“People are tired,” said Indianapolis resident Terrell Parker. “People in Baltimore, people here at home in Indianapolis—they are tired of seeing themselves killed. They are tired of hearing the reports. They are tired of hearing they are the cause of their own misfortune because ‘Black on Black crime is worse than police brutality.’” According to Parker, the Baltimore riots, which he described as an “uprising,” is a response to the collective exhaustion of those fed up with injustice.
Parker, a social worker, pointed to the legendary Boston Tea Party as well as the Civil Rights demonstrations of the 1960s as examples of the significance of protests in the shaping of our nation. Upon hearing the news of Freddie Gray’s death, Parker felt the need to participate in public demonstrations such as one held on April 29 by local activist group, Indy10.
“It’s almost like a responsibility for me personally to get involved and do everything I can to change things here locally,” said Parker who added that he didn’t want to be just another social media activist but someone who moved beyond words to deeds.
Michael Bluitt, another Indianapolis resident spurned to action by the situation in Baltimore, publicly offered to donate services from his company HCO Inc., an architectural firm, to rebuild a senior center destroyed during the unrest. “I just reached out to him in brotherly love,” said Bluitt of his decision to assist Baltimore pastor Donte Hickman whose church Southern Baptist Church was just nine months away from opening.
Indy10 member, Jamil Ahmad, said his group thought it was important to get involved because the issues in Baltimore concern us all. “Police brutality is not special or exclusive to any one city, state, or race – everybody has their own reason to look at this and pay attention to it,” he said. “It’s important for the citizens of Baltimore to see there are people who support them and understand what they are going through and are willing to go to the street to bring attention to what’s going on.”
Following the April 29 demonstration, supporters of Indy10 gathered in downtown Indianapolis on May 3 to recognize the lives of others who have been slain at the hands of an officer, namely Rekia Boyd of Chicago and Mack Long of Indianapolis. The group plans to hold similar events each month.