Baltimore incident exposes fault-lines in society
US President Barack Obama's comments on the racially motivated riots in Baltimore, Maryland, blaming both rioters and police officers against whom the former have been demonstrating, may seem like a lame effort to take a politically correct position on the race debating raging across America. But he is in the right — there are problems on both sides that need to be addressed. Hence, shaping this debate with binaries — black versus white, oppressed versus oppressor, violent versus peaceful, law breakers versus law enforcers — cannot be the way ahead. A comprehensive, long term solution that covers all aspects, from social changes to economic empowerment to police reforms to judicial accountability, is needed. This won't happen overnight. Community leaders and activists will have to keep up the pressure on Government to deliver the systemic changes that are required.
They will also have to ensure that the conversation about race, equality and justice continues on the national mediascape so that mindsets can change. However, every time there is the outbreak of violence, of the sort that was seen in Baltimore these few past days with looting, arson and vandalisation of public property, even a just cause loses its legitimacy and the narrative is needlessly polarised. Of course, the custodial death of Freddie Gray, a young drug dealer, needs to be investigated and those guilty of mishandling his case need to be punished. But to riot across the city, to draw attention to this cause, serves no purpose. It only insults his memory in death.
On the other side of the debate, America, especially white America, needs to acknowledge that there is a problem with policing methods specifically, and race relations, in general. Yes, police officers everywhere work in tough conditions. They have to make decisions on the spur of the moment and this is why they are trained in iron-clad operating procedures. However, when shooting black men becomes the reflexive response for some white police officers, then that's a problem. Since race relations in the US made global headlines following the riots in Ferguson, Missouri, several cases have emerged of white police officers being involved in fatal confrontations with black men.
In New York, police officers put a chokehold on an overweight black man, Eric Garner, killing him on the spot. More recently, white police officer Michael Slager pumped five bullets into Walter Scott, a 50-year-old black man, also killing him instantly. If you thought Scott was a dangerous criminal, involved in an unpleasant encounter with the police, think again: Scott's car had been pulled up for a broken brake light but he attempted to run away because he owed $18,000 in child support and was worried that he would be put behind bars. That's when Slager shot in the back. The police officer has since been charged with murder but there's only a strong case against him because a by-stander videotaped the encounter.