While media attention has quickly zoomed in on the burning of Baltimore, and as discussions focus on the “bad actors” and “thugs” who were destroying property and, allegedly, targeting police, there is another side of Baltimore that has been studiously overlooked, as a majority of protesters continue to do good for and by their community.
There was this little guy handing out drinks to law enforcement:
https://twitter.com/nycjim/status/593437139825729536
There was this guy who was trying to stop a clash between other protesters and police:
https://twitter.com/Let_Me_Work/status/592802176851910657
There were members of the Bloods and Crips working together, saying they didn’t want anyone hurt during the protests:
https://twitter.com/JJ_Bola/status/592293077081001984
And of course … there was your everyday general peaceful protesting and chanting (and dancing):
https://twitter.com/RawnDaGreat/status/592819858305323010
https://twitter.com/glendenovo/status/593198412079767552
President Barack Obama made comments that resonated with these ideas Tuesday while addressing the press in the Rose Garden:
The violence that happened yesterday distracted from the fact that you had seen multiple days of peaceful protests that were focused on entirely legitimate concerns of these communities in Baltimore, led by clergy and community leaders. And they were constructive and they were thoughtful, and frankly, didn’t get that much attention. And one burning building will be looped on television over and over and over again, and the thousands of demonstrators who did it the right way I think have been lost in the discussion. If our society really wanted to solve the problem, we could. It’s just it would require everybody saying this is important, this is significant—and that we don’t just pay attention to these communities when a CVS burns, and we don’t just pay attention when a young man gets shot or has his spine snapped. We’re paying attention all the time because we consider those kids our kids, and we think they’re important. And they shouldn’t be living in poverty and violence.
Breanna Edwards is a newswriter at The Root. Follow her on Twitter.