If you’ve been following what is going on in Baltimore, you know that there have been protests and unrest in response to Freddie Gray’s mysterious death as a result of his arrest by police that left his voice box crushed and 80% of his spine severed. Some people want to focus on poor behavior by protesters and broken windows instead of the systemic issues with the police and economic injustice. The son of the owner of the Baltimore Orioles and COO of the organization made a courageous statement looking at the root causes of the unrest. Like him, I’m a firm believer in non-violence, but he makes great points about the sources of struggle and frustration in Baltimore and other cities across America.

-Shepard

Article from Alernet.

Baltimore Orioles Exec. Issues Surprisingly Powerful Defense of Protesters’ Right to Be Outraged About Freddie Gray and Economy

Arrest of Freddie Gray.

This weekend, protests over the suspicious death of Freddie Gray resulted in some property damage and vandalism. This predictably led to a debate about the proper way to protest, a discussion which is generally fueled by individuals who don’t ever attend them. Although the economic case for riots is much more compelling than most people realize, the typical refrain tends to be that protestors “hurt their own cause” when a police car gets damaged or a 7/11 gets trashed. One of the most comprehensive takedowns of this thinking came from Baltimore’s baseball team: Executive Vice President John Angelos.

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