There have been riots, looting, and protests in Baltimore since the funeral of Freddie Gray. Baltimore also declared a state of emergency on April 27th because the city is experiencing a rise in crime. The city has a curfew in place, and even the national guard was involved at one point in controlling the situation.

Mr. Gray was a 25 year old African American who was arrested on April 12. According to the Baltimore Sun, Gray broke his spinal cord during the arrest. After the arrest, the police officers placed Gray in a police van. Once inside the van, Gray, who is asthmatic, asked for his inhaler, but he was denied. The van that Gray was traveling in made two stops before taking him to the police station instead of the hospital.

During the first stop, one of the police officers was ordered to check on Gray, who was in the back of the van. The second stop was made to pick up another person. This individual is now considered a witness to the situation within the van. However, not a lot of information has been released. After both stops, the police took Gray and the other passenger to the Western District Police Station. Upon arriving at the police station, the paramedics were called. Gray was taken to the hospital, where he died a week later from his injuries.

In an article by Alan Blinder and Richard Pérez-Peña of the NY times, we were informed that the six police officers responsible for the death of Gray are being charged with “murder, manslaughter and several other crimes.”

Personally, I feel that although the incident was unjust, the riots that have ravaged the city of Baltimore are not justifiable. The city has experienced nine million dollars worth of property damage so far. The damage includes homes and businesses of hard working citizens, leaving them homeless and unemployed. Instead of causing riots, the citizens of Baltimore should enforce a police watch group. This group could monitor the police and report any issues that they witness. In turn, this will decrease the number of cases of police brutality/misconduct.

The Baltimore Sun reports that the police force in Baltimore is also discouraged from making arrests because they feel that they will lose their jobs if they do not conduct their arrests correctly. Although the police may feel added pressure due to the media coverage of recent events, they must fulfill their job for the safety of other citizens. They took an oath to “protect and serve,” and that is not up for debate.