I am not a Baltimore native. But I strive to be not only a Baltimore resident, but also a Baltimore citizen. As a resident, I should have a vested interest in what happens in the greater Baltimore community — not just fun events in the Inner Harbor or Hampden. Citizenship is more than residency; It’s involvement, it’s work and it’s caring. As Hopkins students, it is our collective duty to civically engage in the Baltimore community.
Last Sunday, Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man, died due to a fatal spine injury after he was arrested by Baltimore police on April 12. His spine was severed 80 percent at the neck after being taken into custody and the Deputy Baltimore Police Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez claims that officers did not use force on Gray. The police have been extremely vague in their reports about the incident, but they arrested Gray after he ran from four police bicycles. William Murphy Jr., Gray’s family’s lawyer, stated that Gray had not committed a crime at the time of his arrest and said, “We believe the police are keeping the circumstances of Freddie’s death secret until they develop a version of events that will absolve them of all responsibility.”
There is an eyewitness video of the event, which I found extremely hard to watch. It is evident to me that the police were negligent in their arrest of Gray. Although the police have reported that Gray was injured after being taken into a police van, it is clear that he is very distressed in the video. His body is limp and his agonizing cries pierce through the sounds of the crowd and police. I had to pause the video, as I couldn’t handle listening to his screams of pain. Even though it is difficult to watch the video and learn about this case, I think it’s essential that we, as a Hopkins community, are aware of what’s happening. Ignorance of these events is no excuse; any ignorance at this point is willful.
As a Cleveland native, I am ashamed of the way my city treats its black citizens. From Tanisha Anderson, the unarmed, mentally ill woman who was killed in police custody, to Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams, the unarmed man and woman who were killed after police shot 137 times into their car, to Tamir Rice, the unarmed 12-year-old who was shot by police while he was playing in the park, the Cleveland police’s record of brutality is shameful, as shown in damning detail in a scathing report released by the Justice Department in December. It is amoral for me, a white 18-year old woman, to live in a racist city without pushing for change. I want my friends and their loved ones, partners and future children and partners to have the same rights and safeties I have. Now that I am both a Cleveland native and Baltimore resident, it is my responsibility to be engaged in both cities and fight for change.
As Hopkins students, it can be difficult to be involved in the community as we are often drowning in classwork, social activities, extracurricular activities or jobs. But it doesn’t matter how difficult it is — it’s our moral responsibility. Even if we can’t make the protests, which we should try to, we need be educated about what’s happening. We need to remember that Black Lives Matter and to work to uphold that ideal throughout our day by calling out racist jokes and comments and talking about these types of issues with our peers. We are all educated, intelligent people: Ignorance about these issues is a choice, and apathy is disgraceful. Upholding Black Lives Matter means supporting our friends, relatives, peers, teachers and the people who make our food and clean up after us.
On Monday, President Ron Daniels sent out an email inviting students to “JHU Forums on Race in America,” forums that will concentrate on racial inequality and community policing in places like Ferguson, Staten Island, North Charleston and Baltimore. The forums — which are about 7 months late, but better late than never — are a perfect opportunity for Hopkins students to learn more about these issues and show that they care about the community. Although going to these forums should not be the only way Hopkins students become involved, they are a good start.
Choosing Hopkins meant that our identities would change. We became Blue Jays, members of sororities and fraternities, researchers, tutors, musicians, gamers and athletes. But we also become Baltimore residents and, hopefully, Baltimore citizens. In choosing to become a Hopkins student, we also choose, knowingly or not, to take on the responsibility of becoming a member of the Baltimore community. I encourage my friends and peers to live up to the moral duty of being a resident and citizen of Baltimore and to making sure that black lives do matter. We all can individually decide what kind of community we want to shape and be a part of, and I hope we become a community that does not willfully succumb to the lazy appeal of apathy and ignorance.
Correction: The article originally stated that Gray was 27 years old when he died. He was 25.
