Killer Mike pens Op-Ed on Baltimore Riots

Besides being one half of Run the Jewels, Killer Mike is a prolific speaker on politics and race relations in the USA. He recently attended The White House Correspondent’s Dinner, and while in attendence, he was informed of the recent Baltimore riots by social media. The unrest in the area happened in the wake of young black man Freddie Gray’s murder while in police custody. He was originally arrested for possession of a weapon - it later emerged he was in possession of a legal folding pocket knife.

In his op-ed for Billboard, Killer Mike writes about the moment that he heard about the violence happening in Baltimore. “I saw that Baltimore was burning,” he says. “As I sat there and watched my timeline, I felt helpless, hopeless. Here I am at this lavish event — the most powerful man in the world is black, and people like him are being killed by the citizens who are paid to protect them. I left the dinner numb.”

Killer Mike goes on to explain that he understands why the riots are happening. “For the people of Baltimore — I don’t criticize rioting because I understand it,” he writes. “But after the fires die down: organize, strategize and mobilize. Like Ferguson, you have an opportunity to start anew. I don’t have a solution because whoever’s there will have to come up with it. But we need community relations: riots are the language of the unheard.”

Read Killer Mike’s full op-ed here.

Tags: News, Killer Mike