At 11:30 AM, the rally outside of the convention was scheduled to begin and was reported by news outlets such as Fox 45 News and WJZ CBS Baltimore. Though Trump was not expected to speak during the convention until 1 PM, all the action took place on public property in front of the National Guard Convention.
Across from Pratt Street on the opposite side of the Convention Center stood the Trump Supporters with their vote Trump and “Make America Great Again” signs. There they stood, a group of majority white-collared professionals sprinkled in with a few ignorant rednecks who arrived in a white and blue school bus, foreign to natives of the city. Adjacent to their street corner of choice at the intersection of Charles and Pratt Street, stood the hopeful and high-spirited protesters with their many signs expressing their freedoms of speech.
For a total of four hours, the groups battled to get their points across. Trump supporters reciting policies that Trump promises to implement once in the office while protesters chant “Fuck Trump.” The atmosphere was at odds.
For the most part, the rally held Monday morning was peaceful. But as expected, there were Trump supporters who became too passionate and chose to resort to violence to get their message across. One supporter hopped on his bicycle riding at full speed towards the protesters in hopes his salivating mouth would gain its relief, as he aimed halt spit in the direction of a protester’s face. He did not succeed. Baltimore City police officers intervened pulling the Trump supporter away from the crowd.
The heat was on the moment protesters viewed police officers protecting the supporters instead of being the protectors of everyone. Even while Trump supporters aggressively wiggled their way towards protesters, Baltimore police continued to remind the day’s freedom fighters to remain calm and away from the Trump supporters. Frustrated by this, the majority of Protesters left the opposing corner of Charles and Pratt to be on the same side of the street where Trump Supporters stood.
For the remainder of the event, a political whirlwind rested between Bank of America and Baltimore Convention Center until crowds died down. Trump was never spotted.
Donald Trump did not speak publicly to crowds outside the convention center. But he was spotted in Dundalk Baltimore, MD on social media.
How do you think Donald Trump should have responded to the rally that took place outside of the Baltimore Convention Center? Leave your thoughts in the comments below.
America is in chaos with continuous brews of police brutality cases arising throughout the country. With two newly found communities added to the growing list, Baton Rouge, Missouri, and Falcon Heights, Minnesota, I would highly suggest our American government consider finding SOLUTIONS to our countries problems now.
Who likes waking up to someone getting shot multiple times on a live stream through Facebook? Not I.
I’m sure many people did not elect to have that option when choosing to sign up for Facebook or Twitter. But as technology has a plethora of triumphs to be proud of, blatant murder witnessed by the eyes of billions of people on more than numerous occasions should not be one of them.
In Baltimore, another city to fall victim to police brutality has taken another hit. Late July, the highest-ranking police officer to be charged in relation to the death of Freddie Gray was found NOT guilty of charges. Not too long afterward, the judge ordered that all further trials in his case be dropped. That news does not fall pleasantly amongst native Baltimore citizens ears as Freddie Gray’s death was ruled as a homicide, and of all officers to be tried, none have been convicted of criminal charges.
Some people feel overwhelmed with current events, which brings me to share five ways of protecting your mental during times of racial unrest. The Internet, which was once a place of leisure, has become a place I now take breaks from; a place I have to escape every once in a while because of its censorship towards black people’s death sentences. As a young black woman, I can share with you a few things that help me remain level headed when stories, like Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, Philandro Castile, and more recently Korynn Gaines strike our media. These are things I’ve got in the habit of doing since the death of Trayvon Martin. Will my list grow longer? Who knows but hopefully I can help the next black person feel better when it comes to these incidents.
One: Sign out of your social media accounts.
First advice I can give you to help protect your mental is to unplug from your social media pages. Those negatively charged digital words that appear on your screens are not worth you draining any of the positive energy you may already have to carry on with your day.
Facebook is the ultimate boxing match for even the most simple and childish debates. If you don’t believe racism exist, you have never read any of the comments on most posts that go viral. Next time you watch a video on Facebook, visit the comment section. Count how many trolls appear down its list. Sometimes even reading those negative comments from the trolls can get your blood boiling.
Signing offline is easier said than done since Facebook has permanently made homage in our lives. It gives us our daily news, connects us to our loved ones, and provides us with our entertainment. But to protect our mental health, I deem it necessary to sign off for maybe just a few hours as we focus on searching for a better way to live in peace while we find solutions for injustices. When debates turn into hateful slurs, time to turn off your screens. That is not loving.
Two: Allow yourself time to be angry only for the day. Then be constructive with your energy when the time calls for it to be useful.
I don’t want to promote anger that could fuel more hate. But when I feel defeated by something like this, which is larger than I am, I allow myself to release any demons that are inside me at the time.
When all charges were dropped in the case of Freddie Gray, I was pissed. Though majority of my emotions could be labeled as sadness and disappointment, sitting in one spot crying and shaking my head at what I don’t understand countless times can easily turn into anger and insanity because of it’s frequency. I’m exhausted there isn’t any accountability for any of the cases around our country involving brutal police actions. Gray wasn’t the first or second to be killed by police. His number is unknown and that is a problem.
For families to be left without explanations and ignored by a government meant to serve them, there should be no expectation from any authority to expect these families to let whatever happened just go. This is the same for every citizen that can relate to feeling hurt by these cases. Expecting anyone to ignore what happened and to let these victims’ murderers get away without any ounce of blame is the biggest slap in the face known to humankind. I give you the permission to be mad, but not for long. After you mope around in your grief enough, you gather your thoughts and fight back!
Three: Get creative.
Many ways you can fight back against police brutality is by turning your anger into something beautiful and fighting a negative with a positive.
During times like these, new artists are born. History has proven that issues like these are windows to large movements, such as the Harlem Renaissance, the Black Panther Movement, and today, Black Lives Matter. Over the weekend, the Korryn Gaines Pop Art Show, an art exhibit organized by Karl Keels, best known as Karlito Freeze of Strong Way Radio, and Milly Vanderwood of Give & Take: An Artistic Experience has open doors for many pro-black artists to show their love and support for beautiful and powerful black women who stood for everything that she believed in. Proceeds from the show were donated to Korryn Gaines’ family.
Photo of Korryn Gaines
Getting creative can be the medicine not only to your needs but it can heal onlookers as well. People who can relate to what you create make themselves available to support when they feel a passion behind your cause. That’s why your anger has to be embraced. It is the passion to drive the change this nation needs.
Four: Find people who share the same interests and think like you.
This fourth tip, I cannot say more than enough. Associating with people who do not relate to who you are can be draining. Their negativity is distracting and can hold a person back from being the best person they can be. To get out of these ruts we must rise out of these dark rabbit holes and find people who can be that medicine to our depression.
Many African American organizations, like Hands Up United, the Black Women in Sisterhood for Action (BISA), and the National Action Network, were formed by people who think the same as their peers. These organizers come together because they were affected by inequality, social injustice, and systemic racism in some way. They work as a family and strategically towards saving their communities. Each group’s mission is to create a better future for minorities in hopes of stopping injustices. This week there’s a similar discussion being formed to talk about the injustices that occurred towards Korryn Gaines.
Once you’ve found people who you share common interests and goals, they’ll become the people that’ll be your support system through making a change in your life and community. When multiple minds come together for a better purpose, great outcomes are its results. In the 1960s, black people united to get the civil rights act passed. Today, black people come together to rise above other civil issues, as well. It’s the circle of life.
Five: Realize that showing support for a fellow brother or sister can be the start to change.
What’s currently happening in the black community can be traced back to the idea that blacks lack support for one another. There is a divide in the black community that Black people must overcome. Racism is the root of that divide. The only way to overcome that obstacle is by acknowledging racism to be that the true reason and to unite through supporting one another.
People all over the country are experiencing the same struggles. We see this all over the news. Lots of people are in their moment of adversity. Times have shown during moments of adversity, black people undergo a period of liberation and develop a “new hope.” When things get tough, they march, sing, worship, and praise together. Often in their hour of liberation, change is adopted. Great things happen and the world’s burdens don’t seem so bad. If all this goes on from adversity, we already know that supporting one another is a huge factor in helping create change. Let’s take that step to make a difference.
These five steps have brought me closer to a reality that many other black Americans are experiencing, as well. It’s time to stop encouraging the hate by continuously condoning it and not doing anything about it. To relieve our stress from all these killings we need to first stop accepting it when we watch it. We have to turn the computer off the next time we watch someone die. With fewer views, I believe there will be less for us to see. We need to put things in place to replace those images, and we have to stick together so it can all work. This can be achieved by considering these five tips.
So what do you say? Would you agree that these five tips can be the start of a cultural healing? Leave your comments below.
Waking up on April 28, 2015 was the most surreal feeling I’ve experienced in my 23 years of living. To open up my eyes at the crack of dawn after tossing and turning caused by the Baltimore riots happening blocks away from where I laid my head that night, how could anyone feel any other way?
Two days prior to probably one of the most shocking riots to ever happen in history, I spent 7 hours writing about my frustrations towards the riots in Downtown Baltimore. In opinion essay on Doc’s Castle Media, “The ‘Real’ Revolution Will Not Be Televised. #ILoveBaltimore,” I speak from an emotional standpoint on the ways I believe Blacks should move forward after the major breakthrough of riots on Saturday, April 25th. I’d hope it’d be a message to calm people down from seeking to destroy more of our city as my blog reached over its average viewership.
My words may have reach quite a bit of individuals but as this week started, I see that my efforts may have not made much of an impact. Monday morning at Mondawmin Mall in West Baltimore, only 5 minutes away from my job, was rioted by a huge group of young people immediately when dismissed from school and lasted for hours that day.
Rioting eventually turned into looting and destroying of historical neighborhoods. People who once had jobs along North Avenue and Mondawmin Mall are now without employment, and as riots made it across East Baltimore later that night, near Monument Street, again around the corner from where I stayed that evening, a senior center was burned down, leaving older people who were anticipating to move into a new home suddenly without one. To top it off, our mayor grounded the entire city. So we have to be in our homes by our 10 o’clock curfew.
Baltimore is a mess. The city I’ve known all my life is scorned from which the world believes is because of police brutality against 25 year old African American man Freddie Gray. But our story is deeper than the surface. It is now that we use everyone’s cameras as a tool to let you in on the scoop.
Words cannot express how I feel about what happened in my city. I’m not a fan of the media like I once was before, especially as I’ve watched events that day come to pass. There’s a media circus in my backyard reporting from Penn-North subway station, now internationally famous for our CVS that burned down on its corner.
Come on, now! Just the other day I bought a chocolate Snickers bar out of there. I’ll never be able to do that again.
We’re never getting some of those shops back. It’s hard to have hope for the restoration of CVS or any of those other buildings due to the the reputation of reconstruction in Baltimore. We’ve waited YEARS for our government to rebuild the hundreds of vacant buildings and shops damaged from the Martin Luther King Jr. riots in 1968. The only reconstruction we’ve ever seen has been to our pothole infested streets, and I swear, we can’t improve the pavement on Charles Street anymore than it is.
Geeze! Does all our tax money go to that street?!
In the minds and hearts of many people here, it’s second nature for citizens to want to walk outside to see what’s happening for themselves, rather than to watch the news nowadays. The world’s painted picture on television is far from what we’re experiencing. A trust barrier is broken for many who relied on national news stations to give us the 4-1-1 on events occurring during the week. So the local news and social media is our only best friend during this time.
The media from outside of Baltimore lacks an understand of the type of people who live in Baltimore and the lifestyle that we see on a day to day basis. It’s like the media’s way of looking at us is similar to viewing through a microscope. They’re looking to find where all these horrid problems and rioting behavior could be stimming from. But the people who experience the lifestyle of living in here will always have a better understanding and a better way of explaining what’s going on.
Poverty is one of the hardest struggles a person can try to shake in Baltimore City. With a phrase like “The struggle is real,” which is often recited in Baltimore’s Black communities, it models the hard knock situations we see as being seriously rough to live through. When we say this phrase, almost everyday nonchalantly, we as black Baltimoreans adopt an “It is what it is” attitude, learning to also desensitize and quiet ourselves from what’s really happening. Well, Baltimore’s tired of being quiet now.
People who are publicly judging my city worldwide are failing to understand. Even I feel uneasy each time I come into the realization of what’s happening to us sometimes. Tuesday evening, I walked passed a reporter from Russia and another from London. Like whaaa?! These people don’t even know that just 2 weeks ago I was frustrated from fighting to be heard because of Baltimore’s crab in a barrel reputation.
Our youth isn’t afraid to make a change. I think of how some of those kids who were rioting were doing so to scream out they were fed up. Some of those kids had no home before they rioted. Some of them go to school everyday to get away from their daily worries of not having something to eat once they leave school. Some of them were angered because they were stranded without transportation to get home due to the police shutting down the bus lines and subways before school let out. (But that’s another mystery in itself I won’t get into.) And I admit, some of them were just following the crowd. But to see our kids act this way, hurts the most because they are innocent. They’re the one’s we’re trying to protect from “the struggle.” But we can’t.
Baltimore needs change and everyone knows now. I’m so proud of us. We made a stand for so many things this week. We’re fighting police brutality, racial profiling & systematic racism, bad publicity and corrupted governmental policies not only for us, but for our entire country, we’re making a statement. My feet are suffering from it and I don’t mind it all. I have a bigger hope for my city, though I may doubt our government’s follow-up as an African American woman who’s part of the working force striving for success and a better Baltimore. But I’m glad to have seen a better side, finally! I can’t wait to see what the future holds.
Rest In Peace, Freddie Gray. You’re gone, but you are not forgotten. Your name will be in history books along with our city. Change will surely come for us and our country.
Special Note: This post will be my least uniformed blog post due to the built up emotions from recent events caused by the death of Baltimore black man, Freddie Gray. It’s my duty as a Baltimore writer to talk about this the way mainstream media does not want us to. PLEASE KNOW THIS FIRST WHILE YOU READ THIS: I AM NOT A JOURNALIST, now. I AM WRITING AS A BLACK WOMAN FROM THE CITY OF BALTIMORE!
Words pour onto paper as I’ve become a part of American history today while I write about what my eyes have witness on April 25, 2015, a day which I thought I would never see my city be the forefront of America for something so severe and extremely civil. I thought it was a part of mankind’s inhumane struggle that Black people conquered, or at least scratched the surface of overcoming. But we haven’t and it’s obvious to the world now.
America is governed by a system corrupt that uses the very people who help build this very nation as a stepping stool to bringing the world back to square one by embarrassing my whole race through provoking us to move; by tormenting Blacks unfairly.
As a Black woman, myself, and a blogger who lives in Baltimore, it is my duty to talk about the problems my city faces in the eyes of millions, nationally and internationally, who are watching my town react to police brutality towards yet another African-American male, who met his end in the most unfortunate and unfair manner society could ever grant, death by the very people meant to protect him.
Who is Freddie Gray?
If you don’t know by now, get the fuck off my blog. You don’t care enough. This post isn’t for those who rather sit in their ignorance while we are at war. This post isn’t for the people seeking to view how “ratchet” and “routy” my city is to confirm our “home of The Wire” reputation. This post is not for people who go on major media outlets social media pages to read and participate in the racist comments. This post is to wake you the fuck up! This post is meant to make you realize from the eyes of a Baltimore writer that something really messed up is going on. So open your eyes.
Baltimore, what are we doing? No, let me redirect my concerns to the correct group of individuals… America, what are we doing? No, no, no. WORLD, what the fuck is going on?!
These last two years of my life has been about watching a massacre of black men, AND black women, being slaughtered by a system who prays on a culture who isn’t united and hasn’t been since we were active in the 1960s US Civil rights movement. The way that I feel about it, I have no words for what’s going on in my heart. I have no words for how I see my country being portrayed. I have no words for how my race is being treated. I only feel a fire burning within me from how close to home Freddie Gray’s death has hit thousands and thousands of hearts around this country, and I’m in awe because I would have never thought something this relentless happening in front of billions of people watching is happening in my very own backyard.
I CANNOT BELIEVE MY EYES! This shit happens everywhere else, not in my home.
As each month unfolds since the death of Trayvon Martin, I started to view my country as the ultimate hypocrite and bully. I use to watch and read about the United States in international affairs while growing up, thinking how phoney we must be to walk into other countries, like Liberia and South Africa, trying to assist with their racial issues when in neighborhoods where I live didn’t match up to the persona America tries to paint for the world to see. It is here, the media hides what’s really happening between blacks and whites, until now. Why? Our country’s own racism was hidden and blocked from mainstream media and majority of this country’s citizen for so long, so we could believe we were past oppression; to make us feel like we could give a helping hand to other cultures around the world. America needed us on the same page so we could be viewed by countries around us as “land of the free” and “home of the brave.”
Black people have fallen by the arms of police officers since forever ago, and white people, and even black people, still want to yell out one of the most irrelevant and most repeated statements recited in recent years as if it’s an excuse for why we shouldn’t make a difference in our law enforcers policies. “Blacks kill blacks all the time.” WE KNOW THIS! WTF DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH POLICE KILLING US TOO!?
Black people I need you to listen! I need you to open your eyes because this is what’s real.
Do you know we are being manipulated by national news? Of all things to capture and broadcast to the world, they choose the most uncalled for and offensive images to represent our race at such a delicate moment in our history because they know it will make our uneducated youth move and take an opportunity like protesting as an excuse to “show out” and express their anger, when they don’t even know what to be angry about. Do you know we are being made to have opinions that we’re unsure of because the media knows this will make us angry and ready for a revolution? And why is it that our own news stations WJZ and WBAL are taking a different approach in reporting about Freddie Gray than stations like CNN and the Huffington Post? Nothing’s making sense. This isn’t adding up.
Do you realize the media’s power, now? LISTEN!
Though we are made to believe the media is not bias, people of Baltimore and black people around the world, we do not have control of the media’s motivation to stay unbiased. Even I am being bias now (and I encourage you to continue to have your own opinions during this time. All I ask is that you realize and watch everything going on)! The media is what’s making police brutality the fuel of our anger ; it’s turning it into something bigger than expected. The media, which is funded by BIG corporations who bank on black people’s money, are making my culture out to be unruly savages and it does not sit well with me. It makes me angry. It’s what made me step up and write how I feel today. Black people I don’t blame you at all. We have a right to be mad, but it is unwise to be so turbulent.
To me, this is beyond race. Racism is being used as a tool to push a bigger motive because it’s the only way to get large bodies of people to move. We have to be wiser. We have to be smarter in our decisions because 10 years ago, we lived in a better peace. But with the media suddenly pushing stories about police brutality incorrectly more often, seems every couple of weeks to days, it’s also corporations that are funding the media’s weapon to wither our peace away and box us in for something we don’t fully understand yet.
So what is real? What is true? We can’t rely on our reporters to be honest and staying away from these stereotypes we’re fighting about.
To all the kids who are reading this, you must choose now to learn your history. You need not act before you are educated. Do you see how dangerous it is to go through this? This entire ordeal isn’t transparent enough, and this anger escalating within us is not good, especially coming from a group like us who can’t get past light skin and dark skin.
Peace, love, joy. Peace, love, joy, everyone.
Why is it that America decides to use my backyard as a war zone this week? America decides to take the city that I’ve spent the last 3 years trying to help put on the map, positively, as a target and guinea pig for a bigger agenda. Can you image how I feel right now? For someone who spends all her spare time trying to help the city become angry with her fellow Baltimoreans. They don’t see the bigger picture, and rather dig a bigger hole for us to climb out of? I’m so disappointed and proud at the same time. This is why I have no words. I’m so all over the place.
I doubt this will be my last post on this. I’ve been awakened.
I ask that anyone who lives outside of my city to turn to the World Wide Web for real accounts of what my city is doing in honor of Freddie Gray and not CNN. I ask you to read about what we are really going through from us. I ask that you empathize for us. I ask that you pray.
#PrayForBaltimore #PrayForMyCity
Scornful men bring a city into a snare: but wise men turn away wrath. -Proverbs 28:9
Congratulations to Akintunde Ahmad for being accepted into multiple Ivy League colleges with a GPA of 5.0. He’s able to do anything he puts his mind to, and so can many others do the same. I’m proud but this shouldn’t be taken in such a surprising tone.
Akintunde is black, obviously. I believe that’s majority of the reason for how he made the news this month for being accepting in such prestigious schools. I’m upset that his skin color has to be the reason. Come on now, there are so many white children who achieve this goal yearly, but it’s when a black male reaches this level of success the world stops.
See what the media portrays us as? See what the world does to black people? They highlight our success like we’re incapable of achieving a goal as being accepted into these select few of colleges. There’s so much that should be said about how the media molds people’s perceptions of black people because not only is it making us proud to see something like this happening, it highlights that there are so very few black people doing it.
There has to be a way to keep black people motivated to showcase to society their possibilities. Times where there use to be civil freedoms that we once would fight for are often forgotten in my generation and it’s sad. What’s more sad is the fact that we know there’s a lack, and people continue to not make an effort to change society’s views. We glorify ratchet mess and seek only to get faded off substances while continually digging us a hole to indulge further into our poverty. Someone please elaborate on how this is a good thing to see everyday?
Blacks need more people like Akintunde in the media achieving positivity so that there will be others who will be inspired. I want to hear more positive success stories!
This is your time to shine. If you know of anyone who’s achieving something positive in their life, comment below with their experiences. Lets change the medias perceptions of us starting today!
So there’s news circulating about George Zimmerman fighting in the celebrity boxing match. It’s purpose is to raise money for him and possibly unmentioned causes. I’m assuming those causes benefits George Zimmerman, as well. There’s been some talk about which celebrity will be facing Zimmerman for these past two weeks. Names like The Game and Kanye West have been mentioned to fight this teenager killer. But supposedly the celebrity chosen to fight Zimmerman is rapper DMX. What has this world come to?
DMX is 43 years old while Zimmerman is 30, and a trained fighter. Who do you believe will win that match? DMX was chosen out of a pool of 15,000 applicants because he’s shown that he wants to fight Zimmerman the most. It’s mentioned in TMZ that he has expressed he’ll be breaking all boxing match rules, including urinating in Zimmerman’s face, to beat him. That’s extreme. He’s fighting for “all black people that have been done wrong by the judicial system.”
There are so many mistakes with this boxing match happening. There has to be a logical reason to persuade DMX to not go through with it. Even if we can’t persuade him to not go through with it, there’s reason for Americans to not not watch the match because it’s pure ignorance. So I’ve taken time to list the reasons.
Please tell me why it’s a black man that’s fighting George Zimmerman?
Wasn’t this man recently in court for murdering a black teenager? Though Zimmerman didn’t start his request to fight a celebrity as a racial one, it will become a racial issue if DMX gets his ass beat. It’s already becoming that if black folks are starting to believe this is their justice for Travon Martin. I can guess what the average black american is already thinking. DMX black ass is going to show Zimmerman what he deserves. Excuse me, but I recall Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday being 3 weeks ago, and we’re in the mist of Black History Month. Damon Feldman, promoter of the boxing match, shouldn’t be going through with this at all. It’ll be more turmoil on Zimmerman in the end.
So who exactly are we supporting to raise money for?
Since Zimmerman was the one to call on this beat down, wouldn’t you say it’s effed up that we’re choosing to support whatever this man is proposing after he was said not guilty for killing a 17 year old boy? By watching this boxing match you’re doing exactly that. He was in two altercations after the Travon Martin case that regarded his violent behavior between his wife and family. This man does not deserve money or people watching him fight at all. He has issues with keeping his hands off people.
If we watch celebrity boxing match, are we agreeing that George Zimmerman is a celebrity?
If killing a 17 year old black boy is a standard to becoming a celebrity with praise in American, this country has some serious problems. This man murdered someone and now he’s featured on news sites like TMZ, VH1, and MTV. I can’t even get a story on those media outlets and I haven’t killed anyone. His treatment in society is unfair just like his case ruling. It’s ridiculous. I can’t see how America is a great place to be when we still have some issues with racism and the judicial system. Zimmerman is not a celebrity in my eyes. He’s been nothing but a criminal. He does not deserve my approval to be on my television screen for pure entertainment. So he will not be on my screen.
There are efforts to stopping this mess because what’s happening can cause a huge problem in America. Posted as news in Philadelphia Magazine, there’s a petition authorized by the White House to stop this celebrity boxing match from happening. If the petition gets 100,000 signatures, the white house will have to take action in stopping this match.
I encourage the Doc’s Castle Media readers to stop what they’re doing to sign this petition against Damon Feldman and George Zimmerman on the WhiteHouse.gov. There are currently 22,000 signatures. Lets take a stand to stop racial tensions in America.
