Baltimore Protesters Called Thugs Sparks Controversy

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In response to the Baltimore protesting following the death of Freddie Gray President Barack Obama as well as others have referred to the violators at "thugs".

On Monday Mayor Rawlings-Blake said:


"There is a difference between what we saw over the past week with the peaceful protests, those who wish to seek justice, those who wish to be heard, and want answers, and the difference between those protests and the thugs who only want to incite violence and destroy our city."

The following day President Obama called those protesting "a handful of criminals and thugs who tore up the place."

But not everyone feels the term "thug" is the right word to use to describe them. Kevin Shird who is a former drug dealer said he does not see the word as an accurate description of the young people who rioted and looted in Baltimore on Monday. 


"These were young juveniles. And so, in my mind I don't see a 16- or 17-year-old as a thug. I have seen thugs, and they don't look like thugs to me. My experience in life has been a little bit more extreme than that, but, again, it was criminal behavior and it can't be justified."

Former president of the NAACP Kweisi Mtume told OutFront whether we call them a thug, a law breaker, a juvenile delinquent, it really doesn't matter. He said what matters is how do we take back our streets. And that's what men have been doing, going around, talking to these young men where they, are in their face, and letting them know, they can't control this community. It is not theirs. They can't burn it down. They can't force people out and they can't threaten people.

"So I understand that, that people want to talk about a word. But I'm more worried about a movement, and it's not necessarily a movement for positive change. It's a movement for negative change right now unless we get it under control."

While there are some who feel calling them thugs is not the appropriate term NFL player Richard Sherman feels the term "thug" is just as the same as using the N word.
According to Sherman, "thug" is "the accepted way of calling somebody the n-word nowadays."

What do you think? Do you consider the youth protesting as thugs? Is the term "thug" the same as using the N word?
Tamara M. Anderson
@mstekeyla
@mahoganymagazin