Killer Mike Pens a Heartfelt Op-Ed on Baltimore Riots and His White House Visit
Killer Mike is just starting to get his just due on a mainstream level. Recently, the outspoken Run The Jewels member had the honor of lecturing to students and staff at the world renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology on race relations, followed by an invite to the White House Correspondents' Dinner where he kicked it among the country's elite. While he was rubbing shoulders, he was also keeping a watchful eye on the events in Baltimore where Freddie Gray's death, while in the custody of police officers, has lit a powder keg of emotions that currently has people taking to the streets in protest.
The rap activist is no stranger to speaking out on important issues especially the recent string of much publicized cases of police killing unarmed citizens. He recently penned an emotional editorial for Billboard where he recounted his experience at the exclusive D.C event juxtaposed with his feelings about the current situation in Baltimore. "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," he wrote.
Later in the piece he sympathized with the people of B-more while urging them to have a plan for progress. "For the people of Baltimore -- I don’t criticize rioting because I understand it. 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," he added.
You can read the entire piece, HERE.
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