Unit 1012 respects
and admires Toya Graham for disciplining her son and we encourage all parents
to do the same to their children if they misbehaved.
Toya Graham
|
INTERNET
SOURCE: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/baltimore-mother-toya-graham-on-why-she-smacked-son-i-dont-want-him-to-be-a-freddie-gray/
CBS News
April 28, 2015, 5:26 PM
Baltimore mom who smacked son during riots: "I don't want him to be
a Freddie Gray"
The Baltimore mother caught on video
repeatedly smacking her son after catching him participating in rioting
in Baltimore told CBS News that she was only concerned about protecting
him.
"He gave me eye
contact. And at that point, you know, not even thinking about cameras or
anything like that. That's my only son and at the end of the day I don't want
him to be a Freddie Gray,"
Toya Graham said, referencing the 25-year-old man who died after mysteriously
sustaining severe spinal injuries in police custody earlier in the month. His
death has sparked protests
throughout the city, with tensions boiling over Monday.
Graham told CBS News she launched into
action after spotting her 16-year-old son Michael wearing a hoodie and mask
amid the protesters.
"At that point, I just
lost it,"
said Graham. "I was shocked, I was angry, because
you never want to see your child out there doing that."
Graham, a single mom with six
children, denounced the vandalism and violence against police officers. She
said rioting in Baltimore is no way to go about getting justice for Freddie
Gray and that she doesn't want that life for her son.
"There's some days that
I'll shield him in the house just so he won't go outside and I know that I can't
do that for the rest of my life," said Graham. "I'm a
no-tolerant mother. Everybody that knows me, know I don't play that."
It's that reputation that made her son
wince the second he saw her.
"He knew he was in
trouble,"
said Graham. "He said when 'I seen you,' he said,
'ma, my instinct was to run.'"
Graham says after she got her son home
they both watched news coverage of the demonstrations and riots on television.
As images of her reaction started to go viral, Graham says comments started
appearing on her son's Facebook page, many in support of her.
"Friends and everybody
making comments and saying you know, you shouldn't be mad at your mother, you
should give her a hug,"
said Graham.
Graham hopes the incident will serve
as a teachable moment for her son.
"And by him seeing
everything what's going on I just hope, I'm not sure, but I hope that he
understands the seriousness of what was going on last night."
The video
has been widely circulated as people look for answers to the violence, and it
even drew the attention of Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts.
"I
wish I had more parents who took charge of their kids tonight," he said,
according to CBS Baltimore.
Graham told
CBS News she thinks the situation wouldn't have been as bad if there were more
mothers out there monitoring their sons. But she acknowledged there are some
circumstances that can prevent moms from from doing that.
"We
don't know where those mothers are at, a lot of mothers have to provide for
their children," said Graham. "You can talk blue in your face to your
children, but at the end of the day they gonna make their own decisions. As parents
we just have to follow through to make sure that's where they supposed to be
at."
Commissioner
Batts told reporters late Monday night that a bulk of the rioters who pelted
officers with rocks and bricks, inciting a massive display of looting and vandalism
across parts of West Baltimore were area high schoolers.
"These
are Baltimore youthful residents, a number of them came right out of the local
high schools there on the other side of Mondawmin and started engaging in
this," said Batts. "I think these were youth coming out of the high
school and they thought it was cute to throw cinder blocks at the police
department and address it that way."
At least 20 police officers were injured in the violence and one
person was critically hurt in a fire, according to authorities. Police made 235
arrests, including 34 juveniles.
The streets
were calmer Tuesday as the National Guard deployed. A 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew
remained in effect.
© 2015 CBS
Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
ORIGINAL:
Angry mother beats son for participating in Baltimore riots
Published on Apr 27, 2015
This mother didn't take kindly to her son
participating in the Baltimore protests and riots that happened in response to
the death of Freddie Gray.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRlmCf1Kj2o
No comments:
Post a Comment