Another week, another black man dies after a clash with police, another wave of protests. After police arrested 25-year-old Freddie Gray apparently for no reason other than running from them, Gray later died from a spinal injury that officers may have inflicted during his apprehension.
Seems Gray had a reason, after all, for fleeing the authorities.
If it feels like there has been a rash of black men dying after questionable incidents with police officers, it’s because there actually has been a rash of black men dying after questionable incidents with police officers. From Michael Brown to Eric Garner to Tamir Rice to Walter Scott. And those are just the names we know about. But not every such case makes the news. It depends if there’s someone around with an iPhone.
In fact, it turns out that that at least 109 people died during police encounters in Maryland between 2010 and 2014, according to an ACLU report. The study also showed that while black people make up about 29 percent of the state’s population, 69 percent of those who died during confrontations with police were black. We can speculate as to why, but I suspect it’s because officers tend to use greater force with black suspects.
Regardless, I worry that we have entered a period where tragic incidents like these no longer shock us. The storylines are too eerily similar. Yes, residents in Baltimore are protesting as I write this, but I can’t help but feel as if this is merely a spate of protests that are part of a general cycle of injustice, protests, injustice, protests, injustice, protests, in—
And so it goes. At some point, I’m concerned that such incidents will yield nothing more than a sigh, a collective shrug, not necessarily of apathy but of sad acceptance—or hopelessness.
Ultimately, curbing such violence and death will not come from enacting more laws or even police guidelines. Rather, change can only happen by addressing the hearts and minds of police officers and members of the community, which is much harder—but much more impactful—than some U.S. Department of Justice inquiry’s recommendation of new police procedures. Until officers and the public alike can recognize the humanity within us all, we will continue to see more black men die. Who will it be next week?
