I’m sorry but this is not ‘real shit’ to me. There are dozens of protesters that are locked up right now in cities across the country whose bails are a fraction of the $10 million it will cost to bail Suge out. But, Suge Knight’s lawyer claims Mayweather has taken it upon himself to pay his bail next week.
Joseph Kent’s newly appointed attorney Steve Beatty spoke with CNN’s Don Lemon last night to set the record straight on what Kent’s motives were for breaking the citywide curfew. He also relays a message from Kent asking that people not commit any violence in his name. For now, Kent remains in jail on a curfew violation charge.
Twitter user @POPSspotsports has come forward with some interesting pictures and recollections from his encounter with Baltimore activist Joseph Kent last night. This young man was not only peaceful, he was assisting police and also acted as a mediator between them and the protesters. This is someone who was clearly not anti-police, not a ‘thug’, not provocative, not inciting riots, etc.
Many viewers looked on in disbelief last night as they saw a slow moving humvee pull up beside 21-year-old Baltimore activist and Morgan University student Joseph Kent while a group of National Guardsmen suddenly descend upon him, snatch him up, and put him in the vehicle before getting in themselves. The clip quickly went viral on social media with people demanding to know, “where is Joseph Kent?”
It’s being reported that he was arrested for violating the 10 PM curfew that went into effect yesterday. Baltimore attorney Steve Beatty says Kent is currently being held at the CBIF (Central Booking & Intake Facility) and is waiting to be let upstairs to see him.
Many are criticizing the way that Kent was detained, calling it a violation of rights and likening it to blackbag kidnapping. We can probably assume Kent was not read his Miranda rights, either. I have just one question for all the pacificists and peaceful protest advocates:
Do you approve of this? What Kent did was simply an act of civil disobedience, he was not harming anyone or destroying anything, and yet he was still snatched up just like anyone else would be.
UPDATE: Good news from Steve Beatty:
Everybody has an opinion but it’s time to listen to the people of Baltimore.
Kudos to this brother for having the balls to speak the truth about the ugly history of this country and how is correlates to the riots in Baltimore. America will have to face its sins sooner or later, hopefully before it implodes into permanent disaster. I had to stop short of fulling supporting what he said once the subject of reparations came up and he initially danced around it and said ‘maybe we should get free education’. What a lame cop out. Monetary reparations have been paid out to all over the world and black people deserve no less.
When the incident first aired, many speculated the mother was hitting him out of embarrassment or punishing him for being ‘stupid’. This is partially true. In an interview with CBS News, she says she was worried about his safety since he is her only son; she didn’t want him to a Freddie Gray. She goes on to say she does not support vandalization asserting that, “that’s not justice.” This is definitely a genuine concern for a mother, so her reaction is very understandable. However, I do commend the young man for having the heart to take a stand for what he felt was right, and hope he will continue to channel that energy into positive and productive outlets in his community as he grows.
