It has been just over ten years since Baltimore local, Freddie Gray, died after sustaining spinal injuries while in police custody. This death, ruled a homicide by medical examiners, resulted in widespread uprising but not in the conviction of any of the six officers charged for their role in it. Gray’s death and the protests that followed put Baltimore and police violence under the national microscope. Gray’s tragic death at the hands of police was emblematic of larger problems in the city. The protests that occurred in Gray’s name were not only about him, but also about decades of disinvestment, over-policing, crumbling schools, neglected housing, and vacant lots, especially in West Baltimore. Promises of change and improvement were made to the people to pacify the situation. Now, in retrospect, we must ask if any of those promises have been kept.
These commitments ranged from better policing through community oversight to economic investment and redevelopment in long-neglected neighborhoods like Sandtown-Winchester, where Gray lived. Police reform was just one aspect of the proposed improvements. Other promises included job training programs, the demolition and redevelopment of vacant properties, and improved access to education, healthcare, and transportation.
So, what has changed?
There has been some change, though many would say that it has been too little and too slow. Police reform is an eternal promise that is often derailed for a myriad of reasons. Whether those reasons justify the sluggish response to the needs of the city is a question that must be assessed.
Since 2015, many vacant and abandoned properties have been demolished in West Baltimore, but the promised redevelopment and investment in the area has not come through. Vacant homes have been replaced by vacant lots. Various grants and promises of funding and development were touted in the aftermath of the 2015 demonstrations, each painting a bright future for the West Baltimore neighborhoods most impacted by the systemic inequality in the city. Yet, nearly as many as were promised dwindled and vanished before coming to fruition.
For many in Baltimore, the tenth anniversary is a reminder not just of what happened to Freddie Gray, but of the deep-rooted conditions that made the uprising inevitable. The city has made small, hard-won steps forward that deserve commendation, but overall, the systemic problems, inequality, racial segregation, and disinvestment are still largely intact.
In spite of this, there is a spirit of resilience in Baltimore. Local organizers, artists, educators, and neighbors have carried the work forward even as institutions have faltered. From mutual aid networks to community land trusts to youth mentorship programs, much of the real progress has come from the ground up.
To learn more about the tumultuous decade since Freddie Gray’s death, be sure to check out the resources available to you through our library. Databases in History, Sociology, Political Science, Public Policy, and many others can help you tackle the questions about how to fight against and recover from systemic inequality. You can consult primary sources like newspapers found in online databases. Also, be sure to check out our research guides in those disciplines as well as our locally-focused Baltimore guide.