My whole life I’ve grown up within 15-20 minutes away from Baltimore. From growing up in the suburbs in Millersville, to the time I spent away at College at Stevenson University. Baltimore is ingrained in my bones. When people ask me where I’m from I most likely for reason of not trying to explain where Millersville is will tell you The Baltimore area. When people ask me my favorite football team, I’ll tell you proudly the Baltimore Ravens, if you ask me about baseball I’m going to tell you probably while wearing my Orioles baseball cap “Go O’s”.
My life as a whole has been greatly shaped by the city of baltimore. I remember fond memories of my family going to baltimore. My dad when I was a little boy, we would take the Marc train to the city from Odenton and get Footlong chili dogs from Lexington Market. My friends and I before I stopped drinking would frequently go to the bars and clubs around there. I even met the girl of my dreams in the city. Baltimore is by far in my heart the best city.
In the last few days, Baltimore has shed some tears. What began as a protest against Police brutality mutated into something dishonorable and simply childish. The events that took place Monday were in no way honorably connected to the tragic death of Freddie Gray. The people you see on your television screens, were kids. I dare say opportunistic riding the wave of instability in the city after Saturday’s violence.
In the last 24 hours my dear friends from Ohio, Utah and elsewhere in the country checked in on me to make sure my loved ones and I were safe. You see the live feeds on the National News stations like (MSNBC, CNN, FOX, BBC even). That’s because this is not just a centralized city issue, but a national issue. This is an American Issue.
It breaks my heart the actions of this “Purge”. It breaks my heart when the public is scared of the people sworn to protect them. As a man who wanted to be a Baltimore City cop about 2 years ago, it breaks my heart the violence against them and other innocent cops. Death is death. The power to take someone’s life is a power possessed by God, and should not be abused by man. People are dying on all sides of the fences, all races, and ages and economic groups. The media sadly due to ratings and what sells like to really only show one side of the story. People everywhere are dying. We need to address that issue as well. A race war is not the answer. Division in the nation will only weaken us as a people. Divided we fall, and that’s what’s happening. We have to come together and find a solution. The deaths can’t keep happening.
People across the country who are reading this, I too was sitting on my couch watching the events in Ferguson, when those riots began, and thought to myself how sad. I was guilty of turning a blind eye because I didn’t think it could happen in my backyard, I was wrong. This can happen in any city at any time. The opportunities that sadly I take for granted some times was forged on the backs of peaceful leaders and demonstrations. YES there is injustice in the streets, but violence is no way to begat change. There’s a different route we must take for change to come, and rioting isn’t the way.
I keep being reminded of a quote by the savior Jesus Christ “Love one another…”. We live in a world where I think people on all sides have forgotten to love one another. If the world had a little bit more love and a lot less hate and dissension, then we could live in a better place.
I love my city, I love my state, and Lord knows I love my country, and my planet. We have got to come together people, peacefully. We have got to rise above the hate and the turmoil. For change to happen they must happen through peaceful protests and political action. Get out in the streets for good, not for violence. We as a species shall overcome.
So there has it, just my feels on the situation. A very tender and real situation that we will hear about for years to come. We are in the middle of a period of change…. But I have constant faith that tomorrow is always a better day.
Pray for Baltimore my friends, pray for our nation, pray for our species.
Lets Rise Above as one…
Gerald
Spiritually Declared 