So, I’ve decided to start an irregular series on my blog called the Researcher Reads Up. I find social media both thrilling and overwhelming in general; on one hand, there is so much info out there, on the other hand, THERE IS SO MUCH INFO OUT THERE. I’ve always been grateful to folks who take the time to compile reading lists, links, and other education tools, so I’ve decided to pay it forward/back/sideways and start compiling lists of useful links on issues that I care about, but in which I am not an expert.
I’ll be linking especially to folks whose voices have been historically marginalized and/or who are affected directly by the issues in question. I’m not claiming to be impartial by any stretch, but I will try to link to a variety of news sources, because I think reading a variety of sources and opinions is useful to understand how a conversation is being framed. I’ll also try to cite my sources best I can, because links can go dead, go behind a paywall, and it’s simply good manners to other hardworking writers and researchers.
Today’s links are about the protests and the conditions leading up to the protests in Baltimore, MD.
Things to read:
Coverage by major US news sources:
CNN coverage (continually updated)
Narratives of Violence and Non-violence:
Coates, Ta-Nehisi. (2015, April 27) Nonviolence as Compliance. The Atlantic.
Smith, Mychal Denzel. (2015, April 28) Toward a New Broken Windows Theory. The Nation.
Updates on investigation in Mr. Gray’s death and other legal actions:
Baltimore Public Defender’s description of jail conditions for detainees
Reuters reporting on Gray investigation
History of Race, Poverty, and Policing in Baltimore:
Rockman, Seth. (2003, July) Mobtown U.S.A. Baltimore. Common-place. Vol. 3 (4)
Puente, Mark (2014, September 28) Undue Force. Baltimore Sun.
Coverage in other countries:
Baltimore, en llamas tras disturbios por muerte de afroestadunidense. (2015, April 28) La Jornada.
Other reading lists:
Baltimore-based writer Michael R. Underwood has good set of links to start.
The Rumpus has a timeline of events and links.
People to follow on Twitter:
@Karthynia is a Chicago writer, journalist, historian who tweets and links on issues of race and recently wrote a piece in the Washington Post on police violence.
@WesleyLowery is a journalist for the Washington Post, he did extensive coverage on Ferguson.
@tanehisicoates is a journalist for the Atlantic (see previously cited article)
@BlackGirlDanger is an editor and founder of Black Girl Dangerous, an online publication that amplifies the voices of queer and trans people of color.
A Twitter list of people on the ground in Baltimore, created by Matt Pearce.
Coverage in Conservative Media*
Response in Chicago:
Chicagoans Rally over Police Violence (2015, April 29) The Chicagoist
Briscoe, Tony and Jeremy Gorner. Hundreds Gather in Chicago to Protest Police Violence (2015, April 27) Chicago Tribune
Things to Do:
In Baltimore:
per Michael R. Underwood: “The Maryland Food Bank is going to be facing a ton of demand this week as people’s lives and schedules are disrupted. Baltimore City Schools are canceled today, a place where many children get their only reliable meals. And many parents will have to miss work today to take care of their children.”
In Chicago:
The Campaign for Equitable Policing is lobbying for a bill in the Illinois House that would require private police forces on university campuses to have the same transparency and reporting laws as public police forces. Learn more here.
A bill to give reparations and establish a memorial for survivors of torture under police captain Jon Burge is being voted on this week in Chicago. Learn more here.
Anywhere in the US:
Learn about several upcoming bills regarding incarceration and police militarization, via the Friends Committee on National Legislation.
*self-identified by publication as conservative