'Burnin and a Lootin Tonight'

                                                                            'Burnin and a Lootin Tonight'

In thinking about the Riots taking place in Baltimore a song by the infamous Bob Marley came to mind. Aptly titled "burnin and a lootin" this song  describes the way in which truths are uncovered in the wake of the destruction and despair involved in the Baltimore riots. In talking about social movements in class I thought it would be prudent to compare and contrast the ways in which the riots in Baltimore can reflect both a  18th century model of social movements as well as a modern take and the repercussions that follow. In Baltimore we see rioting as a form of backlash against the tragic death/ murder of yet another unarmed black male, but also as an underlying reaction to generations long socioeconomic disparity and inequality. Looking at this rioting from the model based on 18th century social movements, we can see that for the most part the riot is in opposition of the Baltimore police force and the actions they have committed. It is also isolated to just Baltimore and seemingly singularly motivated. Yet to delve deeper into the issue, the killing of Freddie Gray acted as a catalyst to bring to light much deeper issues than just that of police inequality and violence against African Americans, it reflects the way in which America’s societal structure demeans, undercuts and mistreats all minorities. We can easily see this in the way in which the media is primarily focused its attention on the rioting and not on the peaceful protest that came before. These riots and demonstrations in Baltimore are physically isolated in Baltimore yet the repercussions are already far reaching across the U.S. . While I do not condone the act of destroying others property, I can’t blame those involved for their reactions seeing as I myself would probably react the same way under such discrimination and circumstances. I hope that all of this destruction at least leads to positive social change on a much wider level. 

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/04/how-baltimore-riots-began-mondawmin-purge

http://www.vox.com/2015/4/29/8513775/baltimore-riots-local-opinions