True justice: Where should the discussion really start about case?

It was one of many comments made in the aftermath of the death of Freddie Gray, and one of the many excuses that were made for the rioting and looting in Baltimore.

The man who said it was an activist, but he was not alone, as public officials who initially called those who took to the streets "thugs" modified their characterizations to a more politically safe moniker.

This man described those who looted, those who stole and those who rioted as young people "reacting to the forces of oppression" that had limited their lives.

And he was right, in one sense.

There is oppression in urban areas and in other communities around the country.

But it is not the oppression caused by the oppressors to which those who commented this week were referring.

True oppression is much more than that -- and it does not just apply to one race.

It is dropping out of high school with no prospects for employment and no plan for how to live.

It is not paying attention in school -- or even attending regularly. It is about missing the chance to learn to read, write and to get the skills that will get you a job.

It is getting involved in drugs or gangs and heading down the path of crime because that is where the money is or because you feel there is no other choice.

It is having a baby at age 16 or younger and then trying to figure out how to support that child -- and beginning a vicious cycle that often results in a teenager who makes the same decision.

It is having a family you cannot support and not worrying if more children come along.

It is taking assistance without trying to lift yourself up or to make a better life for yourself and your family.

It is choosing violence and hate rather than hard work and courage.

It is listening to those who have an agenda telling you you can't make it rather than actually looking to see if you can forge your own path.

It is ignoring the wisdom of those who have been there -- and missing the chance to mimic the role models who have proven that there are opportunities for anyone who is willing to do the work.

But that doesn't mean we should turn away from a discussion about what happened in Baltimore -- all of it.

There are problems in communities -- every community. And no violence or police abuse should be tolerated -- ever.

We need to look at crime statistics, who we are putting in jail and whether the penalties we are assessing are appropriate and just.

We must also look at what our law enforcement officers face every day -- not the sugar-coated version, the real stuff, the danger, the recidivism and the issues they see on the streets.

But no matter where we start, we cannot look at this issue without searching for the cause, the reason Freddie Gray and others like him were on those streets and made those choices.

We have to talk about crime, poverty and social ills. We have to talk about bad choices, absentee parents and children who feel like they have nowhere to turn.

We have to talk about education, schools and assistance programs -- those who use them to change their lives as well as those who cheat and those who make it possible for them to do so.

But we must do so honestly.

So let's start with those looters.

Those who took to the streets and burned Baltimore businesses down were not there because of Freddie Gray -- and they were not battling an oppressor either.

They were exactly what those officials orginally called them -- thugs.

They might have started out as young men who made a mistake, but when they torched a pharmacy and stole the merchandise in businesses along the street, they became criminals.

They don't deserve the same respect as the men, women and young people who stood peacefully as a statement that we need to talk, that we need to address the issues of race and police misconduct.

They were there to make a difference to make sure their community answered what was a tough question.

And those who stood between the police and the out-of-control ruffians masquerading as protesters were heroes and a credit to their community.

There will be much talk about the civil rights movement in the next few weeks and months. And there will be comparisons made to not only the reactions in Baltimore, but also to those in Ferguson and elsewhere.

And when those connections are made, remember the true story.

The men and women who fought for civil rights did not loot stores. They did not torch businesses.

They stood tall and strong in the face of real oppression and changed the world.

There is no comparison to what happened this week in Baltimore -- none.

So let's talk. We need to -- and soon.

But let's do it honestly. That is how we really can find not just justice, but truth as well.

Published in Editorials on May 2, 2015 11:15 PM