It’s been several weeks since the arrest and subsequent
death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. To briefly recap, Gray was apprehended by
police officers after he ran upon seeing them.
Cell phone footage shows Gray be lifted up at the arms by cops, and
dragged by police officers into a police containment vehicle. Gray did not appear to be able to hold
himself up or walk on his own, and could be heard grunting in pain as he was being
carried into the police vessel. He died
several days later in a hospital as a result of the encounter, and the hospital
report indicated that his spinal cord was 80% severed. The police officers involved have been
suspended, but they are still being paid.
No charges have been filed.
The incident, which sparked rioting in the city of Baltimore
earlier this week, is another in a long string of Black Men being murdered by
police officers, and has kept alive the “Black Lives Matter” movement. The sad reality is that these occurrences
have been going on for centuries, and many more occur than actually garner
national attention. But with the
ubiquitous presence of cameras everywhere, White America can no longer say that
Black people are exaggerating or making it up.
This doesn’t mean things are going to swiftly change; it just means that
it’s harder for police officers and White America to deny.
One thing that hasn’t changed, though, is the attempt to
somehow blame the victim by releasing (often circumstantially
unrelated or irrelevant) statements, photos, or videos that tarnish the victim’s
image. Today, such a thing
occurred.
This morning I was watching CNN and they reported that a
man, who claimed to be arrested and in the same police vehicle as Gray at the
time of his arrest, said Gray was intentionally trying to injure himself and
may have self-inflicted the wounds that ultimately caused his death.
REALLY???!!!!!
What disturbs me about this report is that it lacks any
shred of credibility. For example, in
the same CNN report, they said that this individual could not see Gray because
he was on the opposite side of a metal partition in the car. Furthermore, anyone who has seen the cell
phone footage that brought this crime to light knows that once Gray encountered
the police, he could no longer walk (i.e. he was already injured prior to being
carried into the police vehicle…and possibly further injured after a “Rough
Ride”). This claim by the mystery
co-arrestee is utter nonsense and does not qualify as credible or news.
For CNN to air that report on any of its platforms is
absolutely negligent. Every reporter who
uttered it should get on air tomorrow and apologize, and whatever producer,
director or editor gave the green light for that report to air should be fired
immediately with no questions asked. The
same goes for any other “news” institution that airs these claims as well. It is shameful!!!
-Maelstrom
