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Letter to the Editor
Freddie’s Dead!
Back in the day, Curtis
Mayfield recorded a song called “Freddie’s Dead” about a
drug dealer. Baltimore’s Freddie Gray was not pushing dope,
didn’t commit a crime, was arrested, put in a van, was
talking but was clearly upset.
When taken out of the van,
he couldn’t talk nor breathe. He died April 19, a week after
his arrest. He lost his life in Baltimore due to misconduct
of officers, excessive force and a total disregard for his
life.
There seems to be a
pattern of police brutality in Baltimore where 63 percent of
the population is African-American and has the nation’s
eighth-largest police department. Since 2011, the city has
paid over $5 million in lawsuits. The claims include
battering, beatings while handcuffed, victims thrown to the
ground and the calling of women suspects “bitches.”
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Freddie Gray |
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Many injuries were
reported such as broken bones, head trauma, organ failure
and, sadly for Mr. Gray, death. A recent case cost the city
$200,000 in damages after officers beat a suspect severely.
During the trial, the officers tried to say the victim’s
injuries might have resulted from poking himself in the
face!
I thought police officers’
duties included keeping order, exercising reasonable control
over persons and respecting general welfare and safety. What
kind of officers showed up to arrest Mr. Gray? Can you
imagine getting a phone call saying your loved one has died
due to an officer-related incident?
Mr. Gray’s life mattered!
Someone loved him, he was abused, misused. Where there is
discontent, we must find a cure. We must build better
communication between law enforcement and community. There
is mistrust, suspicion, hurt, anger and the “smell of death”
in black communities across America. When will some police
stop terrorizing African-American men? Freddie’s dead,
that’s what I said, Freddie’s dead.
Cora Louise Jones
Toledo, OH
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