While it’s still unclear exactly how Freddie Gray died, there seems to be no denying that Baltimore Police Department officers caused his death. Gray, 25, died on April 19 due to still-unknown spinal injuries that he seems to have sustained by the hands of police following his arrest a week earlier. Even, or maybe especially, without all the answers to questions surrounding his passing, Gray’s death is especially conspicuous in a year that has already churned out a string of high-profile killings of Black men by police.
Over the last several days protests in Baltimore have invited comparison to the fervor and outcry felt in Ferguson following the death of Michael Brown. In that case as well as far too many others before and since, members of the Hip Hop community have had reason to take to social media as a show of support, protest, and meditation.
Check out some responses to Gray’s death and current protests in Baltimore from rappers, producers, and singers below.
Just another poor innocent black man being treated wrong by the police:
State of Maryland Arrest Records
Freddie Grey
3-20-15 – dealing cocaine
8-28-08 – possession of narcotics
10-5-12 – illegal gambling
1-25-14 – possession of narcotics over 10 grams
8-24-07 – manufacturing and distribution of narcotics
8-29-07 – distribution of narcotics
9-16-08 – distribution of narcotics
4-16-08 – distribution of narcotics
5-9-12 – distribution of narcotics
1-4-15 – distribution of narcotics
12-31-14 – distribution of narcotics
3-13-15 – stolen property
3-16-15 – distribution of narcotics
3-28-08 – possession of narcotics
2-12-08 – distribution of narcotics
9-29-13 distribution of narcotics
12-4-14 – distribution of narcotics
12-4-14 – possession of narcotics
3-20-08 – Burglary
3-20-08 – possession of narcotics
9-21-07 – distribution of narcotics
4-30-08 – unlawful possession (TWO COUNTS)
Still not a reason to kill him…… Unless he was posing a serious threat to the officers life
@Truth So the Cops should crush your voice box and brake your spine on site…America
Nobody said he was a perfect citizen jackass but that doesn’t give the police the right to continuously mistreat people
Man was trying to feed his fam
Good see hip hop rally behind these movements.
I hate seeing our kids grow up in this crazy world. Take it from someone that was effected a lot during the LA Riots 1992, what is going on in Baltimore is not doing anyone any good to be burning everything down, looting, hurting people and destroying everything. Everyone needs to pull together and try to do it the right way and some people are and it is not fare to them either. I am sure the young man that lost his life and his family do want this to happen this way. There is way to many people dying period in this country, especially black people, so lets try to do something productive about it. what are we teaching our kids. We need to lead by example. Yes,there is some horrible cops that should be thrown under the prison, but there is also some really good cops out there and they are getting viewed the same as the bad ones and that’s not fare either. that is the same as some ignorant idiot viewing all of Pick what ever race you want and saying everyone is the same or that everyone from this state is the same, that’s not even close to accurate or fare to anyone. Not everyone is like that and the ones that are should pay, but we need to stop killing each other as a whole.
I hope everything changes for the good with the quickness, but unfortunately I know how unrealistic that even sounds.
Lets try to make things better for our kids and grand kids.
I feel really bad for people such as Dr Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks and Jackie Robinson just to name a few that worked their butt off to make things better. Did they get better, yes, but there has always been a long way to go and it seems like in the last 5-10 years we are going backwards quickly. I wish everyone the best…………. Lets at least try to do something positive. I try hard to be +++, because if I don’t, I will get really hot and that will not do any good for anyone. I have a family that is counting on me, so that is what I need to think about. Peace.
Yea Cincinnati riot they was pulling them out the cars and beating they ass. It said cuz we all skin deep I see color but I guess in America they do and it sad. I’m 31 bout be 32 o don’t want a child 2 loss them is going kill me more than. Making them
Police brutality is an issue for everybody not just us black folks. White conservatives commenting on these news sites will always see it as a one sided thing until we stick up for all races getting abused by police whites included. I was at a party one day cops barged in with no warrant and broke it up. Mostly brothers were at this party a few white dudes and Latinos were there too. One brother got bruised up a bit but the white guy who owned the house and hosted the thing was hospitalized all because he was recording the party and caught the cops doing wrong. Next day we all went to station heated as fuck. Every nigga at that party showed up with complaints for cops abusing a white dude cops looked shocked.
Come on uncle ruckus, white people are NEVER mistreated by the police! Don’t you watch the news?! A police officer has never once ever beaten up a white person in history. It ONLY happens to black people.
10-15 years from now, the next generation of Bmore youth will be whining about how their community is shit and there’s no opportunity…all while ignoring the fact that their own people put them in that position last night. Anybody defending this violence in any way is part of the problem, and will always be fighting this same fight. The only ones whining about police are living in crime-riddled neighborhoods…must just be a coincidence
No one in Baltimore support the volience but some people don’t understand it that we are tired and this is not the first killing of blacks in Baltimore there are many but you don’t get to see it bcpd get away with too damn much and we are fed up..Baltimore supports the case but not the violence and the looting get it right. I was born in Baltimore and probably will die here but not at the hands of bcpd
May ALLAH Bless the City of Bmore