Behind the Baltimore protests BY AMANDA CHANG & MEERA KRISHNAMOORTHY
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n April 19, 2015, Freddie Gray from Baltimore, Md., was reported dead from spinal injuries after spending days in a coma. Both Gray’s arrest and the cause of his death are still under investigation; all the public knows, as of May 21, 2015, is that Baltimore’s state attorney Marilyn J. Mosby announced the indictments of six Baltimore police officers on various charges related to the arrest and death of Freddie Gray, including illegal arrest, misconduct, assault and involuntary manslaughter. Three of the indicted police officers are Caucasian, and the other three are African American. Other than the involvement of African American police officers, this case is reminiscent of the numerous cases in the past few years involving African American deaths at the hands of the police. The cause and the mysterious nature of Gray’s death -- police officers are refusing to publicly comment on the events occurring after Gray’s arrest -- have incited several violent riots and protests in Baltimore, which have in turn affected current students at Johns Hopkins University (JHU). “We [JHU students] were afraid of what was going to happen to [JHU] and what Baltimore was becoming,” said Class of 2014 Lynbrook alumna and current freshman at JHU, Yamini Patibandla. “The violence was happening close to Peabody Campus, where many of my classmates and I work. The grocery store we frequent was also torn apart by rioters, and I haven’t gone back since.”
A Timeline of the Events in Baltimore No authorities have commented on the nature and reason for Gray’s arrest. According to a statement released by the city, Gray had been in trouble with the law in the past, but there was no indication he was breaking any laws in the moments prior to his arrest on April 12. Several news sources, including the Baltimore Sun, reported that Gray was found with a knife, but there is no evidence that he used the knife in an illegal manner. As for the cause of death, Gray did not resist arrest, according to a video shot by bystanders, nor did the police officers use force while arresting him. In that same video, bystanders noticed something wrong
with Gray’s leg as the officers dragged him into a police van, and news sources reported Gray requesting an asthma inhaler while in the van. Gray, however, was killed by a spinal injury, which neither a leg injury nor asthma could have caused. The day after Gray’s arrest, the police held a press conference about Gray’s arrest and time in the hospital. Information, or the lack thereof, provided at the conference incited protests and riots; on April 18, the Saturday after Gray’s arrest and subsequent coma, hundreds of Baltimore residents gathered in front of the Western District police station to protest the lack of information surrounding and the potential hand the police may have had in Gray’s death. Over the next few days, the protests became more rowdy, and hundreds of rioters were arrested. The day the protests began, all JHU classes were cancelled after 6 pm by the administration and campus police escorted students to safe areas. Many JHU students, according to Patibandla, were “scared because the entire campus was clear, but everyone could hear sirens. [The students] weren’t very close to where the majority of the protests were going on, but [they] all still felt very insecure, and were praying that nothing was happening.” The most violent protests occurred on April 27, the day of Gray’s funeral. Baltimore citizens and police officers started throwing rocks at each other; some citizens looted a CVS pharmacy and set it on fire, and also destroyed police cars. As a result, the city of Baltimore announced a 10 p.m to 5 a.m. curfew for all citizens and threatened to arrest violators. Patibandla and several of her classmates were unhappy with the way the rioters were behaving, but she understood the reasoning behind the riots. “When I look back at the rioters’ actions, I’m not going to say that the total extent of what they did was justified, but I will say that the extent of what they did was very loud and powerful,” said Patibandla. “Even
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eading up to the start of the next school year, Lynbrook will be undergoing a series of staff, student, and campus-related changes. From the departures of key staff members to changes to the advent and improvement of influential campus programs, these adjustments will produce a critical impact both inside and outside the classroom next year. A few of Lynbrook’s changes were made in response to widely successful policies. For example, the semi-annual Challenge Day will undergo small renovations due to positive reviews. Principal John Dwyer elaborates on how community responses have opened up Challenge Day to a bevy of newcomers. “A number of participants came back to the second [Challenge Day] based on their
Baltimore’s Racial History, Present, and Future Freddie Gray’s arrest and death has shed a light on the long history of racial tensions in the city of Baltimore, which is no stranger to racial discrimination and persecution. In the 1930s, there was redlining, which meant that banks refused to lend money in neighborhoods for having “undesirable racial concentrations.”
see BALTIMORE page 12
Changes for the upcoming school year BY SHREYAS IYER
though their actions might not have been the safest method to communicate their anger about Gray’s death, it was very effective. Baltimore stood up and showed the world that they had a voice. The protests were scary, but they were very important.” African-American students at Lynbrook also understood, and even supported, the situation in Baltimore. “Every year, African-Americans are murdered or charged for doing nothing,” said junior Leuel Demess, an AfricanAmerican student at Lynbrook. “So this is the moment to protest, and I think it’s important that African-Americans are taking time to get justice.” Those who were unhappy with the riots but outraged at Gray’s death, were much more supportive of the peaceful protests that began around the same time as the riots were happening. These protests were related to the injustice of hate crimes, and they took place around the Baltimore area, with some even being organized on JHU’s campus. “I think that the protests were a very powerful and great way to end that week of horrible riots,” said Patibandla. “It was a way for well-meaning people to stand up and support Freddie Gray. The reason why my attitude about the situation is not completely negative is that peaceful protests show the world that Baltimore is still a city behind all the craziness and violence.” On May 1, Mosby and state prosecutors said that they had probable cause to arrest six police officers on the charges of homicide, manslaughter and misconduct. Soon after, Baltimore residents came together to start cleaning their streets, and the night curfew was lifted on May 3.
positive feelings from the first one. The students themselves felt so good about the program that they sent a message to other students to come to the second Challenge Day,” said Dwyer. “We will become more conscious of responses when planning activities.” For next year, Dwyer and the other members of the Challenge Day renovation team, which includes other members of Lynbrook staff, are considering a new Challenge Day club and the creation of two more Challenge Days, as well as the inclusion of more students. The team is still discussing ways to broaden Challenge Day to affect more aspects of students’ lives. According to Dwyer, more students need to be involved in the program in order to spread school-wide change. “Challenge Day is not just about the experience [of attending], but rather about developing an atmosphere on campus of caring, of
understanding, and of empathy amongst all students,” said Dwyer. The kids that participate in Challenge Day act as ambassadors for the program, and by increasing the number of these ambassadors we hope that [feelings of caring] will be improved around campus.” Another new initiative, Challenge Success, will soon be making its debut. Challenge Success is a program combining students, teachers, and parents to best utilize effective methods to tackle stress-related issues at school. Although it is not related to Challenge Day, Challenge Success is a similar organization that will give students a chance to relieve any compounding problems, specifically those relating to stress. Even though the program is still in planning stages, Dwyer elaborated on the potential of the program.
see CHANGES page 2
DIVING// pg. 14