RIP Freddie Gray, RIP Violence to Drive Out Injustice (Elizabeth Muscari, Period 6th)

Protests have broken out in response to the murder of Freddie Gray in Baltimore, Maryland. While most of the protests are nonviolent, a riot broke out today hours after Mr. Gray's funeral. The riot turned violent and many looted and burned businesses. Protesters are planning to meet tomorrow morning in a nearby church to "gain focus" on the matter at hand. In the meantime, Baltimore has called for a state of emergency and has requested for the National Guard to assist local officers in protecting bystanders and other non-participating civillians. 

Www.cnn.com/2015/04/27/Us/baltimore-Freddie-gray-funeral/

Analysis: This relates to APUSH in my personal life. I come from a long line of Italian immigrants. In history, the Italians, particularly Catholics, were discriminated against. When the Italians came to America, they were outcasts because American didn't know to classify them as either black or white. 

My mom's family was a part of this discrimination. My mother grew up in Birmingham, AL in the 60s and 70s. Growing up in one of the main cities in the  Civil Rights Movement, her grandfather, an Italian immigrant, owned a grocery store located on 16th street and sold mainly to African Americans. (Downtown Birmingham was mainly black at this time). This business was the family's main source of income, considering Italian immigrants in AL were also discriminated against and very poor; however, the day after the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing, riots and protests broke out. During the riots, my mother's grandmother was pulling African Americans out of the street because they were being water-hosed during the protests.  

Some of the protests were very peaceful while others, most of them, were extremely violent on both ends. 

During one of the riots, her family's store was destroyed. Angry rioters had looted and burned it completely. Most of these rioters didn't realize this was a store that was kind and accepting to ALL people, especially African Americans.  Her family lost their main source of income and didn't even have enough money to rebuild. Some of the African Americans living in the area donated money to rebuild, but her family never did. 

On spring break, my mother and I visited where the store used to be, and still she can remember how devastated her family was to have lost their business. 

Yes, racism still exists and it ruins lives! Killing innocent people is never an answer nor is it acceptable. Yet, the solution is not to add more violence.  

The solution is to move forward and find equality. Looting, burning, and destroying businesses is a form of protesting that ruins people's livelihoods! It's never the answer, as my mother learned, because destroying someone's (who might I add may even be IN SUPPORT of the cause) business is a form of hate, and for some people, like my mother, it's something they'll never forget.