Baltimore Held Back

On page 94 and 95, there are two pictures that the photographer is juxtaposing. The separate pages starkly divide them with a white border, yet the image themselves standout for their similarities. When you look at the two men you cannot help but compare them. Both men are black, both men have a connection to the uprising, and both men have emotion transmitting through their eyes and expressions. The only blatant contrast is the clothes they wear and the sides they are standing on. The man on the left is a civilian, while the man on the right is a police officer.

These two pages stood out to me more so than the others. Perhaps it is because I have seen the ruin, I have seen the violence, I have seen the constant police patrol, and I have seen the riots and their aftermath. Although I am removed from the heart of the city, I have still scene the big picture and mourned for the city I have grown up around. However, these two pictures are personal and upfront. The photographer prompts you to make a comparison. Naturally, you assume that both men live and are from Baltimore. You can easily infer the expression of the man on the left; he has a look of pain and confusion almost. He wants change and for the police to not immediately label him a threat because of his race. But the black police officer’s expression proves more difficult to decipher. Nevertheless, you conclude that he is conflicted. He appears to be attempting to maintain a stoic face, which the police force requires of him, yet his eyes seem to glisten with held back tears. The internal conflict could be from identifying with the uprising, but also having a responsibility to his job. I assume that he took this job with good intentions. Most likely, he wanted to be an officer so that he could protect the innocent in his city and create a sense of safety in the community. Yet, somehow, he finds himself in a situation where his intentions are not being carried out through the police force, for the peoples’ fear stems from terror of a corrupted justice system. 

Having grown up with the influence of both Baltimore and Washington DC, I often compare the two cities. I also wonder how DC was able to rebuild and reduce crime (still to this day), yet Baltimore has remained stagnant or worse off. The cometary of this book does not hold back from critiquing politicians, for “black people were in power in Baltimore” (ix). Focusing on the individual face of one officer reminds us that the issue cannot be pinpointed down to one person; not every individual is culpable. The political elite, no matter the race, are the ones to blame for the corruption that plagues Baltimore as well as many other cities. If we want change in our cities, we need to hold those in charge accountable for wrongdoing.