April 28, 2015
NAACP Calls for Peaceful Protests in Baltimore
(Baltimore, MD) — In light of the unrest in Baltimore, the NAACP released the following statement:
From Cornell William Brooks, NAACP President & CEO:
“On Monday, over 20 NAACP family, including our national board chairman, Roslyn M. Brock, attended the funeral service for Freddie Gray. The family, community and the NAACP are mourning. The city of Baltimore now burns in the flames of violence that may leave more dead. The loss of more lives will neither comfort Mr. Gray’s family nor explain the incidents that led to his death. The NAACP stands in solidarity with Baltimore residents and those from across the state who have assembled peacefully to demand justice for the tragic and senseless death of Freddie Gray. Our thoughts and prayers also remain with the family and friends of Mr. Gray, from whom he was taken too soon. As we invoke the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, Medgar Evers and so many others great practitioners of democracy, we understand that protests don’t need to be violent to be powerful. Looting and violence do not represent flowers or a sympathy card to the grieving family of Freddie Gray. Please join the NAACP in being both angry over injustice and nonviolent in seeking justice. Join the NAACP in doing the day to day work to bring about an end to racial profiling, police brutality and senseless violence across the country and in Baltimore. We must continue to manifest our moral outrage into peaceful protests that seek to garner meaningful change. Since the inception of our country, the right of the masses to peacefully assemble has shaped who we are as a nation, just as it will shape who we can become.”
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Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation’s oldest and largest nonpartisan civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their communities. You can read more about the NAACP’s work and our five “Game Changer” issue areas here.
