Baltimore Riots Interviews: Protesters Give Media The Truth About Baltimore City Police Live On-Air [In-Depth]

Though Baltimore had been in peaceful protests for a while prior to April 25th’s violent upheaval, police and media didn’t mention those to the public. Protesters give reporters the truth about it all in interviews live on-air.

It has been said that the Baltimore riot’s outbreak began without reverence or planning a reasonable response. However, several people in Baltimore stress that they’ve been peacefully protesting for weeks. The protests were for the injustice that came to Freddie Gray, a Baltimore native who died from a severed spine, as reports Inquisitr. Protests were happening before his case, as well as for other people the police force had done wrong.

Baltimore’s police department has had several cases of wrongful deaths and injuries go potentially under the radar. This one took the cake. After the violent riots began on April 25, 2015, mass media coverage flocked to the area to get all the violence.

However, Vice News was live on the streets taking interviews from protesters and other Baltimore residents. One man was infuriated with the track record of Baltimore police and the way they handle African-Americans in the area. He spoke as follows.

“They gave me five years, no parole, for a gun that wasn’t even mine. They put a gun on me. That’s the type [of] s*** that the Baltimore City Police Department do. They can see us sitting right here, right now, and guess what. They’ll run down on us, search us, walk down four blocks, find some packs that somebody else done had in an alley somewhere, come back and put’m on us. And guess what. We’re going to jail for “distribution” and “conspiracy to distribute” crack-cocaine or whatever…

That’s the cruddy s*** that they do, and people are tired of it. These young kids are tired of it. Everybody is tired of it. So therefore, yes, they’re rioting. They’re looting. They’re doing what they’re doing. No, I don’t condone them looting the businesses that are in our neighborhood. But one thing’s for certain, two things for sure, it’s unnecessary… but it’s necessary, because it’s catching the attention of, not just the local media but, the nationwide media.

It will definitely let people know what living in the city of Baltimore is like. But it will also let the Baltimore City Police know that it won’t be tolerated anymore. We’re at a point now where we don’t fear them anymore. I’ve been outside and done been beat and bruised, and they tell me ‘Don’t come out here anymore’. And I’m telling them, ‘I live here!'”

The reporter mentioned that it was a shame that it was just a few who were causing all the issues, because there were a lot of people around that they could trust. The man went on to speak further.

“The ones who are irate and out-of-control are the young ones. They’re young, 15- and 16-year-olds. And you really can’t tell’m what to do. They’re young, and they’re just gonna do what they do, regardless.”

During the interview, another group interrupted and mentioned that Baltimore City Police were sniping people. He added as follows.

“Yo, you know what ticks me off the most?! It’s when people from PA [Pennsylvania], VA [Virginia], DC [District of Colombia], and all that other s***, come and try to f*** our city up more than it’s already messed up! We’re trying to build and rebuild, and you know, put structures out in our city. But you got other people from different cities coming in and messing up even more, thinking they’re riding with us…they’re not doing it for the cause. They’re doing it for themselves!”

The first Baltimore protester who was mentioned added a statement from one of the Baltimore City Police officers.

“Truthfully-speaking, when we go back up here, I guarantee you [you’ll see?] the officer that told me, not more than 30 minutes ago, that Freddie Gray killed himself! He told me that he was flailing around in the back of the wagon, and that he killed himself. That’s not possible when your spine is 80 percent severed! You got a broken leg. How can you flail around in the back of the wagon?”

Both men were speaking simultaneously and were saying what the officers and surrounding officers were doing.

“You know what they did!? They laughed! They had their rifles out, pointed at my head, and laughing!…

… As far as this earth is concerned, ain’t nothing ever going to change. There’s a lot of Freddie Gray’s. There’s a lot of Mike Brown’s. This is just an excuse for them to kill us… flat!”

One Baltimore riot interviewee said that Baltimore City released a study which states that over $6 million has been paid out in settlements, and that’s just for the people who actually won. He mentioned that there’s a culture of police violence in Baltimore, and now everyone is just witnessing what happens when it “bubbles to the surface.”

One woman, 25-year-old Chef Melanie, got a chance to speak with Vice News, and she added as follows.

“I’m deeply saddened, but at the same time, I get it. There’s a lot of anger that’s turning into rage, and people don’t know how to channel the energy. Anger is a dangerously strong emotion and we have a lot of youth who’s seeing what’s happening. They don’t have an explanation, and they don’t know what to do. They’ve seen people riot. They’ve seen peaceful protests. We don’t know what else to do.

As well, our boys in blue, they do their jobs. I feel the need to say that. They catch a lot of s*** from people, but they do their jobs and do it well. But we do have a few that take their position in vain, and when things like this happens, it’s upsets people.”

When asked if unemployment has anything to do with the way people are responding, Melanie states as follows.

“I don’t know if unemployment has anything to do with it, because these are high-school kids. They’re not looking for jobs yet…

I was born and raised in these same streets that all this stuff is happening in, and back when the other riots happened 47 years ago, our parents were dealing with the same s***. And the fact that it’s 47 years later, and nothing has happened [changed], it’s extremely depressing…

I think the cause is blatant violence against people of color, just the ignorance. Where you guys here, Saturday, covering what happened? Saturday, when we had a peaceful protest that was successful, we had 4,000 people come out and demonstrate. Thirty-five of those 4,000 people were arrested. And the media chose to document those 35 cases where people got angry and lashed out violently.

But what they didn’t document was that people at the Oriole stadium yelling out racial slurs. They were calling them ‘animal’, ‘porch monkey’, and calling the Caucasians that where in the mix ‘n****r lovers’. All types of things that’s just… it’s 2015. We’ve worked hard to overcome that. So, for that to happen, and the reaction to have happened, it doesn’t justify it. But it needs to be said as well that it’s not one-sided.

It’s not just ‘black people getting angry and coming out [and] setting s*** on fire’. This is fueled. They’re inciting this, and there’s no responsibility for the other side of it.”

Melanie mentioned that the riots, likewise, stem from extreme racial tensions. Then when asked why there are such reactions, she responds as follows.

“There’s a lot of positivity that came from having an African-American President. [However] We have people in office who don’t even respect our President. We have people who will disrespect an African-American man who is responsible for this entire nation…why would they respect us? They don’t have to respect the man that leads them… why would they have to respect us? And there is no accountability.

There’s been press conferences where the President has shown up, and these same Caucasian representatives won’t shake his hand. That is a blatant form of disrespect. Why would they respect ‘us’? [Baltimore African-Americans]”

The street interviews went on for two hours. You can check the video here.

What are your thoughts on the Baltimore City Police Department? This isn’t something that’s pointed out in major media. Why? Did you know that it’s so bad that Crips and Bloods have united in the city? But it may not be for the reason you possibly think.

Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments, below.

[Photo Credits: YouTube]