On Wednesday afternoon the Baltimore Orioles played the Chicago White Sox in front of exactly zero fans.
They still drew better than the Cleveland Indians do in a regular season game. The reason the Orioles and the White Sox played in front of zero people was due to the riots going on in Baltimore.
I’m sure many of you have heard about the riots. Freddie Gray, a young black man of the Baltimore area, ended up dying in police custody due to neck injuries. Since then, the people of Baltimore have taken to the streets to protest the civil unjust, and going after an institutional issue of police brutality.
The governor of Maryland, Larry Hogan, declared a state of emergency and went as far to institute a curfew on Baltimore. Habeas Corpus has been suspended in this state of emergency. Hell, even the National Guard was sent in to diffuse the situation. Great, front line troops are being used against American citizens, what could go wrong? Apparently the people of Baltimore don’t get to enjoy freedoms simply because they are coming out against a government transgression.
Baltimore citizens could not go to a baseball game because civil disobedience, a legitimate form of protest, has been experienced through out the area. How else should the people of Baltimore be heard? State legislators don’t listen now. A letter to their representative won’t get past the mailroom intern. This sends a clear message that there is uprising, and they have every right to be heard.
Today, the rioters are considered ‘thugs’ or ‘uncivilized.’ What about the patriots of Boston Harbor circa 1773? The dialogue around that movement does not include such terms. The Boston Tea Party sent a damn clear message too. Good thing they did not come around 250 years later or else they might end up with a canister of tear gas at their feet.
This episodic use of government overreach is appalling to me. I find it saddening that someone was told they could not go to a ballpark and watch America’s pastime. For once, maybe this country could try freedom.
“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”-Ronald Reagan.
