools. Not their problem.
They won’t do anything more than board up their plate glass windows when yet another one of you is shot down in the street by one of the white cops sent to stop and frisk you, sent to keep you in your place. Saving their store is their problem. You are their problem.
So there’s your answer, white America. If you lived 365 days a year for some 20 or so years as these young black men are forced to live, under constant racial and economic oppression, with all the nifty consumer products of white America just out of reach, for life, you’d be burning these businesses down tonight yourself. First order of business is to get back at, to get rid of, your immediate oppressors.
They aren’t burning down their own neighborhood. They’re burning down the palaces of white consumer culture shoved into their neighborhood to suck away their money and labor while leaving them with nothing. No future, no safety, no life. As in, dead on the asphalt from ten bullets. For jaywalking.
Shall we pretend that is justice, as the fathers of St. Louis do, as the governor of Missouri does? As the media will, starting early this morning?
Michael Brown was not an isolated death-by-cop in Ferguson, in St. Louis, in Missouri or in America. It happens every day. He was just one more dead black male, on one more day in the ghetto. He was just an animal, as the Ferguson cops are fond of saying. Michael is only a national name because he just happened to be the one too many, the final straw that the camel just couldn’t carry. And when justice was called for, by the entire black community, it was yet again harshly refused.
So this time the shit hit the fan.
His murder was egregious, it was racially motivated, and it was clearly police road rage. But the blue line of police gangsters, and the property-minded lily white rulers of the city and county and state immediately locked arms and said, “Tough. This is the way it’s got to be.” And they have conspired from the first to shove the murder of Michael Brown down the throats of the Ferguson community. They are out to protect commerce and private property above all else. Above any black human being, for damn sure.
Now, with what else than fire do you fight back against that kind of racism and economic oppression?
White America’s Greatest Delusion: “They Do Not Know It and They Do Not Want to Know It”
Though perhaps overused, there are few statements that so thoroughly burrow to the heart of the nation’s racial condition as the following, written fifty-three years ago by James Baldwin:
“this is the crime of which I accuse my country and my countrymen and for which neither I nor time nor history will ever forgive them, that they have destroyed and are destroying hundreds of thousands of lives and do not know it and do not want to know it…but it is not permissible that the authors of devastation should also be innocent. It is the innocence which constitutes the crime. Indeed, and in the wake of the Baltimore uprising that began last week, they are words worth remembering.”
It is bad enough that much of white America sees fit to lecture black people about the proper response to police brutality, economic devastation and perpetual marginality, having ourselves rarely been the targets of any of these. It is bad enough that we deign to instruct black people whose lives we have not lived, whose terrors we have not faced, and whose gauntlets we have not run, about violence; this, even as we enjoy the national bounty over which we currently claim possession solely as a result of violence. I beg to remind you, George Washington was not a practitioner of passive resistance. Neither the early colonists nor the nation’s founders fit within the Gandhian tradition. There were no sit-ins at King George’s palace, no horseback freedom rides to effect change. There were just guns, lots and lots of guns.
We are here because of blood, and mostly that of others; here because of our insatiable and rapacious desire to take by force the land and labor of those others. We are the last people on Earth with a right to ruminate upon the superior morality of peaceful protest. We have never believed in it and rarely practiced it. Rather, we have always taken what we desire, and when denied it we have turned to means utterly genocidal to make it so.
Which is why it always strikes me as precious the way so many white Americans insist (as if preening for a morality contest of some sorts) that “we don’t burn down our own neighborhoods when we get angry.” This, in supposed contrast to black and brown folks, who engage in such presumptively self-destructive irrationality as this. On the one hand, it simply isn’t true.
White Riots
We do burn our own communities, we do riot, and for far less valid reasons than any for which persons of color have ever hoisted a brick, a rock, or a bottle. We do so when our teams lose the big game or win the big game; or because of something called Pumpkin Festival; or because veggie burritos cost $10 at Woodstock ’99 and there weren’t enough Porta-Potties by the time of the Limp Bizkit set; or because folks couldn’t get enough beer at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake; or because Penn State fired Joe Paterno; and we do it over and over and over again.
A man jumps over some debris that has been set on fire in the Mission district after the San Francisco Giants beat the Kansas City Royals to win the World Series on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2014, in San Francisco. (AP Photo/Noah Berger)
Far from mere amateur hooliganism, our riots are indeed violent affairs that have been known to endanger the safety and lives of police, as with the infamous 1998 riot at Washington State University. To wit:
“The crowd then attacked the officers from all sides for two hours with rocks, beer bottles, signposts, chairs, and pieces of concrete, allegedly cheering whenever an officer was struck and injured. Twenty-three officers were injured, some suffering concussions and broken bones.”
Seventeen years later, one still waits for the avalanche of conservative ruminations regarding the pathologies of whites in Pullman, whose disrespect for authority suggests a larger culture of dysfunction, symbolized by the easily recognizable gang attire of Carhartt work coats and backward baseball caps.
Violence Never Works? Really?
On the other hand, it is undeniably true that when it comes to our political anger and frustration (as contrasted with that brought on by alcohol and athletics) we white folks are pretty good at not torching our own communities. This is mostly because we are too busy eviscerating the communities of others—those against whom our anger is aimed. In Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, Panama, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Hiroshima, Nagasaki, Manila, and on down the line. When you have the power you can take out your hatreds and frustrations directly upon the bodies of others. This is what we have done, not only in the above mentioned examples but right here at home.
The so-called ghetto was created and not accidentally. It was designed as a virtual holding pen—a concentration camp were we to insist upon honest language—within which impoverished persons of color would be contained. It was created by generations of housing discrimination, which limited where its residents could live. It was created by decade after decade of white riots against black people whenever they would move into white neighborhoods. It was created by deindustrialization and the flight of good-paying manufacturing jobs overseas. This violence is structural. But it is still violence. It is the kind of violence that the powerful, and only they, can manifest.
One needn’t throw a Molotov cocktail through a window when one can knock down the building using a bulldozer or crane operated with public money. One need not loot a store when one can loot the residents of the community as happened in Ferguson – giving out tickets to black folks for minor infractions so as to rack up huge fines and fees, thereby funding city government on the backs of the poor.
Zoning laws, eminent domain, redlining, predatory lending, stop-and-frisk: all of these are forms of violence, however much white America fails to understand that. They do violence to the opportunities and dreams of millions, living in neighborhoods most of us have never visited. Indeed, in neighborhoods we consider so God-forsaken that we even have a phone app now to help us avoid them (i.e. “Ghetto Tracker,” “Avoid the Ghetto”).
It is bad enough that we think it appropriate to admonish persons of color about violence or to say that it “never works”—especially when in fact it does! We are, after all, here, are we not? Living proof that violence works and quite well at that, thank you very much.
What is worse, as per Baldwin, is our insistence that we bear no responsibility for the conditions that have brought about the current crisis, and that indeed we need not even know about those conditions.
That innocence, as Baldwin expressed it, was the crime, because it betrays a nonchalance that ensures the perpetuation of all the injustices against which those presumed to be uncivilized are rebelling.
White Innocence, White Ignorance
White America, as it turns out, has a long and storied tradition of not knowing, and I don’t mean this in the sense of truly blameless ignorance, for this ignorance is nothing if not cultivated by the larger workings of the culture. We have come by this obliviousness honestly, but yet in a way for which we cannot escape culpability. It’s not as if the truth hasn’t been out there all along.
It was there in 1965, for instance, when the majority of white Californians responded to the rebellion in the Watts section of Los Angeles by insisting that it was the fault of a “lack of respect for law and order” or the work of “outside agitators,” while only one in five believed it was due to persistent unemployment and the economic conditions of the community.
The truth was there, but apparently imperceptible to most whites when we said in the mid-1960s—within mere months of the time that formal apartheid had been lifted with the Civil Rights Act of 1964—that the present situation of black Americans was mostly their own fault, while only one in four thought white racism, past or present or some combination of the two, might be the culprit.
Even before the passage of national civil rights laws in the 1960s, whites were convinced there was nothing wrong. In a 1962 Gallup poll, 85% of whites said black children had just as good a chance as white children to get a good education in their communities—a claim so self-evidently absurd in retrospect that it calls into question the ability of whites to perceive even the most elemental realities of the country in which they lived.
And by 1969, a mere year after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., forty-four per cent of whites told a Newsweek/Gallup National Opinion Survey that blacks had a better chance than they did to get a good paying job—two times as many as said they would have a worse chance. In the same poll, eighty per cent of whites said blacks had an equal or better chance for a good education than whites did, while only seventeen per cent said they would have a worse opportunity.
The history of feigned white “innocence” actually goes back quite a ways before that of course. Even in the 1850s, during a period when black bodies were enslaved on forced labor camps known as plantations by the moral equivalent of kidnappers, respected white voices saw no issue worth addressing. Indeed, according to Dr. Samuel Cartwright, a well-respected physician of the 19th century, enslavement was such a benign institution that any black person who tried to escape its loving embrace must clearly be suffering from a mental illness. In this case, Cartwright called it “Drapetomania,” a malady that could be cured by keeping the enslaved in a “child-like state,” and by regularly employing “mild whipping.”
In short, most white Americans are like that friend you have, or perhaps a relative, who never went to medical school, but went to Google this morning and now feels certain he or she is perfectly qualified to diagnose your every pain and discomfort.
As with your friend and the med school to which they never gained entry, most white folks never took classes on the history of racial domination and subordination, but are sure we know more about it than those who actually did—who more than merely took the class actually lived the subject matter—and whose very lives have depended upon something far greater than a mere pass-fail arrangement.
One wonders (or perhaps most don’t and that is the problem) how a person can attain the age of adulthood and be viewed as educated, as remotely competent to engage with their society, to vote, to participate in the lifeblood of American democracy while knowing nothing of the lived experiences of their fellow countrymen and countrywomen?
When white folks ask “why are they so angry, why do they run from police, and why do some among them loot?” we betray no real interest in knowing the answers to those questions—answers we could have found on the same internet we so often use to bash black people on Twitter—but rather, we reveal our own intellectual nakedness, our hatred for truth, our utterly ahistorical understanding of our own society.
We query as if history did not happen, because for us it did not.
And so we need know nothing, apparently, about the forces that really destroyed urban America, and long before anyone in Baltimore decided to attack a CVS or a liquor store.
Police line, Baltimore, MD
The Violence of Capitalism: Urban “Renewal” & Economic Development
University of Alabama History Professor Raymond Mohl noted that by the early 1960s, nearly 40,000 housing units per year were being demolished in urban communities (mostly of color) to make way for interstate highway construction, begun under the Eisenhower Administration. Another 40,000 were being knocked down annually as part of so-called urban “renewal,” which facilitated the creation of parking lots, office parks and shopping centers in working class and low-income residential spaces.
By the late 1960s, the annual toll would rise to nearly 70,000 houses or apartments destroyed every year for the interstate effort alone. Three-fourths of persons displaced from their homes were black, and a disproportionate share of the rest were Latino. Less than ten percent of persons displaced by urban renewal and interstate construction had new single-resident or family housing to go to afterward, as cities rarely built new housing to take the place of that which had been destroyed. Instead, displaced families had to rely on crowded apartments, double up with relatives, or move into run-down public housing projects.
In all, about one-fifth of all African American housing in the nation was destroyed by the forces of so-called economic development.
Housing tracts, Baltimore, MD
Importantly, this displacement of impoverished persons of color was no unintended consequence of the highway program. To the contrary, it was foreseen and accepted as a legitimate cost of progress. In 1965, a congressional committee acknowledged that the highway system was likely to displace a million people before it was finished. But due to racial discrimination in suburban and outlying areas, persons of color displaced had nowhere to turn for housing. Certainly the white developers weren’t thinking of challenging the blatant racism in lending or zoning that was keeping their suburban spaces all-white.
In fact, at the same time black and brown housing was being destroyed, millions of white families were procuring government guaranteed loans (through the FHA and VA loan programs) that were almost entirely off-limits to people of color (even those who served in the military).
So, ironically, the government was reducing the housing stock for people of color at the same time it was expanding it for whites. In fact, since the interstate program made “white flight” easier and cheaper than ever before; it can even be said that white middle-class housing access was made possible because of the destruction of housing for African American and Latino communities.
The destruction of urban residential space prompted citizen protests across the nation, including a substantial movement in Baltimore, where the impacts of highway construction, urban renewal and ghettoization were among the most extreme. In fact, opposition to many of the proposed interstate routes forced the government to pass new regulation in the late ’60s, ostensibly ensuring relocation assistance or new housing construction to replace units destroyed: a promise that would go largely unfulfilled in each and every community affected.
Given the government’s steadfast refusal to offer relocation assistance in the face of intentional housing stock reduction—indeed the head of Eisenhower’s Office of Economic Advisors admitted relocation help was rejected for being too costly—it can be said that the interstate program operated as a mechanism of racial apartheid and oppression for millions of people.
But we can know nothing about any of that and still be called educated.
Police move a protester back, Monday, April 27, 2015, following the funeral of Freddie Gray in Baltimore. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Housing Discrimination is Structural Violence
So too, we need know nothing about the blatant ways in which race-based housing discrimination created the so-called ghetto, in cities like Baltimore and elsewhere. In addition to redlining—a practice that involved banks literally drawing red lines on neighborhood maps, signaling which neighborhoods would be denied mortgage loans, no matter the creditworthiness of individual residents—and discrimination in suburbs limiting where blacks could move, other more intricate methods of economic marginalization were deployed as well.
One of the most pernicious was the practice of “contract” home sales, in which black homebuyers were essentially roped into buying their property “on time,” the way you might a television or dishwasher: making payments (at inflated rates of interest), until the entire “loan” (far larger than the actual value of the house) had been paid off. Even one late or missed payment would typically cause the borrower to be considered in default, and the holder of the contract would then take the property back from the borrower, reselling it to some other unlucky customer. Last year in the pages of The Atlantic, Ta-Nehisi Coates discussed how such practices created and sustained the ghetto in mid-century Chicago, but make no mistake, the practice was a nationwide one.
And whereas whites in the cities—who were rarely conned into these kinds of loans—could leave for more pastoral settings, often using government-guaranteed FHA loans for the purpose, blacks could not. Not only were FHA loans largely off-limits to persons of color during that time, but more to the point, if they left the cities before their contracts were paid off (which could take several decades), they would lose every dollar of equity they had thus far, theoretically, accumulated. In this way, white flight and black entrapment in the poorest neighborhoods were intimately linked. Which is to say that our opportunities, our advancement, our greener pastures and what accumulated property we possess is the flipside of black and brown oppression. They are two sides of one coin, not separate and unrelated historical processes.
But we can know nothing about that and still be thought educated. We can live in the very houses obtained with those government-backed loans that were denied to others based solely on race, or inherit the proceeds from their sale, and still believe ourselves unsullied and unimplicated in the pain of the nation’s black and brown communities.
Roland Park – All Whites Welcome
Roland Park, the wealthy and predominantly white neighborhood adjacent to Loyola University in Baltimore has a history. Elizabeth Dickinson relates this history in her article linked here. In it, she talks about the research of Paige Glotzer, a doctoral candidate in history at Johns Hopkins; she further tells us about Edward H. Bouton, the general manager of a fledgling real estate enterprise in Baltimore, who in 1893 took up an urgent matter with his lawyers.
Bouton was at the helm of a new development called Roland Park, a major project to tame 100 undeveloped acres north of the city into a lush enclave for prosperous homeowners. Roland Park would go on to become one of the nation’s first and foremost garden suburbs. But with the land still freshly tilled and the houses yet to be completed, Bouton worried about the future homeowners. He wrote to the law firm of Schmucker & Whitelock asking whether he could legally put language into the property deeds limiting who might buy and occupy a home in Roland Park.”
In hindsight, Roland park was not the first American garden suburb. That honor, according to Dickenson, “is usually awarded to New Jersey’s Llewellyn Park, founded in 1857. Roland Park, however, is among the most influential. What RP fostered in these singular developments in Baltimore would blossom into a national standard for valuing, developing, and segregating housing. RP’s rigorous implementation of deeds, covenants, and restrictions, and its advocacy of those practices at the national level, illuminates how a private development company helped shape housing policy. Here in the RP archive are the taproots of a rising suburbia. There is also a frank account of the bigotry that informed real estate development in America. “Roland Park Company did not operate in a bubble,” Glotzer says.
[click here and here to read more about restrictive housing covenants that prohibited blacks from living in Roland Park, MD].
Roland Park, Baltimore, MD–9/27/2004–photograph by JED KIRSCHBAUM/Baltimore Sun Staff.
Lead Poisoning
Detroit reminds us of what is surely the worst (and ongoing) unfolding economic disaster as it concerns (un)safe drinking water in the U.S. But other cities like Baltimore and even Pittsburgh demonstrate that we need know nothing about the systematic violence experienced by thousands of Baltimore families subjected to lead poisoning in their run-down apartments, all with the approval of government-funded medical researchers.
In the 1990s, The Johns Hopkins-affiliated Kennedy Krieger Institute knowingly exposed children and families—most of them black—to potentially dangerous levels of lead, as part of a study to determine the most cost-effective methods for removing lead paint from older buildings in poor neighborhoods. Their research entailed recruiting poor families to move into apartments and houses where three different levels of lead abatement had been utilized (telling them little or nothing about the risks involved) and then observing the lead levels in the children’s blood over time.
Although most children saw reductions in the levels of lead in their blood, some of the kids in homes where the less expensive and thorough method of lead abatement had been used were exposed to lead levels high enough to have significant effects on brain development. Rather than simply eliminate the lead entirely, regardless of the cost, or knock down lead-infested buildings and start over again with new and non-toxic housing for Baltimore’s poor, prominent and respected researchers used low-income black families as guinea pigs. That I could reference here Tuskegee and most white folks would have no idea to what I was referring speaks volumes. And no, I won’t hyperlink it. If you have to look it up you have proved my point.
Others in Baltimore, not part of the Kennedy Krieger study, were similarly subjected to lead paint, often without even the pretense of attempted abatement or removal. One such family settled a lawsuit against slumlord Stanley Rochkind in 2010, he having been previously fined $90,000 by the Maryland Department of the Environment, and forced to remove lead paint in nearly 500 rental units he owned in the city. As regards that family for whom the 2010 settlement was obtained, one of the sons in that family, when tested, had levels of lead in his blood that were 2-4 times what the Centers for Disease Control considers cause for concern, and as much as twice what the state of Maryland deems official lead poisoning. That son’s name? – Freddie Gray. Perhaps you’ve heard of him.
May his story—and not just the way he died in the custody of Baltimore police, but also the way in which his life was stolen years earlier by institutional racism, neglect and a vicious class system—never be forgotten.
Tim Wise is an antiracism educator and author of six books on race and racism. His website is www.timwise.org and he tweets @timjacobwise
Sources
Daily Kos story by Anifa
“White America’s Greatest Delusion: ‘They Do Not Know It and They Do Not Want to Know It,‘” by Tim Wise
“Baltimore City Officials to Rioters – Anyone Caught Looting Will Have Welfare and Foodstamps Revoked for Life,” by Pricilla Mason
“Why Riots Happen in Places Like Baltimore,” by Ned Resnikoff
“1893 letter details racially restrictive covenants in city neighborhoods” , by Jacques Kennedy – the story of Roland Park
“Roland Park: One of America’s First Garden Suburbs, and Built for Whites Only,” by Elizabeth Evitts Dickinson
Discussion Questions
Can you think back to the time of the Baltimore and Ferguson riots and remember what you were feeling? What did you think about the people who were rioting? What did you think about the police? About the rioters?
Have you ever – prior to this class – discussed public demonstrations and riots from a critical analytical perspective, where you look at the wider social context within which they occur.
Have you ever considered how these contemporary violent social events may be connected to the history of slavery and racial domination/subordination in the United States?
Tim Wise calls into question the fact that there are many people in the United States who attain adulthood without ever knowing (or bothering to inquire) about the racial history of major social problems. In light of this, he asks if such a person can legitimately claim they are “educated.” What do you think?
Given the well-established history in the United States of institutional racism, social exclusion, and problems associated with the difficulty of overcoming intergenerational poverty, can you see how someone confronting this might see violence, rioting, and burning down their neighborhood as the last remaining rational response to oppression caused by the overwhelming power of these interlocking social forces?
In the wake of the Baltimore riots, city officials are considering new measures to help curb the kind of violence the city experienced in the wake of Freddie Gray’s murder by police officers. They are considering a policy that would prevent individuals caught rioting, looting, destroying property, or acting in a violent and unlawful manner from collecting government benefits (they would be permanently revoked). The punishment also applied to minors, so that parents of underage individuals who are captured while engaging in criminal activities related to the rioting would be held accountable and risk losing state benefits (and potentially custody of their child). Do you think this is an appropriate response to public protest?
I was only seven years old during the Baltimore and Ferguson riots. I didn’t really understand what was happening or why it was so important. Back then, I just heard bits and pieces from the people around me, and all I really knew was that someone had died. I didn’t grasp the full weight of it at the time. Now that I’m older and can look back, the riots make a lot more sense.
At the time, a lot of people shared their thoughts on social media about how the events affected them, but the truth is, posting on social media isn’t always enough to make people listen. For the people in those communities, the riots were their way of demanding change. They were fed up, and they wanted to be heard. While the riots were dangerous, they were also a way for people to stand up and show that they were willing to fight for their voices to be acknowledged.
The people involved in these protests were incredibly bold, They were willing to risk their safety in order to make a point, to demand justice. I know it sounds extreme, riots can get out of hand quickly, but in a way, they were showing how desperate they were for change. They were willing to do whatever it took to make sure their voices couldn’t be ignored.
I’ve never believed in riots, and I never will. Riots can be dangerous, and sometimes even deadly. To me, they just don’t make sense. While I understand that riots often happen for reasons that are grounded in real problems, I still think there must be a better way to handle things. Riots don’t seem to change anything; they just make the situation worse. Destroying property, like homes, cars, and buildings, and even hurting people is disrespectful not just to yourself, but to others too.
I come from a somewhat dangerous neighborhood, so I understand why people might be upset. But I don’t think burning things down or looting is the answer. I also don’t think the police are doing enough to support peaceful protests or address the underlying problems. I believe a lot of the violence we see in protests comes from a long history of mistreatment of non-white people in this country.
When you look at the ongoing protests and riots, it’s clear that they are all from the same issue people of color being targeted by violence. And even though protests continue, nothing seems to be changing.
Even though I was a young kid who did not know anything about the Baltimore and Ferguson riots, when I got older, I started seeing videos and posts online about how intense and emotional it was. It was shocking to see how the buildings were burning, streets were filled with people shouting, and police officers in riot gear. At first, it seemed chaotic and scary. I angered me to see what they were doing to the communities. The more I learned about why it was happening, the more I started to understand the reasonings behind it. The people who were rioting were angry about injustice, especially police brutality and racism. I understood their frustration because it felt like their voices were not being heard any other way, so this was the way to get peoples’ attentions, and it sure did. Some of the images I saw showed families crying, and it made me realize that the pain they were feeling was real and deep. At the same time, I was confused about the role of the police. I wondered if they were protecting people or making the situation worse. Some videos showed officers using force, which made me feel like they were part of the problem, but I also knew not all police officers were the same and just had to do their job. In the end, it made me think about how complicated these issues are. The riots were not just about destruction; they were about people demanding change.
During the riots I was really young so I do not think I would be able to understand what was going on. I assume my parents and other family members were talking about it but I was just a kid and was probably occupied with other things kids do. But now that I am older and more matureI understand what happened and why they happened. I do think that these violent social events are connected to the history of slavery and racial domination in the United States. With everything that I have learned and everything that I have seen I think these violent protests/riots are completely warranted with the way the black community is being treated. They have big corporations entering their communities that destroy local family businesses. These corporations and the people who run these corporations do not care about the people in the community which is the reason why they burn and destroy these buildings. Overall, these corporations are ruining communities and while destroying buildings is wrong but a little part of me is saying that these buildings should be torn down if they are hurting these communities. I think that people need to voice their opinion but violence is not always the best solution but something definitely needs to be done in these communities to make them better.
I still remember the riots happening. My initial thoughts to the riots was confusion. I couldn’t understand how burning down your own city was helping was a solution to what happened. It’s interesting to see a different perspective on it. To feel like you aren’t heard, or no one cares must be a tough feeling; a feeling that I cannot speak on because that’s not the case when you grow up as a white person in a quiet, safe neighborhood. However, the other side to that, is thing about the businesses they ruined in their own community, some surely that were family owned. two wrongs don’t make a right, and that’s my overall take about the situation. I have never critically analyzed riots or public demonstrations like this before, just would see them on the news and give my quick thoughts to myself, family, or friends, but like I mentioned above, it is interesting to dive deeper into the issue and see it from people of colors’ perspective. I do believe these riots do connect to history. I have studied the history of a lot of issues in this class and they all seem to date back to slavery and its a pattern that takes a long time to turn around. I believe that is just something that we have to all work on to change over time to make our courts and judicial system more fairer for minorities, and maybe we would see less of these events. I still do not agree with burning down other businesses in your own town as a solution, however, I can understand the pain that they were facing and feeling like they reached their breaking point. New measures to stop these riots, in my belief, would be beneficial for a number of reasons. Riots like these can be very dangerous, if you want to get your point across, violence should never be the issue. Also, ruining a families business is selfish as well. Committing a felony and causing harm should come with consequences. Other alternatives to get your message heard should be considered before causing harm to other people and your town.
Prior to this class I had never fully understood when these types of riots would occur, why the targets tended to be locally owned businesses or chain restaurants owned by local people. Like most everyone else I had believed that they were just random targets essentially being used as martyrs to signify a given point that a protest or riot is trying to make. Only after being in this class did I realize that a lot of these buildings represented unequal pay, racial bias, and other forms of mistreatment to a given typically black community. While I agree with the sentiment that violence is never the answer, taking a step back I can start to see why communities of people do feel as if it could help. The whole point of these riots is to bring awareness to certain societal problems in a way that the public could not ignore.
During the Baltimore and Furguson riots I was eight years old. At the age of eight, I was not able to fully comprehend what was happening and what it all meant. Therefore, what I think now about what was going on is not what I thought about it back then. When they were happening I heard short sentences from the people around me. Not understanding much other than the fact that someone died. Now that I understand what happened and the severity of it, the riots make sense. When something like that happens, posting on social media about how much it has affected you and the people around you is not going to see who you want it to see. Those riots, while dangerous, were their way of making their voices heard. The people of that community knew that something needed to change. The people partaking in these riots are very courageous. They are willing to put their life on the line in order for their voices to be heard. While that seems extreme, riots can turn very dangerous very fast. By putting themselves out there, they are showing that they will do whatever it takes for some type of change to be made.
During the Ferguson Riot, I was in middle school I believe, so I do not recall how I felt during the time and also probably did not feel how I would have felt if they took place now because my social awareness was not on par with how it is now. I think riots like these are understandable, though I would never partake in riots like this, but I can see the side of wanting to be heard and when not heard you need to make yourself heard, and in some cases it comes in instances of riots. When protests that are friendly about simple human rights are not heard, then I can understand having to resort to riots in the case of the Ferguson Riot. People in the media need to stop pointing the finger at those rioting and protesting and instead point the finger at those who oppress those doing this, as this will allow those rioting to be heard and not have to fight for human rights, instead they will be heard and issues will be solved.
Given the history of racism, exclusion, and discrimination in the United States of America towards African Americans, I think I can understand why they burn down their own neighborhoods. African Americans have been treated poorly from when they first arrived in America till now which is pretty sad to think about. They have been looked down upon for centuries and no one seems to bat an eye except for, obviously, themselves. The fact that it is the 21st century and we still have issues of racism and discrimination just shows one of many weaknesses that America has as a country that needs to be resolved. I understand that if someone does not feel like they are being heard, then they will resort to violent acts such as burning down buildings. The only thing I do not quite get still is why they burn down their own neighborhoods rather than something that might symbolize something more oppressive such as a police precinct or some sort of government building. Burning down your own neighborhood to me makes it look like you are just digging a deeper hole for yourself which could make it even more difficult for the rest of the world to hear you.
Yes, the recent violent events such as the Ferguson riots are definitely linked to the legacy of slavery and racial oppression in the U.S. The article stresses that the rage and frustration fueling these actions stem from not just one injustice, but from hundreds of years of systemic racism and economic exploitation that still impact Black communities today.
The violence, such as looting or arson, isn’t random. It’s a reaction to existing in a society where, for young Black people, chances are limited, and their lives are not appreciated. The businesses set on fire in areas such as Ferguson symbolize the consumer structure that benefits from these neighborhoods while providing little in exchange, employment is lacking in opportunity, education is poorly funded, and law enforcement views residents as suspects rather than members of the community.
When people ask, “Why are they so angry? “Why would they vandalize their own community?” they are simply not understanding the issue. The anger isn’t centered on “damaging property”, it’s about taking back power in a place where it has been denied for a long time. This anger directly comes from what started with slavery and still exists today in different ways.
When it comes to public demonstrations and riots, I haven’t really looked at protests or riots in a deeper historical or social context before. I used to think of them as isolated events or just reactions to something that happened recently, and my knowladge about riots is more about my own home country, but now I see they’re tied to much larger, ongoing issues like systemic racism and inequality,I hadn’t fully considered how deeply connected these events are to the history of slavery. But now I understand that things like police brutality, housing discrimination, and economic inequality are all rooted in that long history of racial oppression. that are more related to riots.
Can someone legitimately claim they are “educated” if they don’t know this history?
I don’t think so. If someone doesn’t know about the history of racism and how it still affects society, their education feels incomplete. Understanding this history is essential to being truly informed about current issues, and will be open minded to anything and understand the struggle of people in the present, and should try to make a change for a better future.
What really stood out to me in this article was the idea of white riots and how much they are able to get away with when being compared to riots that come from lower neighborhoods that carry a large population of these white riots get away with so much for less of a valid reason but the minorities riots then they will receive consequences that are much more severe. The people who were participating in these riots were only fighting for equality. However, I believe that burning down homes, malls and businesses are pointless, if anything its going to make matters worse.
At the time of the Baltimore and Ferguson riots, I was young and unaware of what exactly was going on, or for whom the riots were for, or even the meaning behind them. After reading the article, and from expanding my knowledge on topics like this one, I feel that I am more aware of the situation that was going on. Me being an African American within this country, I understand that these types of riots and protest at the time are meant to benefit myself and those who share the same skin color as me. Coming from a neighborhood that is both at an economic disadvantage plus dangerous within itself, it is understandable as to why protesters are upset. However, I don’t believe that burning places and looting is the right way to go about it. On top of that, I don’t believe that the police are doing much of a good job of supporting these protesters or solving the problem either. I feel that these violent social events stem from our country’s history of treatment towards non-white people. Due to the continuation of protest and riots all having the same central reason, we can tell that there is nothing happening to change any of this. We continuously see from the news that many of the protests nowadays are because a person of color was the victim of a violent act. That is why, for being the last remaining rational response to oppression, violence, rioting, and burning neighborhoods are understandable. It is not what anyone would want to resort to, but this is the only way people see that they can have their voices heard.
I have never and will never believing in riots. Riots can lead to danger and sometimes even death. To me they are “uncalled “for. Although most riots happen with a logical reasoning behind them, I still feel as if something different could have been done. Rioting to me changes nothing it just makes things worst. Taking anger out on homes, cars, buildings and people is very disrespectful not only to yourself but to others. Being a black African American means a lot to me I understand how blacks feel and how they want to be treating I get it but, some of the actions being done are the reasons why blacks are still in the same boot they were years ago. Blacks fight for equality but sometimes fighting and rioting will not get the job done. Sometimes blacks need to better themselves before they feel like the can better the black community. I do not want it to sound like I don’t understand the reasoning behind it because deep down inside I do. I just came from a household who looks at ourselves and ask we what I can do to better myself. Once you get an understanding of how to better yourself as a person and a leader then you can move on to the question what I can do to better my black community. Not only my black community but the whites as well how can we help each other as a whole. With all that being said no I do not like most of the reasonings behind rioting I understand them, but I do not support them
This reading was very influential and I enjoyed reading all of the ideas and facts that were brought up during the article. History is such a strange topic and is also works in somewhat of a cycle. Talking about the Michael Brown riots was significant because that was the first time whites were exposed to something like that. For those living in the minority it is hard. Policing in America has many different circumstances with police brutality that is occurring way to often. When riots broke out in Ferguson, MO, I don’t think that I was even shocked when I saw it and I was also happy because for once they were actually heard. Most of the BLM protests and riots have been peaceful and the only time they get physical and violent is when they are not being heard. Just seing how media can literally portray anything they want to make people look like they are the good guys when they are infact not at all. This happens all the time and it is disgusting. The distruction that happened in these riots I think needed to happen in order for these peope to be seen and heard because when it happens nicely then they do not listen to them.
At the time of the Ferguson riot, I was only in middle school. During that point of my life, I was too young to truly understand situations that were taking place outside of my own bubble. I was aware of the destruction from the oppressed group through the light of social media, but did not understand why that was taking place. My parents made me aware that those people were not in any way wrong. As I have grown older I have been educating myself on tragedies, similar to the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, that take place before such riots. For most cases, I am on the side of the protestors who feel the need to burn down their own neighborhoods. The real question is, why shouldn’t they? They are not just people that want to cause mass destruction, but they are people who were deeply affected by the tragedies that nothing is done for. There is no reason an officer should feel threatened in such a way, by an unarmed teenager, that they need to fire multiple shots. Officer Darren Wilson was the one who shot 18-year-old Michael Brown. Did he feel threatened by the color of his skin? Darren Wilson faced no charges and the U.S. Department of Justice concluded that Wilson shot Brown in self-defense. Protests turn into riots when justice is not served. Also, when the ones who are being oppressed are not heard, the only thing that will bring attention to situations are when they burn their own neighborhoods down. They do not do it because they want to, they do it because they feel it is the only thing left to do. If Black people are constantly being targeted by police officers and there is no change, they should do whatever is necessary to draw attention.
I believe that to some extent contemporary violent social events could be connected to the history of slavery. Black people dragged the aftermath of slavery times for a long time. So, it’s not surprising that they keep trying to rebel against the stereotypes that haunt them because of this. They know they must make noise to be seen and heard because when you are a minority in America you must make noise if you want attention. This is what they do in demonstrations, they break and burn things to get attention when they get tired of being silent. Living so long under racial domination/subordination in the United States was a breaking point. Because they were no longer slaves, but they had no rights. They had no owners, but they had no way to better themselves. It seemed as if they were doomed to serve white people. However, these people thought that they had a chance. That they had the same opportunities or even more than them for education or jobs. From slavery until now it has worked for them to take actions that make noise when they are tired of a situation. So, for them to still be doing it makes sense. Especially because even though a lot of work has been done for equality and they have fought hard for it’s still not fully seen. Because they are still being killed or judged by their skin tone. Some people are aware of what is happening and the injustices. But many are people who know about it and do nothing about it because it is not their problem.
You come across so many news reports, news channels, social media posts, and images of protest-related neighborhood fires. These sources frequently point the finger at the oppressed people for what occurs without properly considering the reasons why things spiral out of control. When people meet and want to express and feel heard about the same opinions, protests frequently start. Police officers frequently swarm protests, not to defend these folks but frequently to “stop” harm that the protestors are causing that isn’t actually happening. For instance, when protesters, especially POC, don’t feel comfortable near these police officers, it’s because there has been situations where an African American is killed by a police officer. Do you really blame them for not feeling safe? There have been numerous cases where police have killed individuals without justice being served. Therefore, many protestors, especially people of color, are afraid and untrusting when police officers arrive at these protests because they worry that the same thing could happen to them. Since there have been numerous killings by police, I can see why people could feel angry, frustrated, or afraid. When police do arrive, it seems to me that they are solely there to cause trouble. A change needs to be made in the way that police officers are not let off the hook, even though protests are primarily directed at police officers. Even after numerous protests over the same issue, nothing ever changes. So for a protesters to feel heard, Protestors start to burn buildings down, plunder buildings, and create fires since they aren’t feeling heard and this corrupt system isn’t changing. They take such action to make it known to everyone that they are tired of these murders occurring on a regular basis.
I lightly agree with some aspects of this policy, but disagree with other aspects as well. I first wonder where this policy arose from; Are they just assuming all people who partake in these protests that ultimately turn violent are all people collecting benefits from the government? If so, what is the reasoning behind this? The approach they are taking with this policy seems very targeted towards a specific group of people. Ultimately, if someone does happen to commit the crime of rioting, looting, destroying property, etc… then I do think they should get their right to collect from the government revoked; but that is simply just for committing crimes that I believe may be a way to combat crime. However, I think this policy may be dangerous in the aspect of who gets arrested for these crimes. There have been multiple instances across the nation where peaceful protests have turned violent with the outcome of crimes being committed; I am concerned that people who attend these protests that turn violent and do not commit a crime there may possibly be punished for these crimes. Ultimately I believe this policy will do more harm than good to people and if someone is caught rioting, looting, destroying property etc… they should just be charged for that crime.
The riots that occurred in Baltimore and Ferguson as a result of the deaths of Freddie Grey and Michael Brown, respectively, were one of the many things I was unaware of at the time. I will openly admit that privilege plays a large role as to why; I was in middle school at the time, and rarely did I have to pay attention to what was on the news. In retrospect, however, I wish my parents, let alone my social network, spoke more openly about issues such as these or at least brought it to my attention. Nevertheless, I’ve attempted to speak with family over the topic of protests and riots, even before my enrollment at Penn State, to gather an understanding as to what their (my parent’s) thoughts were towards the actions of the protesters and the underlying messages made bare. Often, they did not want to engage or were dismissive, to the point where they so clearly implicated themselves to the notion of “white innocence”, as they would choose ignorance over true inquiry and compassion. I have thought about it on various occasions, and relative to the country’s history, it makes intuitive sense that many Americans of color would opt to use violence as a means of demonstration. Such violence is in no way feasibly comparable to that which has historically been acted upon them; in a way, not only do the acts of these demonstrations represent the anger, repression, and rage that the target communities rightfully feel, but it also illustrates the blatant ignorance and hypocrisy from white America who question it. As the latter has in no equivalent way been subject to the hatred and degradation that black and brown Americans have, and by both failing to reconcile their history and showing disdain for such demonstrations, white America exemplifies its cruel indifference towards those it considers “other”, as well as its lasting desire to keep a racial hierarchy. I argue that to disregard the racial history socially and culturally ingrained into this country, one cannot remotely consider themselves educated, let alone possess the right to feign superiority over those abroad as is often the case. Referring back to both Wise and Anifa, and to a degree psychology, it is both a rational and logical response for one to use violence and destruction as the last resort when all else fails, especially when the systems put in place were designed with the full intention of one’s failure in mind. By revolting against these oppressive measures, he who revolts highlights the need for systemic change and reform, as to stay complacent and conform with the system only lets inequality persist further. Regarding the proposed measure to be taken as a response to riots, it is massively inappropriate, racially motivated, and further perpetuates inequality in access to resources. It shows our want to punish those who understandably rise against their oppressors and furthers the goal of creating isolated holding cells for the socially disadvantaged. Moreover, it shows our inability to critically evaluate the factors that lead these riots and act in a holistic way to address system-wide racism and persecution.
Its hard, especially for those of minorities. Several different circumstances and downfalls come with the policing of America. Police brutality is ridiculous and happens way to often. When these riots broke out in Ferguson, MO, I was not even surprised in a way I was kind of relived. That typical case made me feel like they were heard more then ever before. BLM demonstrations have been 95+ percent peaceful. And sometimes it must become aggressive in order to be heard. The burning of those buildings the cars destroyed especially cop cars needed to happen to show this frustration amongst the thousands of civilians living in “free America”. This article gave me a different point of view of it all. Not realizing that this made so much more sense about the desire for riots and aggressive ones. So, they look like the heroes on the tv at the end of the day. Not reading the history books about the harsh slavery that occurred for decades should never be the case. This history should be learned and frowned upon. Weirdly history has a way of repeating itself. When I heard about these riots my exact words were, “I’m surprised it took this long”. I was distraught when I saw the recent execution of an African American by a cop. Literally the cop emptied the whole clip. This was just a cherry on top of why I feel policing should have more of a difficult time gaining access into. They should be taught de-escalation and non-lethal working first. It’s unfortunate this happens so often to those minority groups that are targeted the most. And I’m glad they finally made an impactful statement.
I personally have not gone into detail about this topic before talking about riots and public demonstrations. I do remember the topic of riots being brought up and the protest somewhat being talked about, but never really going into detail or staying on the topic for too long. I have considered how the current violent events could be connected to the history of slavery and I believe that over the years this has caused the build up to where we are in todays world. Answering Tim Wises question, I do not think someone can claim themselves as “educated” if they have not fully learned and tried to understand the history of slavery and what it did to African American people and how belittled it made them feel. I do understand why African American people riot and I 100 percent understand it. The one thing I still do not understand is why they are burning their own communities down and terrorizing their own buildings. The justice system is 100 percent corrupt and there are for sure some Law Enforcement people who take wearing the badge way too far and use their power way too much and some forcibly. We definitely need a better solution because without one we will just keep repeating the same cycle where someone is killed and riots take place and then even more problems are caused. The only solution I personally have is peaceful protesting, this might make you feel like the point won’t get across, but the peaceful protest will hopefully lead to less police encounters and hopefully eventually someone will hear the voices and speak out themselves for what they believe and what is going on.
– Well, this is a very interesting to talk about because like mentioned many times in the article racial history must have a huge connection to these types of riots. And before reading this article I never really opened my mind up to think of these riots in a different perspective besides from my own perspective which is unfair to do because I am a white male living in American. The last big riot I can think back to is the BLM rots and how much damage they did, and all I could think about is why are they causing so much damage, and I also thought to myself, is this really going to make that big of a change in America. This all happened in Minnesota because of Derek Chauvin’s death, and I think it was a horrid wrong way to die but I’m not sure destroying the city if Minneapolis is or did change anything about America except destroy peoples and businesses properties. And when people ask the question or these events connected to the racial history of this country, of course there connected. This all starts back to when slavery was a thing and of course all this race issues stem from that. I think the police can only do so much during these riots without making people angry even more. I think when these types of things happen everyone is put between a rock and a hard place.
I remember hearing about the looting and burning that occurred more so around 2020 when the Black Lives Matter movement went mainstream (e.g., people/celebrities were posting about it on Instagram and not participating in real life). What began surrounding this movement was comments of “they don’t have to be violent to make their point known”. Going to a protest myself, I remember hearing the fear that the military would be there in hopes to stop the looting and burning. This didn’t happen. This is yet another example of what was made to look like Black people burning down their own cities.
The fight has been going on for so long: for Black people and people of color to be treated with equity and equality. It makes perfect sense that kneeling during the national anthem (and getting reprimanded for it, although peaceful) only went so far.
Not only this, but being in a minoritized community where you’ve been treated with little to no respect, making less than minimum wage, or having no job at all, as the article states: it wears on you. It makes sense that specific stores (i.e., consumer stores like Walgreen’s, the Dollar Store, local businesses, etc.) were targeted because of the tiredness of young Black men. There is meaning behind these businesses that people haven’t taken the time to look into. These shops are the representation of white, American consumer culture that is not for the group of people in this neighborhood. So, burning and looting these places are a larger message to America.
The history (past and present) of the United States is people using violence to “make their point.” What remains a point of contention is not so much the “violence,” but precisely who gets to claim violence as a legitimate means to make their point. Not everyone/group in the U.S. is able to claim that for themselves.
This section of the reading was so deep. I am so glad that all of these different facts and ideas are exposed for what they really are in this class. I think it’s great that the Michael Brown riots were mentioned because I think for a lot of people my age, especially whites, this was the first time they’ve been exposed to something like this. Because of this, it made it easy for whites to act astonished, or like they couldn’t believe that Blacks were acting in this manner. In reality, rioting and revolution is what this entire country was built on. Like it says in the reading, white people have demolished and destroyed any and everything that has ever been in their way. Even for no good reason. But we celebrate that. When racist white people were rioting in Virginia a few years ago, president Trump called them good people, which to me is crazy.
I’m so sick and tired of white people trying to tell us how to appropriately protest. People are mad when we protest peacefully and they’re mad when we riot. It makes it evident that the only real problem they have, is with Black people. The ignorance of some people is absolutely outrageous. The polls that say that Blacks have equal opportunities in this world are insane. At this point, nobody can really believe that. I feel like acting ignorant to the facts, makes you complicit in this racist system. Black people having their communities destroyed, being pushed in to the projects, being poisoned, being experimented on, and being left behind is real in the United States.
Lastly, as far as the question “Why do they burn down their own neighborhoods?” I think this was explained beautifully. Those neighborhoods are NOT our neighborhoods. Black people do not own many of those businesses at all. Most of them were built on the backs of African Americans though. It’s all a set up anyways. It’s no coincidence that there is a liquor store on every block in Black communities. A lot of the businesses there were put in place to guarantee the oppression of my people in many ways.
I’m glad you liked this work. There are generally two ways people react to “think pieces” like this. On the one hand, they might react by saying “Wow, I did not know this. This is new information/a different perspective. I have not personally experienced anything like this but I will think and act different in light of this new information.” On the other, their reaction might be defensiveness or outright disbelief. “I don’t believe this because I personally have never experienced this. If those people simply did XYZ (fill in the blank) they wouldn’t have any problems.” In the case of the latter, you have an example of a person who is on some level psychically, if not materially, invested in a structural system of oppression that privileges them/their social group over others and they’re simply not willing to give that up.
Given the well-established history in the United States of institutional racism, social exclusion, and problems associated with the difficulty of overcoming intergenerational poverty, I can see how someone confronting this might see violence, rioting, and burning down their neighborhood as the last remaining rational response to oppression caused by the overwhelming power of these interlocking social forces. A rhetorical question many White Americans ask is, “why do they burn down their own neighborhoods?” These individuals who are burning their own communities are subjected to ongoing racial and economic injustice. In order to get back at and get rid of their immediate oppressor, they loot and burn down establishments. African Americans see things they do not and can not have as they pass by these cathedrals of consumerism since they may not have any money, no meaningful education, and little chance of finding employment. For minimum wage or less, these people work extremely hard behind the counters in these businesses. They shop with food stamps, use coupons, take advantage of sales, and are followed while in these stores. The store is the clearest representation of someone’s limited options and status. These businesses depend on black families. They will take their money but do nothing to alleviate poverty. These businesses stand for an oppressive economic system that was put in place to hold down and crush Black people. A life of minor crime, being hungry, getting stopped and frisked by police for doing nothing, chronic unemployment, a likelihood of going to prison, and a high risk of being shot on the streets are all in African Americans’ futures. Black people destroy businesses in retaliation for not being given a fair chance in the most prosperous nation in human history. Black lives are not at all appreciated. Both the country and the store are not theirs. They are prepared to do whatever it takes, even setting their neighborhood on fire, to obtain assistance for their neighborhood, public attention, and justice. In order to achieve the well-deserved and long-overdue actual gratification. When Black people are forced to endure lead poisoning, subjected to redlining, and are unable to move because FHA and VA loans are not available to them, it becomes systemic violence. It is utter foolishness to ask “why do they burn down their own neighborhoods?” Since White Americans have never experienced economic ruin, racial injustice, or police violence, they cannot possibly understand and have no right to raise the question. Institutional racism, ignorance, and a cruel class structure destroy Black lives. So yes, I can see how someone confronting this might see violence, rioting, and burning down their neighborhood as the last remaining rational response to oppression.
I do not believe in rioting. Riots have the ability to foster change, good or bad. We have periodic riots breaking out in cities like Ferguson and Baltimore and that happens whenever a police officer kills an unarmed African American and is not convicted. Yes riots are a form of communication but the change that they create only harms the movement. Riots are full of anger, hurt, and fear. When we respond with our emotions the deliberation, march, or thought activity that are acceptable are now weary. On the other hand protesting is a rational and logical expression of this aggravation toward our political system. I definitely understand why people riot, and it is because nonviolent approaches does not always create change. An example is Baltimore after the police killing of Freddie Gray. The issue was disregarded until a real disruption was created. A peaceful protest is a polite request where’s as riot protest is a demand. I do understand why the black community riot as a African American myself. They want respect and equality! It does not make sense to me why they destroy their own community and not the others. The only reason I can think of is they are done being treated less than white people.
Why would you burn down your own neighborhood? Just to try and get justice for something you cannot control? Tragedies happen all the time and we cannot control how or when they happen. I know it was a tough time for the black population during Ferguson and I do understand that they wanted to stand up and fight for what is right. Another way they could have dealt with the tragedy of Ferguson is to protest but not have a violent riot. We see mor and more riots happening because of the injustice we have in our justice system. It is not right with how black people are constantly looked down upon by our society. Everyone in our society should be considered equal no matter what their skin color is. Our justice system is corrupt in a lot of ways and it should not be tolerated by our society. There are a lot of corrupt law enforcement officials who think they have all the power in the world and can get away with anything. Just because you have a badge, it does not mean you can get away with murder. When we see these people getting murdered around us, it makes me think that it is unsafe to even walk out your front door. There are many solutions to the corruptedness of our justice system, but one important step is to fight for what is right.
I have never and will never believing in riots. To me they are “uncalled “ for. Although most riots happen with a logical reasoning behind them , I still feel as if something different could of been done. Rioting to me changes nothing it just makes things worst. Taking anger out on homes, cars, buildings and people is very disrespectful not only to yourself but to others. Being a black African American means a lot to me I understand how blacks feel and how they want to be treating I get it but, some of the actions being done are the reasons why blacks are still in the same boot they were years ago . Blacks fight for equality but sometimes fighting and rioting will not get the job done. Sometimes blacks need to better themselves before they feel like the can better the black community. I do not want it to sound like I don’t understand the reasoning behind it because deep down inside I do. I just va,e from a household who looks at ourselves and ask ourselves what can I do to better myself. Once you get a understanding of how to better yourself then you can move on to the question what can I do to better my black community. With all that being said no I do not like most of the reasonings behind rioting I understand them but I do not support them
I feel as if the burn of the property within the Ferguson riots were to bring awareness of how African Americans were being oppressed by white Americans. The citizens of Baltimore were well aware of the systematic racism that was portrayed against the African Americans. I think the overall motive behind the burning of the buildings in Ferguson was to demonstrate the idea of an “eye for an eye”. Implying that you can take the life of an innocent black male, but can you withstand the social and economic consequences of your behavior? I also think that there are many ways of protesting to try and get message across. Protest inspired by mahatma Gandhi are seen to be the most influential to successors such as Martin Luther king. With the change in technology where everyone is capable of recording and documenting most incidents, the issue that may be seen as minor or peaceful can easily be determined as hateful depending on the way the media portrays it. With the media, they are constantly portraying African Americans as “savages” and “animals” such as “amphibians”. I just don’t like how the stigmas that are placed may cause people to act as if they are wild. Treating people as if they are magistical creatures and threats based on racial biases just adds fuel to the issues within society and departments.
Riots do not have a place in political discourse. When a group or a minority is experiencing problems the solution never is to riot and destroy the community. The neighborhood burning down only hurts that community and gives the opposition more fuel to point and say “see look, they are violent and irrational.”. Not only that, in every riot there are always those who loot stores and steal. The stores that are being looted are someone’s business and yes, they can be a dollar store or a Walmart but that is still someone’s business that they are running. Martin Luther kings message of civility and peace in political discourse is lost today in 2018. Mob rule has taken over.
I feel like rioting is something that has transitioned to something that only the black community does within societies eyes. I feel like society only believes that the black community is the only one to riot and when the riot they are destroying the community. When In reality, this Is not true. Yes, in recent history, rioting has caused damage to a community. But It not one group of people causing the destruction. White people will cause just as much damage to their community after their favorite community just as much as the black community will do after they felt that they were wronged and be-little’d. We need to address rioting as a whole instead of pointing fingers and blaming who is the cause for the destruction.
I believe that unfair racial policing does spark societal backlash as it should. Sometimes the best way to make a point is to do something that may not be socially acceptable. However, I dont believe that the best way to influence fairness and equality is through violence and chaos. If anything, violence and chaos creates a further division and label on the individuals involved in the violence and chaos. History has shown us that the most impactful way to make a statement in society is through logic, facts, and civility. The movement of Dr. King Jr. Inspired the entire nation, of all races, because he approached the issue of civil rights with respect and unity, rather than through blame and violence. The idea of protest is to inform and persuade society, by burning down business and causing harm to others causes an opposite reaction from the public. The key is to inspire change is through passionate yet peaceful protest.
Majority of riots often happen when someone or some group of people are violating someone’s rights. It often happens to African Americans and in poor communities. When the community tries to fight back to gain some form of justice and the government disappointment them. Next form of attention or outcry is destruction. You can’t judge a community by the actions they take to be heard especially if no one is willing to listen to them. Lot of people are in bad areas not because they want to be but because the system wasn’t created for them to succeed in a short period of time. Some can’t even afford to buy from business in their community. Why should they care that some have strong sources of income while for some people it’s a everyday struggle of survival. So for a person to have a mind set of BURN IT ALL DOWN. I can understand. Being ignored, misheard, mistreated, violated can reconstruct someone’s mind frame to do things to be heard, not ignored or violated. And if starting a riot is what it takes so be it.
Whenever the riots unfolded I felt as if I was hurting for the black community during this situation. All they wanted was to be treated right and also to be treated equal. The people that were rioting were fighting for the rights to be equal. The police that were trying to stop the rioting are in full out military gear while using pepper spray, tear gas and rot shields. It just goes to show that a lot pf white people are very racist and that I even see it in my own life. I’ve got pulled over with my black friends and they treated them as if they weren’t with me and said it was a drug deal. Meanwhile I’ve grown up with these kids and I trust them with everything I have but the police don’t see that in their eyes. I’ve seen research in previous classes that even police are starting to see these trends but they can’t do much about it but talk about it. All in all I feel as if the police forces should change their outlook on rioting and treating people of color with respect.
With all of the smoke that fills the air from riots, it is still not hard to see this real issue as to what is going. Rioting happens with or without warning and it is hard to compress and eliminate the issue. Unfortunately, when a riot occurs, many lives are at great risks of danger. Those who choose to riot feel that by doing gets their point across, yet those who stay on side walks, chant, and are peaceful are the ones who actually get the message across. I feel as if the a certain extent, minors who engage in acts such as rioting, they should be held responsible and so should the parents. Obviously a five year old should not be punished, but a twelve year old can face some type. I think that burning down your own neighborhood says something about yourself. You may believe in what you feel, but the houses your burning down and the cars you’re flipping over that do not belong to you, ask those people how they feel. If you want to get your point across talk to those and make relationships what those like the police so they can respect you and want to listen to you.
When the riots first started I felt the hurt that the black community was feeling during that time. All they want is to be treated like any white person would be treated. The people that were rioting were fighting for equality, and they were very brave for it. They had military equipment used on them like pepper balls, tear gas, and military armor (riot shields). It just upsets me because I have a lot of black friends and the only difference is our color and its disappointing because it determines our lives. I will never understand the experiences and the depth of situations blacks go through, but what I do know that it is not right. The way the police treat blacks is ridiculous. I have done a lot of research in previous classes, and even police say that they notice racial profiling going on within their departments. I saw most of the riot on Facebook. Their news channel had a live feed going in a helicopter and you could see everything. The pictures I saw from the riots were very emotional you could see it in their faces they were not giving up.
Rioting is without a doubt dangerous. People may tell you they are going to “peacefully” protest, but they lie. One person has to throw something or hit something to start a chain of falling dominoes. Rioting is a very scary thing to not only witness, but to be in. Deals and serious injuries has concluded to the result of rioting. I believe the police are there to maintain a certain order to make sure peace is insured. I have never thought I was in danger when my life was on the line due to rioting. Prior to this class I have discussed in a critical way problems as they pertain to the history of racial domination and subordination in the United States. I personally do not have relationships with people who have lived this history, but I have went over it in another CRIMJ course. We focused on unfairness and how changing it is influencing the world. To a social standard level I must disagree. There are very intelligent members of society without a degree, however it depends on the field you are working. These ongoing problems are a clear sign of something wrong in that community. Whether it be education or funding in certain areas like housing. I can see how someone facing these ongoing problems might see violence, rioting, and burning down their neighborhood as a rational response to the oppression caused by these interlocking social forces.
Rioting has always been apart of our culture but to me only has came up in the news recently because of it being surrounded by a racial topic. White people riot all the time especially after huge sporting events. White people have RUINED their own cities. So, this bias argument that black people are the only ones destroying their community is false in my opinion. To be honest, I agree with the rioting. People do not riot because of things that have little impact to society, but because it means very much to those people. If I was in a riot, I would not care about “whose property I’m destroying” because the last thing on my mind would be that. These people are standing up for something and they do not care about the consequences. They will die just to aid to the cause of maybe one less person being hurt by police brutality or racial injustice. These places where these riots take place are already having problems, its not the black people. I feel that we cannot be so ignorant about saying one side does this, and one side does this. Both white and black people cause huge, devastating riots, but it seems like the media only focuses on one group of people concerning riots.
The way i see this is very clouded but not hard to see through. When you have a community ask then these stores and big franchises owned by rich white people it can case a rift and unsettling environment. The article mentions having to walk past these places 365 days a year. These franchises are making serious money and you have to sit back and watch them grow while you suffer. It is extremely tough to experience. I can’t even imagine how that must feel. In their eyes, you have these rich withe people come in and they act like they own the place and stat making money in a day that these poor folks wouldn’t see in a lifetime. To them it isn’t fair. They have this rage build up and then they start to have enough and that is when flames erupt. I don’t agree with the damage of property but i do think that protests and peaceful riots can work. In this case it feels like the North vs South again. If this doesn’t get controlled it can lead to very bad things. I know this is bad but it can get way worse. Violence has taken over in this country and it has drifted far from a “One” concept of every one being equal and everyone being helped and taken care of. It has become a war zone on the streets and it won’t stop until there has been enough blood shed. It won’t stop with burning. I hate to say it, but eventually you will get riots of citizens with guns and it will be very bad. Something needs to be done NOW.
Thinking back to the time of the riots, I was nervous honestly. A couple months before the rioting happened, my cousin was fresh out of the Baltimore police academy. I remember going to watch her graduate and I seen what the streets looked like down there. Right next to the Baltimore police station, I remember seeing a bunch of clubs going down the street. Not all of the streets were like this though. If you went to another part of the city, it was very nice. After the graduation we had a party for my cousin and a few of the others who she was friends with from the academy. i found what was going on was crazy. I wondered why the people would burn down places that these people would go to buy things. They were burning down their own town and I found this crazy. I remember going over my aunts house an every day while this was going on my cousin would give my aunt a call to let us know what was going on. I do in fact remember that when the bricks where being thrown, she was in that line of officers. I am almost positive she was right behind an officer with a shield. After this all went down, she came home for my graduation and I had a talk with her about policing. i always thought about being a police but when I had that conversation with her, I wasn’t sure it was the best thing for me. She told me how much stress she had going on with everything going on down there and how she was moved from one side of the town to the other side of town.
They aren’t burning down their own neighborhood. They’re burning down the palaces of white consumer culture shoved into their neighborhood to suck away their money and labor while leaving them with nothing. No future, no safety, no life. As in, dead on the asphalt from ten bullets. For jaywalking. (Trappen) I understand the point the article is trying to make. It sheds light on the struggles of most American black people. Now, I am not knocking these struggles because growing up in McKeesport I have single personally witnessed every single one of the scenarios that Dr. Trappen discussed. I have seen some of my fellow black peers treated very nasty in stores, followed by security at the mall, asked “what are you doing here?”, and much worse. I have been at restaurants when I am the only white person and our table doesn’t get waited on for over an over with horrible service. I know the shame people go through of being on food stamps and getting the glare from the old white lady in line. I lost 6 black classmates to gun violence before we even graduated. I’ve brought food to school for my friends because their mom can’t provide dinner. The black community is SUFFERING. However, I do not believe this is an excuse to loot stores and burn businesses. I believe this actually delays real justice because they cause even more pain for their community. The entire country of white people looks at the news and says “see! look at these (insert slurs) robbing and looting why don’t they get jobs etc..”. This just adds fuel to the fire of racism and doesn’t solve much of anything.
Burning down homes, companies, malls, stores, etc. is pointless. It doesn’t matter if people burn things down life is still unfair. I get trying to make a statement but really? It’s like throwing a tantrum. This whole post puts down white people like they know everything but they don’t. I don’t know everything. I understand that in Ferguson was in protest of living in a shitty place and being treated like shit but that doesn’t make all white people the enemy. What I got out of this was white Poole are spoiled brats who can burn things down for no reason whereas black people do it for a purpose. It’s really ignorant to categorize all white people in one category. Not all white people would burn things down, I know I wouldn’t. I get trying to make a statement about needing more equality but no matter who is burning stuff down, their all stupid. I believe people can be educated and it’s not all about research and books. People learn by every day life, by interaction with each other. Their are things that you learn that you cannot read in a book. I didn’t have an opinion on the riots other than it’s just going to cause a lot of death and pain. Did it really change anything? Is the world going to change their outlook on people? Probably not. I think their would of been a way more productive way of protesting. I have talked about these types of situations in a few classes but it always causes chaos because no one will ever look at one topic the same. Everyone has opinions so it never really got anywhere. I also believe everyone can be educated in their own way and if Wise doesn’t believe this then, why are we spending thousands and thousands of dollars going to college? When it comes to the laws that were placed after the riot I agree their needs to be guidelines of the consequences of rioting but I also don’t agree with taking away custody from parents. Yes minors or anyone should be punished for acting that way but no one should lose their child because they are acting out. I’m not the most “educated” person and I don’t study riots. But acting crazy and burning things doesn’t solve anything, just like “and eye for an eye”, someone always gets hurt and it doesn’t solve anything.
We all of heard of the riots that went on in Baltimore. The riots started with the the murder of Michael Brown and the grand jury’s decision to whitewash and stonewall the of the murder. I think when the public response to this incident is one that only the black community can understand because the black population have been oppressed through out our countries history with slavery and racism. Racism is alive and well in today’ society we are not ‘post-racist” society. The bias between race have been on going so say if Michael Brown was white how likely do you think he would of gotten shoot. Slim right. I think the burning of city wasn’t to destroy the it but send a message that their lives matter just as much as the next persons. I think If we as society can try to understand each other on some level things like this won’t happen often.
This was supposed to have been posted before class on Friday because it was part of the class discussion that you missed.
The first riot I saw happening was the riots in Ferguson.The first thing I thought why are they destroying the town that they live in and burning places down? Yet again I thought and they were just angered by the discrimination that’s going on with the police brutality situations that were happening. I don’t understand how the people feel this way it hurts to see a town of people doing this hurts because they are destroying their community. Yet again I feel like they were doing this because they had enough of this because nothing was done and this was the way to get their message across that they want justice for what has happened. Also, Media just tends to portray things and only cover the bad parts and not the good and makes the people who are protesting look bed because the media only wants to cover the bad and not the good. I can’t really understand how the people are feeling but i understand that justice is long overdue for some of them
When the riots happened, I did think to myself why would they want to burn down the area they live in? It didn’t make sense to me because I wouldn’t burn down the area I live in. But after reading this excerpt, I obviously didn’t grow up in an area that was a constant reminder of how whites are more privileged and show everything I will never be able to get. It now makes sense to me why the people in Ferguson decided to burn down the stores even though it’s where they shopped and worked at. I agree that they had every right to burn them down too. Its a way of saying enough is enough and they were tired of being constantly reminded of how they won’t ever be good enough to be like white people who are privileged in this world.
After reviewing this section of reading, it is clear that there is a problem with society that is portrayed to the viewer. One thing I remember being discussed in class, is that you really do not have any idea what actually happens unless you experience it for yourself. Like living and growing up in these types of places, you really don’t know what people go through on a daily basis. I know for myself I grew up in the middle of nowhere or in the middle of farming country. So I really do not have an understanding of what it is truly like in these neighborhoods. It is very clear that there is an injustice in today’s society and people act so quick to throw a label on things or people. The media also blows events out of proportion just simply by how they title an article.
‘If this is what it takes to get some help for our community, to get some attention and some justice for what goes on around here, then so be it.’
This is a direct quote from the article and its the best way I can describe the answer to the question. but there is also the question of: Are black people who are rioting actually burning down their own property? Sometimes the government and news/ media can use this as a distraction from the the real issues that are occurring within these communities. We have to remember that there have been instances where the government has payed people to cause the chaos and distract the less learned among us, who tend to only think in stereotypes, diverting their focus from the actual issues at hand by giving them something distracting to look at. And I’m not sure how this became a “black issue”, as white people destroy property as well. The difference between black protesters and white protesters is that black people are protesting injustice. White people (recently) have been protesting over a football or basketball game their team either wins or loses. White rioters are called rowdy, over energetic, over zealous, etc… But black people are called thugs and criminals (and they are in gangs).
The way I see it, its the only way black people feel the need to get their message across. Because apparently, even when you do things right in this country, you can still be executed in cold blood.
while reading this post I am able to better understand the constant fear of living in the U.S. while having black or brown skins. It is a fear that is constantly planted in to the mind of all African Americans every time another black person is murdered by the so called officers of the law who are sworn to protect and serve their communities. This is a crippling that constantly on my mind as a black American as anything can be used to stop you, search you, and harass you based on racial profiling. God forbid the black man that encounters a white cop that is having a bad day and is said to be fearful of a black man because fear in the line of duty as a cop seems to justify unloading your clip in a suspect that may been issued a citation if they happen to have a lighter skin color. To me the burning of communities during riots is nothing more than a public out cry for reform and help within those said communities. I truly believe that the one of the focuses of rioting is for the media attention . In many cases those black communities have already asked for police and social reform but for years those cries have fallen on deaf ears. So if years of peaceful asking does not work I can completely understand the need for riots. These people feel as if cop have been getting away with murdering there children for far too long and I agree. Many revolutions get dirty for the great or good an I believe this one is no different.
Upon review of this section, it is apparent that there is a tense division of society that is revealed to the reader.
Being a minority and having grown up in a inner city, I feel for those that have ever had to deal with racism or discrimination on any level such as poor living conditions, inadequate education, etc. In the eyes of many of the wealthy & discriminating, or even some politicians; You will be seen as broken and looked at differently due to the color of your skin, how much money you have, or the language/religion you practice. The injustice is apparent, and that some individuals will try to hold you back or look down on you as nothing.
In addition, I believe that in order to fully grasp the concept in some neighborhoods, individuals have to actually “struggle” and experience what its like to live in a poor neighborhood/living conditions or even work in these communities to know what the streets are like. We can view and make conclusions from the outside, but in order to fully understand what its like, you have to experience it from the inside.
The way I see it a crowd may be comprised of individuals who are upstanding citizens in isolation; these same individuals lose all sense of individuality and personal responsibility while participating in a crowd. For example, a group of people are destroying this police vehicle and if they can do it so can I. In other words, it’s us, not me. People under all kind of social and economic pressure sometimes need an outlet to get back at the system or break the rules that have been complicating their lives.
Studies show that when people commit looting it’s because a lot of people who are involved are likely to have been from low- income, high-unemployment estates, and many, if not most, do not have much of a legitimate future.
I am from a small town in the Dominican Republic where setting tires on fire and tear gas grenades are the “go-to” when protesting. I never understood why they would trash our city to the magnitude where it was impossible to make it to school or work. I always asked myself, “why would they damage our city and stop it from running.
The Dominican Republic has a very corrupted system where all the people involved only care about themselves. There’s a high amount of poverty, no jobs, bad education; I could go on but lets get to the point.
After reading and discussing this matter in class, I finally understand why citizens would want to destroy the neighborhood that watched them grow. Burning down their own neighborhood is a cry for help, for attention. It is 2017 and the black community is still segregated. Black lives are systematically and intentionally targeted for death. The system wants to keep them oppressed by giving them ‘shitty’ jobs, schools and neighborhoods. And the ones “who make it” are looked down upon. Black folks’ contributions to society is meaningless to whites.
The white privileged people do not understand that their resilience in the face of deadly oppression is to riot and get the attention they need in hopes of getting out of that ‘prison of life’ they are living. I’m talking about a mental-spiritual prison that feels like a concrete prison.
For me the biggest point of this article that spoke the most to me was the idea of white riots, and what they are allowed to get away with when compared to riots that stem from low socioeconomic neighborhoods that a large population of these neighborhoods are minorities. The article talks about how these white riots get away with so much more for a lot less of a valid reason but if minorities riot then the consequences appear to be much more severe.
Another point that stuck out to me personally was how a black person who lives in a poor neighborhood when they local stores, they do not see it as their “Neighborhood” instead they see a representation of their low status. This showed me personally that when black men as the article describes enters these stores, they are reminded of the situation that they are in, which after reading that makes it very understandable to me for why they do get angry. If you wanted change, but did not have the money to change your life, I would assume that you would be angry too.
The last thing I want to talk about from this article was how the ghetto was created. This makes me very upset, that people would do that to each other, and it makes me even more angry that is was charged by racism and money. These neighborhoods are as the article describes it holding pens and concentration camps which is truly unfair.
Many times in class it’s been discussed that many people think that there is some “magic bullet” to solve the social issues that America faces. Gun laws, mental health, violent video games. All of these have been touted as the root of all evil. Yet when carefully analyzing these social issues it becomes more and more apparent, even more and more obvious that there is no magic bullet, and that the issues are incredibly complex. So too, the answer is often complex and deals with issues “beneath the surface of the iceberg.” Deep rooted social disparities in politics, economics, banking, public stigma; all of these are causes – or at the very least, factors – into the mass poverty and inevitable incarceration of blacks in cities around the US. Banks and credit unions can choose to offer or deny favorable loans, or even any loans at all, to any individual of their pick. Such a practice condemns poor blacks to remain poor blacks and in essence guarantees the next generation to continue the hopeless cycle. Businesses take blacks’ money but end up paying that money to taxes that allow policies such as stop and frisk to continue discriminating blacks at 6x the rate of whites for the same offenses. And people ask the question, “Why do they burn down their own neighborhoods?”
As we discussed in class partially on Friday, I stated that after hearing other sides and opinions I can see, although not agree with, why some people choose to riot and burn down/destroy their own cities. I agree with Maddy where she said, “why wouldn’t they?” because their cities are already basically destroyed anyway.
While reading through this article, my eyes literally widened when I read the part where it said “…by 1969, a mere year after the death of Martin Luther King Jr., forty-four percent of whites told a Newsweek/Gallup National Opinion Survey that blacks had a better chance than they did to get a good paying job—two times as many as said they would have a worse chance”. This just completely shocked me because back then things were SO different and far worse for people of color than they are today (which I know is still not equal everywhere and right) but given how much worse it was back then and how everyone knows it was so much worse back than then it is now, I just can’t fathom how anyone would say that. Today if that question was asked about that time period, everyone would be like “oh yeah White people definitely had a better chance of getting a good paying job over Black people back then” because we just all know how that time period was for people of color, or any minority or gay person, etc. That comment just really stuck out to me because it’s just so obviously not true. It truly is disgusting how certain types of humans treat other humans based on certain characteristics but we have to remember that not every person is like that and there are good people in this world and we can’t categorize everyone by actions of some.
I didn’t really understand the magnitude of this issue. My first initial thoughts are why would they burn down their own neighborhood. In the fire photography they seem prideful. It almost captures a vision of celebration which confused me. I couldn’t wrap my mind of the thought of looting buildings in around my home. It wasn’t until I started reading the article and actually understanding their thought process behind it. Their perspective on why they would resort to rioting now makes sense to me to an extent. Although I could never fully understand the how and why, I do get a gist of it. I think the most powerful text to me in this article was how they were able to burn down certain types of business. For example it could’ve been anywhere from locally owned business to chain businesses. They burn it down because they don’t actually see the area as their neighborhood. To the people whom participated in these sort of riots it’s either, lets do something about or do nothing. They don’t really have anything left to lose when this has been going on for years. Either good change will come of this, or it’ll be a null outcome. Their rate of happiness and standard of level must be so poor. Increasing either or could be a simple yet complex execution to positive results.
The pictures of looting disgust me. The act of looting in my opinion does not reflect the racial or economic imbalances that exist in today’s society. There has been research done that some of the looters are paid to do it during protests because they want to bring attention to the subject. They want to be known, and they want to bring attention to the protests.
Also what you wrote about the protests and the burnings of the houses is crazy. We talk in class about “why don’t they burn their town” and it truly is a question that needs to be examined. The living conditions in these towns across the United States are horrendous. How people live in them is beyond me. These houses are open air prisons, and I can’t believe that the conditions are still so bad. The protesters out using this act as an outcry. There really isn’t much else that they can do. The title “The fire you can’t put out” fits because really there isn’t much that can be done, other than dumping boat loads of money into these neighborhoods.
In the beginning of the article it states that “only a few hundred mostly young black men who are making their way from store to store to pillage and burn, while 20,000 other black residents of Ferguson are protesting peacefully, or are at home, not destroying local stores.” However even though majority of the people in these areas are at home or protesting peacefully “there’s real satisfaction being felt across the entire community at this hitting back that’s going on” and “it’s widely seen as something well deserved and a long time in coming.” The cops have wronged these people, even though they are not doing anything to stop riots, they are silently encouraging them by not interfering. The wrong the cops have had on these communities are not physically shown, and in a way these people are showing by the looting and burning of their own community. They are taking it in their own hands on how the cops have had destroyed their community. They are displaying it for the rest of the world to see, whether or not they understand or not.
At the time of the riots in Ferguson, I remember constantly hearing new developments from several different media outlets. It seemed that as I changed the channel, browsed different websites, read different articles etc. there seemed to be a different story being told each time. Many people chose to portray Michael Brown as a thug who was robbing the convenience store and challenging the police officers, while others saw Michael Brown as a young man with a high school degree who was a victim of the cruel justice system. Honestly, I was not sure what to believe and to this day I still am not. New developments are now coming out including video recording that shows that Brown was not robbing the store. Many people took the stance that Brown was instead a drug dealer rather than a thief but it seems that people with opposing views of the situation will do anything to make Brown fit the mold that they desire. I remember the Ferguson riots being a hot topic of conversation in many of my high school classes, but I never developed an opinion on the situation. It seems that both parties were in some way in the wrong, but the justice system truly failed the people.
I never thought about the fact that during the riots that happened in Baltimore, police had the opportunity to shut down the riots so fast because they had the weapons and power to do so but if they did that they would be the bad guys again and they would lose the support of the media. I definitely would never think that the police actually want riots because they are in so much danger in this situation. I can see the fact that they want to look like the good guys and they want to look like the protectors but at the same time I can’t imagine them actually wanting riots. I do think that the media plays a big part in situations like riots. They like to make a narrative and they like to convince their viewers something without directly saying anything. For example, they are able to make the good guys and the bad guys on a day to day basis. The day that a black man is killed by a cop, the cops are immediately the bad guys. The media will push this idea into the heads of the viewers. Then the next day or a week later when riots start, the people who are rioting are the bad guys and the media will push this idea.
I did ask the question in my head when I saw these riots happening so close to me “Why are they burning down their own neighborhood?” I wondered what good would come of them destroying their own homes and the places that surround them everyday. I never thought of the hurt that the places that surround the everyday might have caused them hurt. Places where neighbors and family members worked endless hours but still did not have enough money to feed their family.
When I saw the riots happening I felt like I had to pick a side but I couldn’t. There was no way for me to understand what the people who were doing the looting were going through. I could not pass judgment on them because of all the privileges I have had in my life. However, I was not able to stand against the police either because while there is a lot of criticism against police officers, there are many that work endlessly to protect lives and protect the cities that we live in.
As a student at Loyola I have never really felt endangered. I feel as though the campus itself is very safe especially since we are connected to what seems to be a high income residential area. I feel like most of the fear in the student body steams from York Road, but personally I have never felt threatened or unsafe while walking down York road. I remember volunteering on York road and being met with nothing but kindness by the residents. I have also not experienced any riots, because I was in high school during the time they took place. Overall personally I have always felt safe during my time at Loyola.
I remember a lot of student being scared that this was happening within miles of them. I could recall student either on not caring about what was happening around them or other students thought that if they moved the wrong way they where going to be harmed by locals.
The media outlet also reflected to looting in a poor light. CNN would continuous play the same clips of a car on fire, making it seem that it was happening forever. The media allowed America to paint a poor image the local Baltimoreans. The media never stated that individuals were peacefully protesting in the beginning they only shed light on the negative instead.
The media did a poor job or highlighting what happen which affected the population of the incoming class. There are less student registered in the Class of 2020 and there were individuals that retracted their admission to Loyola.
I remember watching the news and hearing about the death of Freddie Gray. I was absolutely sickened, and I did not understand why they treated him so brutally. I remember I watched the news with anger, and I questioned society’s morals. I believe protests and rioting is a way for people to get their points across. It persuades people from all different races to fight for their rights, and for everyone to make a stance and create equality regardless of their skin color. Everyone deserves to have a voice, and in order for them to voice their opinions with a very low cost, protesting is the right way to go. In the article it states that the reason some people riot is because certain people could not afford particular amenities while growing up. I don’t believe that is true, not everyone is going to burn down or destroy specific buildings because they could not afford a certain store in during their childhood. I know that is not the case for everyone, but I truly believe rioting and protesting has a purpose in our society, and people don’t just act violently out of spite. For example, the women’s march in Washington DC was served as a purpose, and for women to make a stance in this world. Everyone was welcomed to fight in the march, I know men, fathers, uncles, brothers and everyone of a different gender who came together to help fight for women’s rights.
Thinking back to the time of the riots, I remember feeling very angry about our justice system. I felt as though the people who were rioting wanted their voices to be heard and were using this form of protesting to display their rage. Although there are good police officers in the world, due to all the police brutality happening more and more frequently I also remember feeling very paranoid. As a black young women and having many black friends and family, I remember having many conversations with people about how we were scared that someone we knew might be next. We would have conversations about how we should handle an encounter with a police officer without being harmed or killed. Overall I found the information presented to be very useful and informative on this subject of rioting.
I can remember the riots very clearly. Being a sophomore at Loyola, I was living in Newman Towers. My roommates and I kept the news on our tv almost 24/7 to try to keep up with everything that was happening in and around the city of Baltimore. I personally did not feel like I was in any immediate danger. Although we were used to exploring and hanging out downtown, for some reason the riots that were occurring seemed so close yet so far. They were right in front of us but at the same time so distant. It was only until a CVS on York Road got broken into, which is right next to our campus, that I realized we were right in the middle of it.
In terms of what my feelings and opinions were regarding the destruction and violence, I think I was more in shock than anything. I personally did not understand the reasoning behind “destroying” the city in which you live in, but I have also never been in that type of situation where all of that anger builds up to where you feel like you have no other options left to get your point across. There were peaceful protests, which I did not attend but many people I know did, that looked like they truly were bringing the community together in a positive way, helping each other deal with everything that had been occurring.
I remember the night of the Baltimore riots so clearly because I was in Baltimore that day, driving around the area where the riots would soon take place. I was a Junior in high school at the time and I was visiting my older sister who was a freshman at Loyola. My parents and I were driving through Mondawmin Baltimore, near Druid hill park because we were driving to the Baltimore zoo. As we were driving through this neighborhood all I could think about was the overwhelming poverty everywhere. There were homes with broken windows, imploding decks, and bordered up doors and windows. As we were driving through my dad kept reminding my younger sister and I how blessed and privileged we were. Little did we know that hours later, the street we were driving down would be the center of protests and riots.
By witnessing first hand the way people in this community lived, I can see why protesters turned to violence and rioting, because it seemed like the only way to grab peoples attention and to express their rage. People living there had nothing to begin with, and their voices have always been drowned out, so this violence and burning seemed like the only way they could make their point across, after being ignored for so long.
This article in particular I found to be extremely powerful and eye opening. I remember distinctly being a sophomore when the riots for Freddie Gray happened a few miles down the road. I remember getting texts from my family and friends back home asking about my whereabouts and if I was okay through them. Specifically, in accordance to this article, I remember wondering why these people were damaging stores as a way to protest the murder. Upon reflection, I realized that it was the frustration and anger they felt towards and a city and more broadly, a system, that has always tore them down and automatically set them up for failure. As it says in the article, it is a way to say “this institution is one that will never accept me and I will always be on the outside” as an impoverished colored person in “white America”. I really enjoyed this article and it opened my eyes to the controversial riots and looting that have occurred in various parts of America.
I thoroughly enjoyed this read. It allowed me to gain a perspective on why certain communities resort to violent rioting that I had no way of previously comprehending, and still never will fully. One major aspect of this posting was that it identified briefly that the issue here is the poor communities these citizens have been placed in throughout our nation’s history, rather than the problem being the color of their skin. However, that is not to say that there is not a large number of Americans who do not understand this logic and are much more comfortable blaming such acts on race. The reason that the rioters in Ferguson and Baltimore were almost exclusively black is not because people with a darker skin tone are more inclined to act violently. It is because you can only be struck down by life so many times before you strike back. I also found it quite interesting that even though certain places of business were located in their communities, the rioters had no problem burning these chains down because they did not see them as part of their community. They rather saw them as a constant reminder that they had no choice but to be born and raised in a neighborhood that would only ever try to suppress them. They’ve spent their lives barely making ends, even with the aid of government subsidies in many cases. If you want to put an end to riots, then increase the relative happiness of the citizens in communities where riots are common, (impoverished urban areas). In order to do that, we need to revitalize these neighborhoods and give these people a fighting chance of getting out of their impoverished state. Those who are born into impoverished areas, like the ones we have discussed, are inherently disadvantaged in life. They are born with a glass ceilings, centuries old in the making, over their heads. If that was the hand that my entire community and I were drawn, then I’d think the cards were stacked against me as well. So, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; this is not a race problem we have, it is a ‘ghetto’ problem.
One point in particular that I found interesting was the discrepancy between how the media portrays riots depending on the racial makeup of the crowds. While Baltimore’s predominantly black rioters were widely discussed and often vilified for their actions, there have been no small number of riots in the past several years perpetrated by primarily white crowds for such small reasons as sports playoff losses. When these riots occur, they are treated as little more than isolated incidents. In contrast, incidents such as the Baltimore riots, although borne out of decades of racial discrimination, are seen as indicative of the communities they occur in.
I’ve always believed that rioting is a great thing. I mean that half seriously, because it does damage to communities and hurts people, but also because it has a use and meaning. When Donald Trump was elected, and the anarchists were rioting in DC, people wanted “unity,” yet didn’t want to face the reasons why people were upset. White people did the same thing when the riots in Ferguson and Baltimore were happening. Freddie Gray’s death at the hands of the police was also riot worthy, because such a thing should never happen. Citizens should never have to feel unsafe in the presence of those that are meant to “protect” them, but all to often then do, and for very good reasons. The police are yet another gang that young black males need to dodge so that they can stay safe and survive in their impoverished towns and neighborhoods. Perhaps when enough towns and cities burn, people will start to look towards fixing the root problems rather than just the building affected as a result of the deep pain and frustration. I know why people riot. It happens because they feel disenfranchised, and there is no other way to draw attention and awareness without money. Instead of wondering why people, especially black people, riot, everybody should wonder what can be done to stop the riots.
When the riots were happening in Baltimore, I was still in high school making the decision of which college to go to. I told many of my friends that I was set on coming here to Loyola. Most of them didn’t know where it was and I mentioned Baltimore and they all became concerned. Many of them asked about the riots and whether or not I would be safe on campus. I told many of them about Loyola’s effort to keep its students safe and how Baltimore is a large city and many of the riots were not right by the school. Although my friends still had concerns about me coming down to Baltimore, I felt safe on campus and that the people here would keep each other safe.
Tim Wise makes the argument that “person in the United States might attain the age of adulthood without knowing about the history of these social problems” and how can people claim to be educated without this knowledge. I know that at least pertaining to high school education they do not focus on social problems and the history of them. My high school had a sociology course but it wasn’t that popular or required and the history courses focuses on events rather than overarching themes and issues. If a person wanted to learn more about social problems, they would have to go out of their way to take a sociology course or take opportunities of research papers to delve deeper into these topics that weren’t outwardly taught. A person may be traditionally educated, but that does not mean that they are aware of certain issues that plague our society.
I remember the uprisings of Freddie Gray extremely well. I remember going downtown on one of the days and protesting the arrest and murder of Freddie Gray. My friends and I participated in what to us was a very peaceful demonstration, as we walked away from the experience with very positive occurances. Once we got back on campus we turned on the news and saw that it had gotten violent after we left. This was very disheartening to us because of the positive experience we had just hours before. I was disheartening to see it escalate to this level but it was also even more disheartening to see that they news was only focusing on the violent aspects of the protest and not what had happened earlier that day.
Being a member of the Loyola community was very challenging at this time. Being an RA we had many biased related incidents that occurred during that week on the internet. There were many posts from Loyola students that were racist, insensitive and just outright absurd. One student posted the following:
“How am I supposed to study for finals when planet of the apes 4 is literally taking place right outside my window”
“Baltimore is nuts right now imagine what they’re going to do when we can’t see them at night time #BaltimoreRiots #ImNotRacist”
This was probably one of the hardest things for me to process as a student because I just couldn’t comprehend how some one could think this let alone post it to their social account. The entitlement, ignorance and outright racist comments left me speechless. Although this does not represent the entire population it definitely does capture some of the ideals that some of the students on the campus had during that time and continue to have now.
I remember about two years back hearing about the Baltimore riots that occurred in Maryland. People began to riot because of what happened to Freddie Gray. I think that the people who were rioting were standing up for a good cause and had the right to protest their beliefs especially because of the injustice that was going on in society at this time. I think that the police were overreacting to the situation at hand which escalated the entire situation altogether. Personally, I wasn’t attending Loyola during this time, but I could only imagine as a Loyola student being scared as all this was occurring literally down the street from you, but you would have to understand the true reasoning behind the riots because it had a good purpose. Sadly, as a student, I have never discussed issues that have occurred in our society, such as this one, in any of my classes. I personally am offended by this because it doesn’t only affect me on a personal level, but it also affects our history as a country. It’s mind blowing to me how certain people don’t believe that topics such as this one don’t deserve to be set at the same level of importance as other that are typically found in a basic American history textbook.
I was a junior in high school when the riots were happening in Baltimore. My high school is in northern Harford County, less than an hour from Baltimore City. An important thing to note is that northern Harford County is farm county, meaning that the population of my high school was probably 98% white. I remember being so angry. I got into fights with my parents all the time over the Freddie Gray case. They were so sure that Freddie was exactly as the police and the media were saying. I thought the officers were wrong and that they weren’t doing their job to protect american citizens. During the actual riots, I was still angry and still fighting with my mom. She was still thinking that the rioters were only making things worse. I agreed with her a little on that one, but I also realized that change never comes peacefully. This was the only way to get people like me and my family to listen. Our biggest divide was over the actions of the officers. I thought they were out of line a lot of the time, whereas my mom believed that they were still just doing their job. (This subject is basically taboo, now.) Essentially, I hated the fact that people had to riot, but I realized it was necessary to achieve any lasting change. I also thought that police shooting tear gas into a peacefully protesting crowd was unacceptable.
I have, honestly, never understood why riots and looting happens. It always seemed like mindless destruction to me but, as a privileged, white woman, I could never understand their frustration. I grew up in a loving home with all the amenities and luxuries I could desire. I never went hungry and didn’t have to get a job in high school for any other reason than I wanted to. To have the concept of rioting explained to me in the way this article did made me realize so much about the reality of the world we live in. I can understand and sympathize with their pain. They must have so much pent up frustration and anger and it makes sense that they would target the icons that they do. In my hometown these stores are seen as cheap and we wouldn’t dream of working for them because they treat their workers with so little respect, but to have no other choice of employment must be demeaning and not being able to afford their products must make shopping an embarrassing, tedious chore. This article has really taught me a lot and I’m surprised at myself for not looking into this sooner.
Having lived in Baltimore for a little over 6 years I was a quick 30-minute or less drive from the riots. I never felt in any immediate danger, as I was sure the riots were too far away but my school insisted on bringing everyone into our chapel to ensure the students safety, even though we joked about rioters coming to our campus and turning around after they saw the giant hill the school was perched on. Jokes aside, I don’t believe the riots were rational, justified, or particularly smart.
The post brings up briefly George Washington and the time of the revolution with many guns. Well, yes, that’s a war, and both sides were somewhat equally equipped. If you want to create some false narrative of black people versus police, like BLM often tries to do, then you should also accept that in no way will you actually beat police with violence. Police are far better equipped and trained and if need be the National Guard is a call away. So burning down building, throwing things at police, looting stores, etc. will just end up with the perpetrators of those crimes, because they are crimes, in prison or worse, dead.
The idea that the more violence and anger shown somehow correlates to a level of equal justification (the more I break things the more justified I am) is absolute nonsense. The post includes a part about stop and frisk and Freddie Gray to again use false allegations to suggest deep racial prejudices from police when it simply isn’t true. Furthermore these allegations are driven by organizations like BLM that base their movement on lies, misrepresentations, and false idols. So to go back to the whether the rioting was justified, at least with regard to the Baltimore riots, I believe it wasn’t’ and still have trouble seeing both why they occurred and what they accomplished. If anything it made situations worse and caused the, in my opinion, justified implementation of the loss of state benefits punishment.
This article helped me better understand a different point of view of the rioters however, I still do not see why you would want to set fire to your own city. I know this is a reaction due to anger but there is no solution that will come of those actions either. I remember when the riots were happening in Baltimore and it was alarming however, I was not scared being surrounded by the Loyola community. This is what made me reflect on this because Loyola served as a bubble for me during that time. I realized that people were not apart of similar environments, therefore I could 100% see how rioters could instill fear in someone. I liked this article because I was able to grapple with the authors arguments however, I personally just find it hard to justify violence.
Rioting is often portrayed by the media as counterintuitive and even just as pure primitive aggression but within the context of institutional racism, these riots are a justifiable reaction. These neighborhoods being burned and looted symbolize entrapment on many levels. Geographically, financially, and socially these people are trapped by institutional policies and they are expected to continue to react calmly even when facing the everyday reminders of their situation. The tension and resentment inevitably manifests especially when there is so little hope for reform. Therefore, it makes sense that those who feel oppressed react by wanting to destroy the immediate symbols of their oppression. I always had a sense that the rioting was borne out of immense suffering and frustration, but I still saw it as a self-destructive reaction. After engaging more with the social issues that contributed to the tension, I saw the riots as more justifiable in the wake of the extreme frustration the community was experiencing.
I was a sophomore here at Loyola during the Baltimore riots. I remember being scared and uncertain what was going to happen to the community. I also remember the increase of security in the inner harbor and seeing a lot of people in uniform patrolling the streets. But during the riots, I was living on the west side of campus so I was not as worried about my safety than my friends on the east side of campus.
Based on what we have discussed in class and what I read in this article, there are many reasons and it does makes sense why people would do this to their community. It is a powerful statement and one way they can be heard.
While there was certainly a sense of urgency and tension in the air on our Loyola campus, I personally was not fearful that I was in danger during the uprisings. I was keeping update, through minimal media coverage, and was looking to see where the riots were taking place. However, I did not fear that it was me or my dorm that these citizens cared about. They cared about their message.
My description of the police, because of the lockdown we experienced and the finals climate (to which I spent most of my time studying) is quite minimal because I did not experience it myself. I heard many “personal stories and opinion” from other cops outside of Baltimore City, but none from those that witnessed it.
It was around this time in my life that the conversation started with the friends in my life that had experienced these subordinate conditions. As black women and men this uprising, although angry, gave them a little more faith that their voices had power and leverage. The conversation about institutional and political segregation was minimal. Our conversations were mostly one sided, about their experiences with police, and I quietly listened and learned.
I believe that Wise is not far off in saying that those unaware of these climates, are not truly educated on the history of our nation. These black citizens make up a large portion of our nation and have lived lives (although oppressed every step of the way) for almost as long as whites. Yet we do not hear of the struggle and pain inflicted on them by there own government. As a white woman, I know that I was uneducated on this topic for a very long time.
I know now that lacking resources, due to poverty and lack of access to them, all you have on your side is not words and politics, but actions and therefore violence. The looting rioting and protesting can be considered one of their few means to getting attention, even if negative media attention, to proclaim their lack of trust and contentment with their current economic, social, and political situation. that being said I also believe that the revoking of government benefits as punishment for this protesting twists the knife further into the gut of the impoverished black communities that act out in this way. This seems to be another form of political or societal oppression and prevents them from ever getting out of their oppressive hell.
When the riots occurred in Baltimore, I was a Senior in high school in my hometown of Red Bank, New Jersey. I definitely had a different experience regarding these riots. I feel like I did not have the same feelings as those who grew up in or were in Baltimore at the time. Being a couple of states a way, the only information or visuals I had was what I saw on the news. The places I saw people rioting and places I saw that were in flames had no personal connection to me. I remember occasionally watching the news, with my parents, which showed coverage of the riots. I recall hearing about the actions being taken by these rioters in Baltimore. Before reading this article, one thing I did not understand was why the people participating in the riots were burning down their own homes, cars, stores, etc. I understood the point they were trying to prove, but was still confused as to why they were burning down their own neighborhoods. When I decided to attend Loyola, something my parents and I discussed was whether or not I would feel safe at the school. I think that that had to do with the way in which the news covered the riots and the fact that we could never truly understand the situations occurring in Baltimore. After deciding to come to Loyola and after reading these articles I really feel like I now comprehend why the rioters acted the way they did. It is eye opening to now know that the places that were burned down were chosen because they had deeper meanings and sent a bigger message.
Just looking back at the riots in Baltimore, I remember I was at work when I saw everything on the news. The video footage of the CVS pharmacy being raided by rioters, the burning vehicles, the many people on the streets. For me it was shocking to see areas where I used to walk and places I have been, and knowing that this was my city they were showing, I was shocked. At some moments when watching I felt a disgrace for many reasons, a disgrace for those who strongly believed ruining peoples vehicles, stealing vehicles and harming innocent people, harming stores. It was a feeling of disgrace because in my mind it did not make sense as to how doing such things could lead to change could make this situation better. I felt disgrace in how the entire Freddy Grey case had been handled. I felt disgrace in the police system I once trusted, and admired. When I finally shut the TV off at work, my mind kept reliving what I had just seen. I kept thinking, “there has to be a better way.” but then I couldn’t come up with a better way for the people of Baltimore to have reacted to the case. It made sense to me, I saw both sides of the story. I saw those who rioted because they strongly felt the injustice, I saw those who rioted just to be a part of the action, I saw police who were scared and now targeted because of the situation, even though they too may have wanted to riot about the situation. All in all, it was an utter mess, but it was about time that Baltimore spoke up on all fronts about the injustices. I strongly believe you have good people and bad people, good cops and bad cops, good systems ad bad systems. Until the bad is weeded out or changed there will never be just good, we will always have conflicts. I just kept wishing there had been something I personally could have done, I felt guilty for not doing anything and just watching as the days went by and the case continued on until it came to a close. Yet what could I have done? Other than learn from what had happened and opened my eyes to see the truth.
As an African American, I felt scared for our people and how their actions that stemmed from hurt can potentially cause more deaths amongst the black community. However, I feel like this event was needed. The court system does not treat us equally, and for that reason there needs to be a change. However, not enough people in power care about the black community and ignore such an important issue. All the time our men are being shot for little crimes that if a white man committed there wouldn’t be a gun shot. I believe that the title police is so broad that we cannot generalize all police as bad. However, there are too many cops that are not doing their jobs properly for one reason or another, and black lives are at hand. For this reason, there needs to be more supervision and revision in the police force. This is an issue that needs to be fixed. And if no one is willing to fix it, then we will have to continue doing loud actions that catch the attention of small minded people.
This article really made me think about the question “why do they burn down their own neighborhoods?” from the perspective of the rioters. Prior to reading this article I was always perplexed by this issue, and after experiencing the Baltimore riots, I was confused as to why someone would damage their own neighborhood. This article made me realize that maybe they are doing it because the places they are burning down represents a symbol of oppression and segregation for them, because in reality maybe they don’t feel a part of the community they are ultimately destroying.
During the riots, it was very disheartening to see the community destroy the city. However, it wasn’t the destruction of the city that was the most sad it was the way that the media portrayed the rioters and the way that it may sway people’s opinion on the black community in Baltimore. When a situation conjures up so much emotion as the one in Baltimore it is unrealistic to think that there would not be backlash. I don’t fault the rioters for burning down buildings although it is incredibly unfortunate. As this article says the buildings symbolize the institutional racism that has plagued the black community. As a loyola student I knew that the necessary steps would be taken to ensure my safety but at the same time I wasn’t scared. I would like to point out that to no extent do I agree with the destruction of the buildings in the black community. I feel that it is very counter- productive to the betterment of the black community. However, when police brutality seemed to be on the television screen everyday without any seen repercussions the situation that took place in Baltimore was the tipping point for some people. It was unfortunate that some of the black community in Baltimore resorted to that but when the system seems to always be working against you and your voice is constantly muted it is difficult to react reasonably or even peacefully after such a devastating event occurred.
I agree with some of the things people have brought up, for example not understanding why the people in the city destroyed the places they use and benefit in their day to day lives. Why go through all the trouble when in the end you are left with no places that you need. If those people that destroyed these places feel that doing that sends a message to the people because they may feel that they do not belong. Also I remember at the time of the riots in Baltimore my brother was here at Loyola and he told me it was very crazy with a ton of cops and barriers in certain places. This article really makes you think about how the people rioting felt and there side of everything. In the beginning it really set the mood and scene. At the time of the riots I was at home in New Jersey so yes I was a little frightened just because I had friends and my brother at Loyola and I was worried for them, but no riots happened near me or anything so I felt safer at home.
One thing I have never understood about the riots happening in the past couple of years is destroying the places that the people of these cities benefit from. I was happy to see that I am not the only one who has thought about this and that it was highlighted by this article. The stores that are being looted and burnt to the ground are run by the people of your community and that you frequent and enjoy. So, why would you destroy that to send a message? However, after reading this article I began to realize that maybe these people destroying their neighborhood don’t feel like they belong or actually benefit from it. I may be living an extremely different life from someone that is participating in a violent riot. I remember being at Loyola during the time of the Baltimore riots and actively watching the news for updates on what was happening. A lot of parents were calling to make sure everyone was safe and the curfew set in the city made the streets eerie at night. It was extremely saddening to watch large groups of people destroying the city that I lived in as well. However, my life in Baltimore as a white, female, college student at Loyola I must have a very different experience and outlook on this city than those burning it to the ground. Reading these articles has given me a very different perspective on these acts, which I appreciate very much.
After reading this article, I can see why rioting and burning down their neighborhoods was a response to the black community’s oppression in society. The author explains how being a young, black, male in his neighborhood causes him to consistently be looked down upon when his family uses food stamps, be followed around in stores to make sure he does not steal anything, and be at high odds for getting shot down in the street. He does not feel like this is his neighborhood at all, and instead it reminds him of how the country’s economic systems are keeping him at a lower place in society. I think many people would respond the same way if they felt like their lives were not valued in their own neighborhoods, but for most white people, they cannot relate to the feeling of discrimination based on their skin color. At the time of the riots, I remember driving around Baltimore and seeing a lot of peaceful protests and marches down the street. Unfortunately these were not making the news or catching a lot of people’s attention. I think the reason the riots became violent was because they were rightfully angry from continuously being ignored by the public, and therefore nothing would be changed if they continued to remain unheard.
I loved how this article placed the reader into the life of a black person growing up in Ferguson, MO. It helped me to better understand the constant oppression and blatant racism that black citizens experience there everyday. The article then brilliantly reveals how white people act as if violence is below them when it is the very thing this country was built on. Throughout the years, white people have continued this cycle of violence without getting their own hands dirty. They created these neighborhoods, they allow these injustices to occur, and they refuse to acknowledge their role and remain in a state of blameless ignorance. The article goes on to mention how white people have rioted over far less throughout the years and yet it is never held against them or even discussed much after the fact. It also calls into question how white Americans can possibly consider themselves educated when they do not even remotely understand the backgrounds and experiences of their black neighbors or even want to.
I remember the exact time of the riots because I was a freshman at Loyola and it was finals week. My friends and I were studying in a conference room in the bottom of Sellinger. We kept going on our computers to watch the news on the riots. I remember feeling a little scared because the riots were happening so close to school. I remember the school even shortened test times because they wanted students to return to their rooms earlier. When I saw all of the news about the riots, it kind of made me sad. I felt these people loosing the hope for their rights. They knew that the police and other more privileged people around them didn’t look at them the same.
I have to admit it was a little scary. My roommate’s parents kept on calling and telling us not to leave campus. My parents even called to make sure I was safe, while my friends and I were thinking that this was going down in history and that later on in our lives we would be able to look back and remember that we were not too far away from that. That we still live through these issues, that some people are not looked at as having the same rights and this is horrible that we are still dealing with this.
I have to admit, when this was going on, I was very confused as to why they were burning down their own stores and buildings. But after reading this article, it made me look at this situation in a different light. I now have an understanding on how these people felt. They felt that they lived under constant racial and economic oppression. They had to deal with this everyday and they struggled to put food on the table that they could barley afford from stores who wouldn’t even give them a chance. They would be stopped and frisked outside of these stores by white policemen. Of course they despised these places. If this were happening to any white person, they would be going insane.
I was still in high school when the riots in Baltimore happened. It was during the college decision making process and while Loyola was my second choice, the riots honestly did make me rethink my decision a little. My parents were also concerned, not wanting to send me off to a place where there could be such violent acts right down the street. However, these riots are just a part of the society that we live in. It is not understanding them what makes people afraid. Taking this class and reading articles such as these have opened my eyes to understand the reasoning behind social problems, such as police brutality and riots. It is people trying to make a point and stand up for their rights. While there are so many more people who do this in a peaceful, more subtle way the violent riots are what grab the most attention.
In the beginning of the article it talks about police and their roles in riots. It says that in one of the riots the police didn’t shoot not because they didn’t want to kill people but because they wanted to maintain their appearance and make themselves look like the good guys. While this makes sense due to the portrayal of police brutality recently, I feel like police should have a different mindset. They shouldn’t shoot because they don’t want to kill people, not because they want to look good.
I remember at the time of the riots my friends and I sat around watching the news to try and gather more information. Although we were aware of the neglectful arrest and death of Freddie Gray, we were not completely connected to the situations occurring downtown. We were curious and interested to learn more about this community that we thought we had come to know, but obviously were still so distant from. One of the girls who sat with us began making comments about the arrest and death of Freddie Gray that confused facts with Michael Brown in Ferguson a year prior. My friends and I were angered by her lack of knowledge regarding these situations, but also shocked at how nonchalantly she confused this information. I believe that this was a typical reaction for students across our campus. They had read CNN updates about the events, had seen the headlines on newspapers, and had heard it mentioned in class, however never took the time to research more about what was truly happening. Unfortunately I believe that the confused and arrogant reaction this girl had to the riots was not uncommon for our campus, and for this reason it proves that our campus is not connected at all to the community in Baltimore.
I remember in high school, when we were at lunch and found out the riots in Baltimore. We have TVs in our cafeteria and someone turned to the news channel. Side note, my high school is a small school and everyone pretty much knows enough about everyone. When I told people that I was looking to go to a school somewhere in Baltimore, to be close to the city and be close to my older cousins, at first they would give me some rude comment that everyone in Baltimore was a murderer and bad. I would always have to reply back and say Baltimore is not as bad as people say claim it is. It just depends where you are in Baltimore, just like any other city that has crimes. At the time, I also heard that Baltimore was at one point the highest murder rate city, but that did not stop me for picking colleges. I never thought people in Baltimore would be so violent, until I saw the riots happening on television.
Baltimore’s exposure on violence between the Police Department and Freddie Gray, was a huge controversy in school and obviously nationwide. I have always felt afraid to express my feelings about these type of topics. However, I would never say anything back to offend anyone, but some of the comments that my classmates would make in school about the city that I love so much would hurt my feelings. I also felt like it was not right for me to be upset at people because they were just being honest about their opinions. For personal reasons, it was just a difficult topic to discuss.
In my high school we have a special ROTC program. I tried so hard to not say anything wrong or mean, but some kids in the program would just have the most disgusting, cruel comments about the police. They would make them sound too superior. I do believe being a police officer is a very hard job. They have to make quick decisions when they don’t have all the facts, and they deal with dangerous people every single day, who might hurt them or other people. Though, I have always questioned: do they just include the pleasure of violence to their job because they feel like they are superior of having a higher authority? I know that this job does involve violence. But, say for an example, a person did something wrong, but never showed violence to showed violence back the first time, but instantly the police would show brutality just for their own pleasure. Is that really necessary? That’s a huge problem because now with the advancements of new electronics. People post police brutality on social media all the time. It really ruins the image of policemen to the younger generation. As children get older, they will soon realize and question, is this how some of their heroes do their job? Why does violence like this happen? I truly argue about this topic to myself sometimes. In some cases, I do believe that some police show brutality to others because of racism and pride is involved. In this case, it does look like the police during the Baltimore riots just had enough of the protesters. It seemed like the only way to make the protestors stop was to act irrationally and all come together with violence.
During the time of the Baltimore riots, I remember my roommates and I sitting around the television watching the news and thinking how crazy it was that these events were happening only minutes away from where we were. I remember seeing clips of people standing on top of police cars with baseball bats shattering the windows, people throwing garbage cans, and people running out of convenient stores. I remember thinking it was ridiculous how people were acting and responding back to the events surrounding the Freddie Gray case. This came as a result of being poorly educated on the matter and not knowing the connection between the local convenient stores and the poor treatment these people experience daily. Going off of this, I think that the measures that were put in place by the city officials were too extreme. I do not think participating in the riots should be threatened with the revoke of government benefits and custody. To me, this seems excessive and just a way for police and the government to exert their authority as a way of controlling the riots.
At the time of the riots, I was still in high school (in Los Angeles) but I remember being unconcerned. I was aware of the situation that ignited the riots but I was not surprised. Although I understand the frustration the people must have felt, I thought the rioting was counterproductive. The dissatisfaction with the government, the built up anger due to the ridiculous acts of police brutality, and the generational pain due to slavery and the continued covert and overt forms of racism are all valid but taking it out on their communities is a waste of time. Once the damage is done, the government would not send out any help to rebuild so rioting only affects those who are suffering.
During the time of the riots, I was not aware that Baltimore would eventually become my new base. When I watched the riots from California I was amazed by the damage created on certain streets and the increased pill supply for a period after. After arriving at loyola and now currently in my second semester, there are many things I’ve picked up. If theres one definitive thing I’ve learnt about Baltimore through speaking with locals and the homeless is that the city predominately runs on drugs and it is one of the biggest sub-economies operating. I think the people were looting because of deep frustration with law enforcement but the destroying of CVS’s was most probably fueled by being able to sell free pills for large profit.
Tim Wise’s idea that someone can claim to be educated without being familiar with the social problems going on in the world, is a popular trend today in society. I believe that its unfair and immature for adults to claim that they are educated without being well rounded in the issues occurring in the world. We are fortunate enough to receive a well-rounded liberal arts education at Loyola, that teaches us these issues and challenges us to dissect the problem from all points of view. Not only is it important to be familiar with the issues, but it is also crucial to understand both sides of the argument.
I think that it is unfair for someone to label themselves as an educated adult without actually being familiar with these issues. They won’t be able to contribute to society, relate to the suffering in our world, or appreciate what they have been given that has blinded them from these issues.
Luckily, by the time of the riots, I was already in school for a while, and had been around new ideas and great people with different opinions from my home town. When the riots happened, I remember it was around midterms or finals. I always did my homework in the common room with my friends, and instead of doing homework or studying, we chose to watch the news coverage of the riots and have discussions about it. This lasted for a couple of days, until we finally had enough of the biased and outrageous news coverage of the protests that were happening.
I remember not understanding at first why people were rioting, looting, and burning local businesses. After discussions with my friends, I remember learning “why wouldn’t they?” They have no sense of community. No one in their community seems to care or even help them out as they are struggling to feed themselves and their families. They have experienced so much hate and prejudice in these places. I did remember feeling frightened during the riots. Especially walking around campus at night because I felt hat I wasn’t educated on what was going on, and that scared me the most.
As I said before, I have a great group of friends that I can discuss a plethora of problems going on in the US. Luckily, as a freshman, these conversations lead to discussions of the racial issues in our country. Once I became an RA my sophomore year, these conversations became natural and very prominent in my life, which I am very thankful for.
During the time of the riots, I remember watching the television at the end of the semester and seeing Baltimore in flames. I remember watching police cars and store windows being smashed in, city garbage cans being thrown, and police patrolling the streets as if Baltimore were a war state. I remember asking myself the very “stupid” question that most white American’s asked when these riots were going on, “Why were people doing this?”. I did not understand the hardships that many black Americans face every day. I was not properly educated on how difficult it is for someone to make something of themselves when their opportunity is significantly different from mine.
I am fearful for the future of America. Growing up I never have seen so much hatred and division amongst people of this country. The division between races has been at its highest, especially this year and I fear that it is only going to get worse. Prior to many of these events, it seemed as though Americans were able to come together in times of struggle. People would try to knock us down, but we would get right back up, together. The Freedom Tower in New York City is a symbol of America coming together, even after its most tragic day in history and being able to stand tall and proud. People are no longer proud to be American, many people are dissatisfied with what is going on in this country. American’s have grown to divide and hate one another more and more, especially as a result of the 2016 Presidential Election. Something has to be done so that people aren’t looting in the streets and destroying the places in which they live. Something has to be done to build up poor areas, and provide good education to those who cannot afford it. Something has to be done, to unite America.
I do not condone the behavior of violent protests for any cause. Violence and destruction is not the solution to prevent crime in poor neighborhoods, nor is it the answer to unjust actions by police officers. Prior to these riots, I wish that people would wait to be presented with the facts of the incident, before coming to any conclusion and begin violently protesting. Police should have a public investigation into the incident, and then if people do not feel that the outcome is just, go out and peacefully protest. Injustice has no place in our society, whether it is on the part of the criminal or those enforcing the law.
I was a sophomore during the time of the incidents in Baltimore. I never felt in danger at all as a Loyola student, and am fairly certain that most of the Loyola student body would agree. It was interesting to see the news and media coverage solely showing stores being looted and similar behaviors. However, myself and many other Loyola students went right into Baltimore to join in the peaceful protests. With very few exceptions, there was no “violent” behavior, just people gathering peacefully to express their opinions and grievances. Most people in Baltimore, especially those who were present at the time, do not even refer to it as “riots.” It is instead referred to as the unrest in Baltimore, because there was virtually no “rioting.” As I said, there was no fear for my safety. However, what I did feel was heartbreak and sadness for the people directly affected, and most especially for the family and loved ones of Freddie Gray.
I definitely cannot fully agree with Tim Wise’s statements. I think it is a little absurd to say an adult cannot legitimately claim to be “educated” without extensive knowledge on the history of these social problems. I think it is extremely beneficial for all adults to have some sort of knowledge on the history, but to say they cannot have claim to being legitimately “educated” is unfair. It is kind of ironic that he makes this claim, yet has no degree in this particular field – so then what makes him qualified to be making these claims? I mean in general, there is a ton of controversy surrounding Tim Wise, especially after his Facebook post a few years ago in which he basically went off on POC with tones of “It’s not my fault they don’t work harder.” Historical education on these issues is important, and it is important that those who are educated and trained in this field share their knowledge and educate others. But I think Tim Wise’s statements tend to be overly incendiary modes of rhetoric that do more to indulge a self-serving political narrative than educate in any sort of academic way. There are parts of what he says that are totally valid, but I think the way he frames it can sometimes be an issue. The overall goal, in my opinion, should be to create a space where people can become educated and ask questions and learn rather than be called “uneducated.” There should be a positive push for education. The history of these social problems is necessary and important because these social problems cannot be ignored and exist institutionally and interpersonally, but the way to go about it will be what is most beneficial in the long run to come to an understanding between peoples of differing backgrounds, races, ethnicities, religions, sexualities, and so forth.
During the riots, I remember being very concerned for my safety because they were taking place very close to our campus at places I go to regularly. I never felt threatened on campus, but when something that violent takes place within a very close proximity it is scary. I remember feeling very bad for the people involved and for how much it negatively impacted them. A majority of people don’t want things to get violent, they just feel passionately about something and with many passionate people, things can spiral out of control. One thing that strikes me is how powerful the media can be in such a significant event. Much of the media is filtered in what they show and want people to believe. Often times you will see police cars being lit to fire, “many CVS and chain stores being burnt down” when in fact it is very few, with no attention to peaceful protest or what message the people are trying to get across. People who live in areas where they see no violence and/ or riots are sheltered from what it is like to go through something significant like that and how it affects people/ makes them feel because the media does not accurately portray things.
Lastly, this article brought to my realization the significant divide in our country. Regardless of what people want to think or say, it is obvious races, classes, etc. are divided. Every person is entitled to their own beliefs and opinions, and typically most people are ignorant to what others believe and think that they are by all means correct. If people take the time to put themselves in others shoes, everyone would have a better understanding of each others perspectives, which i feel like would help discrimination and many other problems this world has to be minimized.
As a Loyola student, I never felt threatened to be on campus during the riots. I did not think Loyola as a community would be physically effected. However, I did think that we could be emotionally effected. It was of course a big topic throughout every class and naturally I formed my own opinions on the subject at hand. The question of why do they burn down their own neighborhood is simple when analyzing the situation. As stated in the article the local convenient store is not surrounded by a positive light. The people burning down their neighborhoods feel not connection to their town. It has done nothing for them, it is not their home. I think burning down their neighborhood goes into the mindset of helplessness. They do not know what else to do and this is the only way they know will make a statement. They are looking for answers and justice and these violent acts will draw attention and force people to develop opinions on their issues.
When the riots were occurring I was truly scared. I didn’t understand a lot. I didn’t understand why they would be so violent or if it could happen in my town next. I was confused as well because I didn’t know why as the title stated “they burn down their neighborhoods.” It wasn’t until this class, as many others have commented, that I have come to understand the oppression and brutality that African Americans face across the country. Before reading this article I was extremely naive to the fact that many African Americans are not happy with the areas on which they live. I didn’t understand how they could burn their homes, stores, and neighborhoods that they grew up and still live in. It wasn’t until now that I can better understand that these places do not give them the sense of community that I feel. The many African Americans who live in these oppressed cities are stuck in a viscous cycle and to break this cycle they have turned to riots to get the attention of the authorities. It is not the fault of the oppressed, but rather the fault of the authorities for not taking control and helping those who need it most.
To be completely honest, I always asked the same question. “Why are they burning down their own neighborhood?”. And I always said that’s just stupid way to express their anger, and it’s not effective so they just need to stop and need to use peaceful protests. However, I was completely wrong. I was wrong because they are not burning down their neighborhood just because they are angry. The reason why they are burning down their neighborhood is because they are angry and frustrated that the government is not implementing anything to help them out. They are frustrated because they don’t know what else to do other than burn down their neighborhood to express their anger. They tried everything for government to listen to them, but they don’t listen. So they are doing it to prove a point. It’s not stupid that they are burning down everything. It make sense once you understand. When we understand how frustrated they are, then it is understandable why they are doing it. It is dangerous, but until we fix police brutality, the question becomes “when will it happen again?”
After reading this article, I can definitely see how severe the disconnect is between the whites and blacks. What is baffling to me however, is that the disconnect is just as strong as, if not worse than it was centuries ago. Many citizens today ignore the fact that racism still goes on today mostly because it’s a lot more discreet than it once was.
How could whites in the 1960’s ever believe that blacks had a fair chance in getting a good education or job? They oppressed and separated them and yet they thought they could have a fighting chance at equal opportunity to succeed. It just shows how absorbed they were in their own perfect world.
As a student here at Loyola for the last 3 years, I can safely say that I never was concerned for my safety or well-being at any point during my school tenure. Even during the riots, which I was around for, I still felt quite calm and not in any fear for myself. In terms of discussing these problems prior to this class, surprisingly, I have had relatively in-depth conversations regarding these issues. My family is rather politically inclined, so therefore we are more up-to-date on these sort of issues, and have discussed them together many times before. However, despite these discussions, I certainly never really met anyone who had been involved in this sort of socio-economic status before, as I grew up in an overwhelmingly white, and wealthy, part of my state. In terms of Tim Wise calling out the “uneducated” as he puts it, I am somewhat conflicted. On the one hand, obviously, it is extremely important for all races to better understand each other in order to help reduce racial tensions, generally calling masses of people uneducated simply because they do not know the total history of a specific race is ignorant, and insulting. If I were to question Wise about the treatment of say, Asians in the United States, I doubt he would be able to name everything about their social integration into the country, and the struggles they faced. That is my personal take. Certainly aggressive, but there is a massive difference between ignorance and being uneducated. In terms of venting their social frustrations on places of business, it’s completely rational. As was mentioned in the article, they are not targeting the homes of people or certain individuals, they are targeting places of commerce, places which totally represent the oppression they are facing. Places that provide no economic support for black communities, on the contrary, often taking advantage of them, and bleeding them dry, while providing nothing in return. In regards to the final question, I will be completely honest, I laughed out loud at it. The premise is just hysterical. Not only are those in power going to ignore the root causes as to why the riots are happening in the first place, further creating aggravation, they then double down on it! Removing benefits is the absolute last thing which should be done, for it completely validates why the riots are taking place! It should be the complete opposite of this, countless government investigations and programs to better understand the problem’s being caused, and spending programs to try and correct them. That is the only true way, in my opinion, that solutions to these types of problems can be found.
Prior to this class, racial issues and racially motivated events were things I hardly discussed. Though I heard about them through news sources and other outlets, I never felt comfortable discussing them because I didn’t feel that they were applicable to me. I watched Baltimore burn on the news, yet didn’t see the relevancy to me. Now, as a member of the Loyola community, and specifically this class, I regret my decisions to remain out of the conversation because that is where the problem lies. The line citing the people who just shrug their shoulders and shake their heads capsulated just exactly how I had felt watching these tragic events. Though I am still a supporter of the police department as a whole, my newfound awareness has allowed me to more open-mindedly view the horrific events that have happened in our country due to race. If you asked me two months ago why these communities chose to set fire to their homes and local shops, I would’ve been just another person to shake their head. I now feel comfortable sharing just how desperate these people felt, working on any hope to obtain justice and be heard. If there is anything I can take away from this class thus far, it is the importance of being in the conversation – even just as an observer. In times of turmoil, the most relevant power is education.
When i was a senior in high school i remember following all of the news coverage of what was happing in Baltimore with the race riots. This really interested me because i knew very soon that i had to make a decision on what college i wanted to attend and Loyola was at the top of my list. This didn’t make me nervous but it definitely caught my attention. Like i said it caught my attention and made me look into what was happening and why it was happening. I couldn’t wrap my head around who people could do this to there own city, there own neighborhoods, most of the people who live there were born and raised in and around this area and now they were just destroying it. Up until you talked about this in class is still couldn’t understand why this was happening. I know that we had a discussion in class that it was because they had so much built up anger that they were trying to express it in any way possible. I understand what is happening is wrong and i can also understand why they are so upset and have so much built up anger but its is still just hard for me to understand how this happened.
One of the first responses I always receive when I tell people I live in Baltimore is essentially, wow don’t walk on the street alone, or else and up until move in day I had always wondered what that or else would entail. I grew up about 20 minutes outside of Washington DC and reign from East Lansing, MI, both of which contain several areas with similar associations as Baltimore and because of this I felt my street smarts were up to par. After living here several months I have concluded the image of Baltimore painted by the media is way distorted as to what day to day life actually looks like. I have yet to experience a riot or robbery only to have walked down one of the notorious “dangerous” roads suddenly struck by the quantities of poverty and homelessness present.
However, according to Tim Wise, none of this matters as my lack of historic background deems me to be “uneducated.” To this point I disagree. I do not believe being fully briefed on the history of black discrimination makes you any more educated than someone living in an impoverished area. I would argue instead of being formally educated through textbooks and quizzes, the value of personal exposure and experience would provide a person much more insight into the topic.
One of the discussion questions asks how you as an individual felt during the times of the riots. Me, personally, I felt heart broken for the families of the victims, as they were given no time to mourn the loss of their loved one, instead being bombarded with constant media questioning and assumptions. Of course the way these situations were portrayed by the media made these cities look similar to war zones, however this didn’t deter me from visiting the city I had grown up spending weekends exploring. I knew for myself the nature of Baltimore, therefore I knew the falsehood of how the city was viewed by the rest of the country. While yes, there was a shadow of fear in my mind, the idea of the tragedy behind the violence outweighed it quickly.
At the time of the riots it was near the beginning of finals. I was a first year and I recall them locking up all the dorms on freshman side as well as evacuating the library one night. My RA had made rounds and took headcounts of everyone on my floor. She said the school was instructing her to make sure everyone was in their dorms or their roommates knew where the other was. I was worried because the protesters were down where senior housing is located and I had several friends over there. I called my dad the one night telling him that our side was basically on lockdown for the night. I recall hearing things from my peers as well as the news what was happening with police and how they were dealing with the situation. During the incident I really wasn’t sure what to think, my main thought was hoping the violent riots/protest didn’t wind up on campus. That week I remember a peaceful walking protest around campus and all I could think was how the violence escalated so much. I never felt in danger though, I would be on campus when many people were there and my dorm room was on the third floor of my building.
I think it is important to understand the world around you, I always have. It is important to know the history of the social problems that exist. The whole point of history is to learn from it and not repeat it, despite the fact history always repeats itself. I wish it weren’t that way, maybe one day the human race will learn from the incidents in history. Even if someone were educated in the ways of social problems there is still a high risk factor that nothing will improve. It requires more people to understand, and the one person who is educated needs to step up and share the history regarding the social problem but it is also a responsibility of the listening party to actually listen and understand what is being said. Then and only then do I believe a person can claim to be “educated” at least on social problems. Knowing about the social problems is a door to the real world and problems that exist. Yes, you can be educated with knowledge from classes but that is a small world compared to the world that surrounds us. Perhaps it is known sometimes as street smarts, or common knowledge but it is kind of, I feel a necessity in life.
I remember very clearly when all of the riots were going on and I never really thought about the question of why they would burn down their own neighborhoods. Seeing the title of this article and reading through the introduction did spark my curiosity. I never would have looked at it in a way of racial domination or subordination. Its amazing that the idea that people would burn down and destroy these stores can tie all the way back to family problems and seeing things that they cannot afford. It makes sense though; I’m sure that if any of us were in their shoes and living the life that they are forced to live every day, then we would feel the same way about these things. Its a very interesting point also about how white people are good at keeping the destruction out of our neighborhoods even though we still do it. Afghanistan and Iraq just seem so different that without the article pointing it out I probably would have never drawn the connection between them and Ferguson.
During the time of the Baltimore riots, I honestly asked those exact words, “Why do they burn down their own neighborhoods?” As I watched the news, I remember feeling heartbroken watching the city in flames and how angry people were. I wondered why couldn’t people just protest peacefully instead of destroying local stores… “Couldn’t they get attention in a more peaceful manner?”
It was not until I read this statement that it finally hit me. “Before you’re ten years old you know right down to your bones that you don’t belong to the America of white people. That your black life is not valued at all. The America you read about in the papers or view on television is not for you. It’s not ever to be yours. You’re permanently shut out of that world. What you experience is quite the opposite. You come to see that it’s there to feed on you.”
I feel ignorant to believe that black residents actually liked where they live and it was just how life was for them. Why would they senselessly burn down the very places they work, shop, and eat every day? This is their community! However, it hit me. They destroyed those businesses because to young black males, they realize that these stores are not in any sense “my neighborhood.” They weren’t burning down local businesses to attract attention, but to make a statement.
There are many people in this world that define themselves by their education and social status. Individuals often use these concepts, whether it is intentionally or unconsciously, to measure their abilities and worth against everyone else. Throughout my own life, I have witnessed most of society evolve this way. Something that has particularly stuck out to me about these people is that those who seem to think they ‘know’ the most, are the ones who ask the most questions. What I mean by that is they will question the way others live their lives and the actions they take when it does not meet their standard of living. Most people also have a tendency to put others down when perceptions of life do not match up. However, how can one judge an individual if the way one lives his or her daily life, is the only way that he or she knows? How are you supposed to tell a young hopeless African American child born into poverty, tip-toeing through life as the white people watch his every move, to not engage in the burning down of places that essentially stripped them from their identity? For example, I often feel like most people judge others by questioning why they do not have some of the high-end material items. In this situation, people may be confused by what you have or do not have mostly because things were probably handed to them their whole lives. They never had to encounter as much sacrifice as someone else may have, and therefore, they are unable to identify with how one has constructed their lives. Individuals can seem extremely educated on paper, however, their lack of exposure to the environment around them, has left them ignorant to several social issues that they may have the power and financial means to fix. The questions of “why are they angry?” or “why are they burning things down?” are definitely thoughts that cross everyone’s mind at first, even my own to be perfectly honest. However, taking this class and reading different articles from different perspectives has really opened up my eyes to the true reality of the world; not just the surface of things that is often portrayed in the media. Society has become incredibly sensitive over the years, and if they are not willing to learn about every side of the story, how are they supposed to create a more peaceful environment?
I remember the riots quite clearly, and I remember thinking that the rioters were way out of hand. I thought of the people rioting as savages and remember thinking that they are only proving the wrong stereotypes that they have been labeled with. To be honest, I did not really think about the police at all. People actually asked me whether I was scared or not about going to Loyola in these hostile times but I knew that if anything did happen, I would just lock my dorm and the chances of anything bad happening to me would very small. Last year, I had to take a social justice class at my high school, and racial tensions in the USA was one of the main points we discussed throughout the class. I do not have anyone “close” to me that has lived this history, but I have met many people while doing community service that I would discuss these situations with. I can see burning down vacant buildings in order to get attention as being rational, but I can not see stealing from innocent shop owners as rational. I agree with the government in taking action, but I do not believe the punishments should have been so harsh; no one should have their child taken away. This article made the actions of the rioters make much more sense to me and it helped me to put myself in the shoes of the oppressed.
In regards to the first discussion question, during the times of the riots, I remember feeling very confused. As the article points out, many Americans questioned why these rioters were burning down their own neighborhoods. Although I now see how clear the answer really was, at the time I was dumbfounded. If it was the wealthy, privileged population that these people despised, why wouldn’t they burn down those neighborhoods? These mostly male and young impoverished African Americans were rioting in response to their seemingly hopeless situation.
One quote from the article specifically answered my question, “These stores represent a crushing economic system set in place to hold you down and crush you in place. It’s American consumer culture behind plate glass, with consumer goods lining the shelves, and you are not welcome in these stores even when you pay cash.” The stores in their neighborhoods were just constant reminders of what social injustice has deprived them of.
During the time, my heart went out to the police officers who were sent in to deal with these dangerous riots. I was angry with the rioters for putting so many lives in danger, oblivious to how corrupt the policing system in these areas were. Not all, but many officers singled out black individuals on a daily basis for being more of a threat than whites. This injustice was what fueled this problem that eventually reached the capacity that it did.
I really think this article is an eye opener for people who have not ever experience poverty and racism on a personal level. This article helps you see into the eyes of the people going through this struggle every day of their lives.
I unfortunately admit that when I started reading this article I thought to myself “but why do they burn down their neighborhoods and the stores by them.” Then, when I continued reading it all came more clear to me. I was was able to think, through the guidance of the author, about what it would be like to grow up having to see all the things you could have but not being able to have it. To have to walk by a super market and watch a parent or sibling work extremely hard just to come home and still be struggling in poverty. To not have the education to keep you away from dead end jobs. To grow up thinking you are not seen as equals even know all the televisions and new papers say America is the land of the free.
I am not able to relate to this issue, therefore, I will never truly understand what it feels like to be in those peoples shoes. But, what I hope and wish for is that one day America will wake up and not say “Why are they burning down their neighborhood?” but instead say “We need to fix it.” However, until then, we only hope the people who are now conscious of this could help wake the rest of America up.
During the time of the riots, I distinctly remember many people fearing for their safety. Due to the outrage felt by various communities, it was unknown as to which towns or cities would riot next. The popular question during this time had been “why do they burn their own neighborhood down”. Even for myself, I was curious and shocked that the citizens of Ferguson were destroying their homes; I didn’t understand it at all. At first I wanted to know why citizens were protesting so violently rather than peacefully expressing their emotions. I didn’t understand the looting and burning of their community stores as well as flipping police vehicles. It wasn’t until I began my first social problems class, where we’ve delved into deeper issues regarding oppression, that I began to understand why the citizens of Ferguson responded in the way that they did. Imagine being oppressed for so long, without being heard by outsiders. Imagine not receiving the help or understanding that you and your community so desperately need. The citizens of Ferguson were not acting violently simply just for the fun of it. They were enraged by the injustices they were facing day to day and this was the way they felt would make people finally listen to their plea. I could not imagine being discriminated against solely because of my race. Could you imagine being told that you could not attend a specific school, or play a sport, or be suspected of a crime you did not commit simply because of your skin color? While I cannot say that I fully understand the situation of those who live in Ferguson as well as similar communities, I do have a better understanding of why the people of those communities are outraged.
The more information I find about the riots the more I think that they could be rational but are shown to be irrational. The point was brought up in the first excerpt that the places being looted and burned down by rioters were chain places such as CVS and McDonald’s. It is a known fact that chains like these exploit workers for profit. Last year, I read “Fast Food Nation” and there was a chapter in which the author, Schlosser, talks about how McDonald’s searches for people who are unskilled and working for low wages. This includes people who are poor and in desperate need of a job. Because these people are viewed as “unskilled” they are also seen as being dispensable and not given various privileges such as the ability to form a union. The chapter also speaks about how fast-food restaurants are some of the only places that are frequently robbed by their own workers. This is somewhat similar to the situation that occurred in Baltimore, only things like that are not typically made national news. While on the topic of news, the riots are only televised in certain ways forcing those who do not look elsewhere for their information to be uneducated on the subject. For example, there are only a handful of articles on ABC.com referencing the burning of buildings in Baltimore and the only chain store mentioned is CVS. Meanwhile, there are several articles on the same story about a mother disciplining her teenage son who was participating in the riots. With this example, one can see how the news picks and chooses the details it wants to provide. This therefore causes people who rely of them for their information to have a skewed view of the situation.
This article helped me recognize the severe disconnect in our country. Not only is black America disconnected from white America, but white America is also disconnected in understanding black America. This article reveals the ignorance that exists in our society, and added an entirely new level of my understanding of their experience. They live in a country that they are not a part of, and the article was eye opening to my understanding of their isolation in a country they are supposed to be able to call home. I have before admittedly become caught up momentarily in the snap judgments of people who burn down their own communities, but this article was a recognition that it is because these buildings are a representation of everything that is not their community. They live in a country they can not call their own.
Without understanding or even being open to learning to understand, it is impossible to make changes within the community that can help incorporate black America into white America. The difference in experience between these two Americas is striking.
This disconnect is also purposeful. If anything, the segregation of neighborhoods, schools, and communities continues to encourage it, and as a result we refuse to understand their frustrations. It encourages a close mindedness that prevents us from enacting policy change that would solve the problems of racism and poverty in black communities. Loyola’s campus serves as a prime example of this purposeful separation. The campus parallels York Road, yet it is an entirely different world. We experience nothing of York Road, being so insulated in our own campus.
Most of those who have enough power to make policy or have a large influence in policy decisions have never experienced living in places like Ferguson. Their perspective is skewed and so policies work to marginalize them, to ignore them, and to involve them as little as possible so that they remain angry and remain outsiders of even parts of their own community. Policy makers then use their reactions to racism, segregation, and poverty as evidence of their situation being one due to personal responsibility, and those who have never experienced living in their America buy into the stereotypes, reproducing the same cycle over and over again. Desperation has forced people of communities like Ferguson to react this way, and the fact that the number of people who judged them instead of recognizing that it is a problem with our oppressive systems points to the necessity of change in policy, media coverage, and stereotypes in a country that continues to consistently experience a worsening of divisions instead of a bridging.
Why do they burn down their own neighborhood? I’m sure that every person who is not a part of that social or racial group has asked this question time and time again. There really doesn’t seem to be a logical answer however this article proves that there is and explains why.
When the author said, “There are 365 days in every year, and on every day of every year of your life you’ve had to walk past these cathedrals of consumer culture and see things you don’t have and can’t get because you have no money, no real education, and very little hope of ever being employed.”, I was astonished. It is so crazy because these in their core, these people are just like everyone else. They have likes, dislikes, experience love, pain, have a favorite color a favorite movie and so on. However, they are stuck in this hell hole and no one outside of this social/racial group has any idea. Now at the same time it is not our fault that we weren’t born into that life.
Throughout my time in college I experience personal growth all the time and have learned so much not only about myself but about others. I have done so through volunteering and the interactions I have had with people in different social and racial classes than me. I have heard countless stories that break my heart as I am a very empathetic person. The article insinuates that those who haven’t lived through these pains don’t have a right to say anything when saying, “In short, most white Americans are like that friend you have, but went to Google this morning and now feels certain he or she is perfectly qualified to diagnose your every pain and discomfort”. Well that doesn’t make sense, while we are all humans and the same in that way, no two people are exactly alike and neither are there experiences, but the best thing to do is try to understand and relate as much as possible.
My experience as a Loyola student during the Baltimore riots was surprisingly normal compared to everyday, despite the floods of emails and texts from the emergency services instructing us to take precautions. I think that’s part of the ignorance of a primarily white neighborhood like Homeland, Roland Park, etc. I walked around freely at night, unfazed by the “potential danger” that the riots instilled. I think that when you’re removed from the immediate zone of the rioting, the message is considerably changed. Should I have taken more precaution during these times? Probably. But the large police presence around the campus deterred me from caring about my safety at all. Again, this is why I believe that I and many others may not have taken this experience as seriously as we should have. The police were all over the area, in addition the Loyola police were patrolling (for once, not to check parking meters and write tickets). I felt seriously ignorant to the whole situation, and I think that’s what this article is stating, that the nice white neighborhoods and their inhabitants just don’t understand the “parallel universe” that these events occur in. That’s how I see the comparison, at least, living in Homeland and living downtown where these riots happened are as different as living in China or France. There’s a complete and utter disconnect between places a couple miles apart from each other.
In saying that, I think everyone’s individual experience and perception of the riots (not just in Baltimore) are heavily influenced by their upbringing and life experiences thus far. In reading this article I had a really hard time trying to identify with the narrative of a young black man addressing the question of why someone like him would burn down their neighborhood. I personally am (obviously) the biological opposite of this individual, being a white female, so tying to understand this narrative and really immerse myself in it was quite difficult. However, once the immediate differences of experience were thought through, in the situational sense, I 100% understand and see the reasoning behind the questions of why these individuals loot and set fire to their own neighborhoods. This article has truly opened my eyes to the deep-rooted injustice and resentment for certain establishments and social systems currently in place within America today. After reading and really pondering the message of this article, I continue to become more upset with the manner in which our current social systems exhibit dysfunctional conduct and systematically oppress millions of people.
To be honest, I have never questioned why people in Ferguson, or anywhere else, were burning their neighborhoods down, they’re anger explained it for me. The rioting made sense to me, they needed a place to put their anger. Was it disappointing and upsetting to watch people burn their corner stores and loot the places where they shopped daily, absolutely. However, they were the only places for retaliation besides the police themselves. I thought that the people rioting were people who just snapped and had had it with the constant discrimination. I completely agree with the line, “Michael is only a national name because he just happened to be the one too many, the final straw that the camel just couldn’t carry.” This has been going on for too long, the riots and outbreak were a long time coming. I have felt on edge while being at Loyola, but for a completely different reason. My fear surrounds being drugged and raped one night. Or maybe being kidnapped from campus and nobody realizing until it’s too late. My fears are sheltered compared to the ones that black people in America feel. Mine is driven by paranoia and a few case files, their fear is driven by justified fear and hundreds of dead bodies. After the news of the shooting in Charleston broke, I was walking behind one of my fellow black students. I got to thinking, is someone going to pop out from behind that tree and shoot her? What would I do if that happened? Why is this happening? I was sheltered before coming to college. It isn’t until something happens to you, or your able to picture it happening to you that you start to worry about it. While I wouldn’t be the one getting shot at, I would watch one of my classmates get shot. That is insanely scary to think about, and it is extremely sad that those are legitimate worries in the world today.
When people are backed into a corner, they tend to fight back. That is what is happening in communities such as Ferguson and Baltimore. We can argue all day on whether or not Michael Brown’s death was justified, but the fact of the matter is he is dead and he shouldn’t be. This isn’t the blame game, people are dying and they shouldn’t be. Bottom line. I think that riots such as these are never justified. Brown was killed. It happened, and you can riot about it all you want but it’s not going to bring him back. The riots in Baton Rouge aren’t going to bring Alton Sterling back. The riots in LA didn’t magically heal Rodney King. But what we can do is make measures to prevent cases such as these from happening in the future. This includes efforts from not only local government and police forces, but people living in the community as well. But it all starts with whether we are willing to put aside our differences and help each other improve. We can riot all we want, but that isn’t going to bring anyone back. I understand that the riots are about more than just one person, they’re about a bigger cause. But we want to make the cause mean something, we need to improve for the people who died so that these cases do not happen anymore.
It seems counter-intuitive to burn down the very place in which you live, while arson may seem like an overreaction, we may want to try to put ourselves in the shoes of these perpetrators to try to understand why they feel so compelled to act out. Until policy makers and others outside these ghettos understand the reason for these actions a solution will never be found.
The inhabitants of these neighborhoods are primarily black and have felt violated and uncomfortable for the majority of their existence. A home is supposed to be a place of peace and rejuvenation; how could anyone expect the people residing in these ghettos to act in a peaceful manner when they are never allowed any peace? As a human being, rest is literally required. This notion is written into religious laws, as well as labor laws. By placing entire groups of people into a ghetto in order to segregate them is one issue; however, a whole new problem is created when those who have put them in this brutal existence make it even worse by putting institutions inside that make its residents uncomfortable. These foreign companies and corporations remind the ghettos’ residents every second, of every day, how unwanted they truly are. Furthermore, they are unwanted by a country that promotes a dream where anything is possible – just not for them. This article speaks about a boy who, by the age of ten, realizes that this dream is a lie for people like him; therefore, it is a lie all together.
The idea of a ghetto invokes the image of a cage and the owners of these cages will do anything to keep its contents inside. The primarily black residents of these cages have no voice to get out, for these cages are sound proof. These cages have no doors to get out. The only way to get out is through force; regrettably, it is the only power that has not been stripped away. Violence in white communities is taken very seriously, because they have many other powers granted to them by superior education, as well as the superficiality of their skin. This article sheds light on this cage-like imagery ghettos truly embody, particularly with the example of involuntary lead testing on black families. The idea of hurting helpless beings, and additionally helpless children, all to save a few dollars, is cruelty at its finest. Research conducted on people, as if they were animals in a cage, should never be condoned; no matter who they are, they are still human and have physical and emotional feelings, the same as their oppressors. The idea of needing to segregate people based on skin color is a constructed idea, which promotes the idea of it being humane to have humans as lab rats.
When the riots in Ferguson were happening, I cannot even remember how many times I heard that famous question of “why are they burning down their neighborhoods.” I heard friends, family and the media repeat that question quite often and to be honest, at that time it seemed logical. Why would people want to burn their own stores, cars and property to the ground? However, the answer to this question has now become painfully obvious and the fact that more people have not burned their towns down is actually surprising. The greatest irony in the whole situation though, is the fact that people will constantly tell the African American community to adopt non-violent protest, however, when they do adopt this method of protest they are still ridiculed by the media. It is a seemingly impossible situation for the people that live in cities like Ferguson Missouri, as they have absolutely no way to change the racial discrimination that they face. Thus, I feel that it may be necessary to continue with these protests until the government decides to help these people. It ceases to amaze me that even after the riots in Ferguson, Baltimore, and countless other locations, nothing has changed. Yet, hopefully with time, these protests will strike accord with the American public and finally open their eyes to the suffering of people in Ferguson Missouri.
I especially enjoyed reading this post as opposed to the rest of the topics we have studied about thus far. The reason for that being is because I was the person asking these questions. During the Baltimore riots, I was the person saying, “Why do they burn down their own neighborhoods” and wondering how that could possibly help their cause. And now, I finally understand.
I finally understand that when people are oppressed this much, for this long, it is their last hope of gaining attention to issues that are detrimental to their lives. The article stated, “If this is what it takes to get some help for our community, to get some attention and some justice for what goes on around here, then so be it.” I was also ignorant to the methodology behind the “burning of their own neighborhoods”. The local shops and stores seem to be targeted most often, but I was not sure why until reading this article. The fact that a local store symbolizes everything bad in the world for the people living in these communities and that they are representations of the status given to these people who “decided to be black” in white America. This, along with the realization that these people are not burning down their own neighborhoods, they are burning down the status they were predisposed for since birth and the society handed to them due to the color of their skin, caused me to get a deeper understanding to what happened in Baltimore.
In addition, this article caused me to self reflect on what was going through my head as I was sitting in my Loyola bubble just a couple of streets away from people essentially begging and pleading for their stories to be heard. When people, including myself, ask the question “Why do they burn down their own neighborhoods?”, they are not really asking, they are judging. The people, who ask these kinds of questions and don’t try to understand, are the ones that would never be in the shoes of those they are making assumptions about. They have never and probably would never experience the same things experienced by those living in these communities, yet it is easy for them to pass judgment. This article definitely helped me to understand that this is an ongoing problem in our country, and I feel as though it is our job as onlookers and members of this society to educate ourselves before judging and making accusations.
During the time of the riots, I physically ached for what my people were, and still are, enduring; my heart was broken. I don’t remember a time when we, as a collective race, haven’t been discriminated against in some sort of way. And here are the police, the people who swore to protect us, shooting and killing us. Not going to lie, I began to look at the police differently. I even asked my uncle, a black former police officer, what he thought about what was going on. He told me that in his twenty-plus years of service, working in Hempstead, NY, he only drew his gun once. And yet, white police officers put in the same position he was, are not hesitant to draw their weapon and start shooting. Watching these riots on TV, I also wondered why people were burning their own neighborhoods. Like this is where you live, where you buy your groceries. But after reading this article I completely understand why.
Because of where and how I grew up, I was never really exposed to what was going on, as far as racial domination and subordination. It really wasn’t until the publicized death of Alton Sterling that it hit me hard. Since then, this topic has come up a lot. I’ve watched many documentaries, like the Netflix Original “13th” which have opened my eyes tremendously to what this great country has done. When I talk about it with my dad, he is surprised by how fast I have become so educated on this social problem. He is even worried that I know too much now, and that what I know will affect my outgoing, people-person personality. I certainly don’t know everything but I know much more than I did before coming to college.
Some people have never wanted to know the history of these social problems. Some know but choose to ignore it. I think that if you know the history of the oppression of Jews, but don’t know or care to know about the oppression of blacks, that’s pure ignorance. If you still continue to blame the deaths of unarmed black people on the victim, that’s ignorance. You cannot call yourself educated if you do not have knowledge of the long long long history of this oppression.
In many black households all over America there is conversation that has to be had about how to handle racism and white supremacy. Parents have to tell their children how to handle a situation if they ever encounter the police. Black parents fear the life of their children everyday and it’s because of the reality of America. The statement, “before you’re ten years old you know right down to your bones that you don’t belong to the America of white people. That your black life is not valued at all. The America you read about in the papers or view on television is not for you.” This is exactly where rioting comes from. Going to a predominantly white school from kindergarten to 12th grade my parents had to give me a reality check. I learned about discrimination and how to handle situations when encountering authority. It is not only black boys and men who are affected by this discrimination. Black girls and women from these communities have to deal with the reality that they are/will be raising their children alone and have to support their household by themselves in these neighborhoods. So when the rioting occurs it’s because the hurt and pain that black people feel when their loved ones are murdered or placed in prison for minor offenses.
I came to Loyola right after the riots occurred. I never felt like I was in danger when coming to this campus because I believe that the riots could have happened anywhere and in any city. These riots are a huge statement and attracted media from all over the country this is the best way for Americans to see the hurt and the pain that these communities feel.