It’s ironic yet telling when members of rival black gangs march against violence against African Americans at the hands of police and others. But events in Seattle and across the country over the last year have pushed that community to condemn the growing violence against their people — no matter the attacker.
The Seattle Times estimated about 150 people — including representatives from the local NAACP chapter, Mothers for Police Accountability and other community activists — participated in the United Hood March that took place last Friday, June 19. A police escort led the way, from the downtown Seattle Police Department headquarters, to City Hall, then to Myrtle Edwards Park on the waterfront.
Amir Islam cited the death of a 1-year-old girl in an unsolved drive-by shooting in April in Kent, Wash., as an impetus for arranging the march: “We care about black people.” He told The Stranger about the “big picture”: organizing barbecues, feeding children and homeless people and playing basketball games with rival gangs.
Co-organizer Dwayne Maxted said, “I’ve lost a lot of friends through the madness.… It’s accountability time.”
Three rival gangs in Baltimore are continuing their truce after they united in late April to protest the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. According to ThinkProgress.org, many members said they protected black-owned businesses, children and the media during the subsequent riots.
Just as Seattle Police spokesperson Sgt. Sean Whitcomb told KIRO Radio that one’s gang affiliation doesn’t define a person’s identity, neither does one’s skin color, as the majority of us were taught. Still, much of the growing violence stems from people not wanting to understand people’s “complex and nuanced reality” that Whitcomb describes. Former Spokane NAACP chapter president Rachel Dolezal has certainly brought that aspect to the forefront in recent weeks.
Whether it’s racism, gang violence or police brutality, it’s all the same result: African Americans are being killed. And when gang members are calling a cease-fire, it’s time we reassess how we as a society tackle racial injustice.