The shocking and probably completely preventable death of Freddie Gray has brought violence and anger to the city of Baltimore. Even while the media and the president were making jokes at the annual White House correspondent's dinner (which was, oddly enough, hilarious this year.) angry protesters were storming the streets made famous by the Wire. There were at least a dozen protesters arrested Saturday evening after earlier peaceful protests had ended. It should be noted that the family of the late Freddie Gray were urging calm and did not want the protesting to turn violent. The family made that statement right beside the African American mayor of Baltimore Stephanie Rawlings-Blake. Freddie Gray is just the latest in a series of questionable deaths of African American men not only within the last several years -- starting with the killing of Trayvon Martin in Florida -- and capping off an astonishing month that has seen not only the death of Freddie Gray but a number of other questionable deaths. Those deaths include two black men who were shot in the back (here and that was filmed and here) and another black man who was mauled to death by a K9 dog.
This is the anger that has many fathers. Here are the pictures that prove it. (These are all publicly available on twitter.)
1. This is from the Dream Defenders, organized around the Trayvon Martin shooting, have on Twitter.
2. The sign says "They kill our daddies then make fun of us for being fatherless."
3. Memo about what people find more important.
4. It's important to keep in mind that there was a much larger number of peaceful protesters.
5. They ask for peace.
6. Cop arrests a suspect who we all hope survives his arrest.
7. Picture of white rioters that don't seem to be getting the angry responses that black rioters get.