Baltimore Riots: American dream gone awry

Less than a year since America saw some rabid images of lawlessness in Ferguson, Baltimore has reached a boiling point. And, it’s not surprising that the so called ‘boiling point’ has been a simmering unrest since long. The open-and-shut case that happened right after Ferguson, in August 2014 where an African American youngster Michael Brown was shot dead by the local police, Baltimore has been even more pronounced an incident.

So, was the after-math a complete surprise? Definitely not; the incidents that followed the death of Freddie Grey have some sort of a pattern to them. Yes, this includes the riots too.

After all, the land of milk and honey and all things nice has turned into some sort of a racist-zone since quite some time. Was the unrest simmering since long? Will America be dominated by those who have stigmas against their darker co-inhabitants just as some part of the world has? The answer seems to be an unsettling ‘perhaps’.

When civil unrest entered the town of Baltimore in the largest American state of Maryland, it was some sort of a déjà vu that the nation had seen in another part of the country – Ferguson, Missouri; where an unarmed teenager was shot dead following a scuffle. FBI since then opened a civil rights investigation. Rioting and protests followed soon after, and allegations of racism were leveled against officers and the government at a higher level.

With President Obama at the helm of affairs, racism in America was probably a bad word that was considered passé. But, that does not seem to be the case. Less than a year later, Baltimore is burning since the death of Freddie Gray, who sustained fatal injuries in police custody and breathed his last after slipping into coma.

The city of Baltimore was largely peaceful till the funeral procession ended and the rituals were completed. Soon after, the protestors cried ‘racism’ and spilled out on streets. Obama and his team of officers dealt with them sternly. But then, the protestors wouldn’t back out.
There are contradicting accounts that are floating on social media as to how the riots happened. While some call it the doing of a ‘bunch of teenagers who were itching to fight’, the others have a different take altogether. In their knowledge, and most of this is first-hand account, was the doing of police officers who had credible information of teenagers from the now riot-stricken neighbourhood that they were going to assemble, and ‘probably’ spill out on the roads. In their over enthusiastic preparation, the police officers in some ways, fuelled the clashes with their presence and over-preparedness of the situation.

A single-mom of six children, in all her helplessness, became a picture of grim reality and an unequal America when she came to the spot of protest and beat up her son into leaving the protest march. She was candid, straight and simply a mother in her entire existence. “Freddie is gone. I don’t want my son to be another Freddie. I cannot afford it,” she told the reporters who filmed her pounding her son away from the protest site. How do things change even when you have an African American for the President of your country, when the ground reality continues unchanged, and unchallenged?

Experts and political analysts have been trying to understand this prejudice and stigma associated with racism. While many sectors are engaged in promoting social equality of all races and people who have different skin colour, that racism is still a harmful and detrimental practice, is an evident factor.

The aspects that play a role in building up racism in real life may be many – such as self-esteem, positive distinct, survival and dominance, among many; the social and political aspects are rather very different from the ones listed.

Racism is a political statement often, which cries for attention and protection. It is not enough for America to feel glad that they have a man at the top to prove they are not racists. Now, that would be called tokenism and camouflage, if Obama on top can stand testimony of tolerance and equal rights to live in America, irrespective of the skin colour.

Racism is about paying attention to the aspects of micro entities, and addressing them. It is not enough to make a law about anti-racist stances and forget about it when incidents that speak loudly of racism happen. Whether it is Ferguson or Baltimore, time has come for America to understand there is a problem at hand. And, this cannot be sorted out by feeling proud about Statue of Liberty alone. It is time the light from her torch, shone on America’s streets too, equally and equivocally.