Features

There Is No Excuse to Bring Up Freddie Gray's Drug History, Source: Photo of Freddie Gray courtesy the Gray family, background image - http://static2.businessinsider.com/image/5541918f6bb3f75b688b456c-1200-924/freddie-gray.jpgFreddie Gray’s criminal background of several drug related offenses has been being tossed around quite a bit by people who bring it up as though it somehow justifies what happened to him. Yet, while it is hardly surprising to hear those who are out of touch with mainstream youth culture (i.e. middle aged, middle America) speaking in judgment of Freddie Gray, what is truly shocking and disappointing are the 20-something hypocrites of my generation.

Now, to add a bit of context, I am a black woman with close family ties to the Baltimore area. My parents are from that area, I spent many summers there visiting family, and most of my extended family currently resides in the city or in the neighboring suburbs.

My family members are horrified and angry by the death of Freddie Gray. His death offers the rest of the U.S. only a glimpse into the brutality that Baltimore’s community must face on a daily basis. My family is devastated by the violence and destruction that their community has endured over the past few days, as well as by the ignorance that has shaped the rest of the United States’ perception of them as members of the community.

It pains me greatly to see their loss and frustration. But that pain turns to anger when I see and hear ignorance from people who I know for a fact could have easily ended up exactly like Freddie Gray if they no longer had the social and economic privileges that they are completely oblivious to. But first, let’s get two important facts straight:

  1. Freddie Gray was NOT in possession of drugs at the time of his arrest.
  2. Freddie Gray was not doing ANYTHING illegal at the time police pursued and detained him.

The truth of the matter is that Freddie Gray was no different than many young adults in the U.S. in regards to his drug related activities, aside from one major detail: he was black and he grew up in poverty.

There Is No Excuse to Bring Up Freddie Gray's Drug History, Source: http://www.theroot.com/content/dam/theroot/articles/news/2015/04/freddie_gray_s_death_prompts_onslaught_of_protests_in_baltimore/470585448-protestors-rally-after-a-march-for-freddie-gray-that.jpg.CROP.rtstory-large.jpg

Freddie Gray was no different than many young adults in the U.S. in regards to his drug related activities, aside from one major detail: he was black and he grew up in poverty.

Many people in low-income areas become dealers out of desperation. They’re faced with a lack of opportunities, joblessness, and poverty. Unfortunately, this is the only means of survival available to many young men like Freddie Gray.

Meanwhile, while residing in an affluent, white college town, a majority of the people I knew used drugs recreationally/habitually. It was a huge part of the local culture. Whether it was cannabis, LSD, MDMA, cocaine, or various kinds of pills, it was almost always just a phone call or text away.

The dealers in this instance were almost always white males from upper/middle class backgrounds. Many of them openly admitted that they didn’t need the money they made from dealing — they did it for extra spending money, or to supplement the costs of their own drug use. They seemed alarmingly indifferent to the fact that they were committing serious felonies, and their parents were completely clueless.

So naturally, when I see people I knew from my college days trying to rationalize and justify what happened to Freddie Gray based on his criminal record, I am absolutely flabbergasted. These are young men and women close to Freddie Gray’s age, who I have personally witnessed doing illegal drugs on numerous occasions, saying things such as, “If he had obeyed the law, it wouldn’t have happened.”

It baffles the mind wondering how these current/former drug users decide that drug activities justify police brutality. To them I say, “Wasn’t your dealer one of your favorite people in the world like a year ago?”

I am certain many of them do not even know the specifics of the case — all they know is that some black man in a crime-ridden neighborhood died while in police custody. But living in an affluent white community comes with certain benefits. The police won’t stop a young white male in lily-white suburbs the way they will a young black male in Baltimore.

There Is No Excuse to Bring Up Freddie Gray's Drug History, Source: http://img1.nymag.com/imgs/daily/intelligencer/2015/04/27/27-baltimore-protest-2.w529.h352.2x.jpg

The police won’t stop a young white male in lily-white suburbs the way they will a young black male in Baltimore.

Freddie Gray was a victim. Not only of police brutality, but also of the systematic racism that encourages police officers to patrol low-income areas like the Gestapo, snatching up young black men for trivial reasons. Police officers in these areas are pressured by their superiors to make arrests, and encouraged to meet a certain quota.

The war on drugs has had a disproportionately negative impact on black Americans. Despite what the racial stereotypes in mainstream media may lead people to believe, statistics clearly show that less black Americans use cannabis than white Americans. Yet black Americans are significantly more likely to be arrested for weed related offenses.

Black Americans also face harsher penalties and punishments for these crimes in the court system. Sadly, ignorance in mainstream America has led many people to be unaware of this glaring inequality. Black Americans do not deserve to be arrested more than their white counterparts for the same crimes.

And we certainly do not deserve to be put to death for them.

To the dealers justifying what happened to Freddie Gray, it would be wise to remember that just because you may have been fortunate enough to avoid having criminal drug activities documented by law enforcement, that does not mean you weren’t a “criminal” in the same way he was. How many recreational substance users can look at Freddie Gray’s rap sheet and say there has never been a time when they could have been snatched up for any of those exact offenses?

And to even those who do not use drugs personally, you more than likely know and care about someone who does.

However, ultimately, the drug issue pales in comparison to what any decent human being should already know: Freddie Gray should not have died. The police brutality, the carelessness and negligence in transporting him, the delay in providing him with medical attention — that is what we should be talking about in any and every discussion we have pertaining to Freddie Gray.