Imagine if you would, a group of 6 or 7 people hanging out, talking, laughing, or joking but ultimately, looking for trouble. Then imagine you make the mistake of looking in their direction for a fraction of a second too long. You stared; you caught their attention. They spotted you and now you are their target. They jump on you immediately; even though you did nothing wrong. Nothing more than look at them for a fraction of a second too long. Still, they jump on you, punch you, kick you bruises all over your body. Then, they throw you in the back of van. You are quietly hoping and praying that maybe this terror is over. Little do you know it is only the beginning. Then, without warning your body goes flying all across the van. Hitting the sides of the van, roof of the van, the floor of the van. You are flying all over the place. With tears streaming down your eyes, you cry out for help until you can no longer cry out anymore. HHHHHEEEELLLPPP!!! HEEELLLPPP…but your cries go unanswered as your body tosses around and bones break and you subsequently black out, never wake again….
This is what happened to Freddie Gray. Watch as he is arrested, he already could not walk....
Source: CNN Youtube Channel, (2016).
Alas, who can you call when the thugs who you looked at for a fraction too long, who came and harassed you, beat you black and blue and then threw you into this van and took you on this “rough ride” are the police?
Homicide. According to the dictionary, Homicide is a noun and has three definitions.
- The deliberate and unlawful killing of one person by another, murder.
- The police department that deals with murders.
- A murderer.
Freddie Gray’s death was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner. Meaning someone killed him. Freddie Gray died from THREE FRACTURED NECK VERTEBRAE AND A CRUSHED VOICE BOX.
Yesterday, July 27, 2016, Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby dropped all charges against the three remaining “cops” who were involved in the killing of Freddie Gray. The other three were acquitted.
Source: WBAL-TV 11 Youtube Channel, (2016).
Let’s recap. Freddie Grey was a healthy walking, talking, joking, laughing, and able bodied moving normal man on April 12th prior to coming into contact with these “cops”. Yet after less than an hour after being in contact with these same “cops”, he needed emergency care, slipped into a coma and DIED.
Yet, according to Circuit judge Barry G. Williams, all of the officers were not guilty of any charge in connection to the murder of Freddie Gray. Or there was not ENOUGH evidence that they were responsible for Gray’s murder. Even if they were the last one’s that were in contact with Gray, the last to be around him when he was a well able bodied human being.
Even after the charges were dropped these officers who killed Freddie Gray, today, July 28, 2016, have announced that they will now sue the prosecutor for doing her job, seeking justice for homicide victims and their family members.
347 years ago, in October 1669 there was a slave law recorded in the good ole state of Virginia that law stated: “whereas the only law in force for the punishment of refractory (stubborn) servants (slaves) resisting their master, mistress, or overseer cannot be inflicted upon Negroes, nor the obstinacy (stubbornness) of many of them be suppressed by other than violent means, be it enacted and declared by this Grand Assembly if any slave resists his master and by the extremity of CORRECTION should chance to die, that his death shall not be accounted a felony, but the master be acquitted from molestation, since it cannot be presumed that premeditated malice should induce any many to destroy his own estate.
In other words this law states that a master, mistress, overseer or anyone who has any authority can correct or punish a stubborn slave, and if in that correcting of that stubborn slave the slave so happens to die they cannot and will not be held accountable for correcting and destroying their own property.
Sound familiar??? Freddie Gray was being arrogant and stubborn, standing there having the nerve to look at those overseers…oops I mean officers. How dare he? They sent out to correct his stubbornness…killed him and got acquitted.
Lack of evidence, police policing themselves, drug use, lack of training, no accountability, police’s buddies proceeding over the investigation, taking a “cops’ word as the truth, peer pressure and bullying within police, cops being above the law, I could go on and on and on…. There are so many things wrong right now with the Power that this country has handed over to police. There is something wrong about the precedent that is constantly being shown over and over again. To sum it up, a cop can murder you and walk away with a paid vacation and his job still intact.
I don’t care about Gray’s criminal record, he was standing there….his arrest was unlawful, his detainment was unlawful, he went from being an able bodied man to one who could not walk to a man who had three fractured vertebrae in his neck and a crushed voice box all while in the custody of “cops”. Yet, according to the “Justice system” there was not enough evidence.
Imagine if Freddy Gray was your brother, cousin, friend, etc. What if you were Freddy Gray? What if Freddy Gray was someone you cared for?
Last night, July 27, 2016 President Barack Obama said something so simply and profound. He said, “Don’t boo…vote”! President Obama also said, Don’t just march, don’t just protest, and don’t just talk about it on social media…VOTE. Not just for Presidents, know who represents you locally, who are elected officials, what are their track records? Are they representing you, if not hold them accountable and show up at the polls and vote accordingly. (I am paraphrasing). That’s how I interpreted it anyway. Voting is important, many people will tell you it does not matter. It does, if it did not, so many people would not go through so much to stop people from voting. Gerrymandering and voter suppression laws, constitutional amendments all for voting, or controlling voting, or allowing voting.
There are many changes that need to happen in this country to make our country a better, fairer place with equality. Exercise your right to vote. Vote for judges, mayors, sheriffs, etc. Find out who represents you and who runs your community. Do not wait for a Freddie Gray case to happen in your neighborhood or more importantly to someone you love. Act now.
All power to the people!
