Larry Lomax Needs Your Teaspoons

by Shaker TinaH

[Content Note: Police brutality; racism; descriptions of violence.]

As part of my growing activism, fostered by my experiences and learning here at Shakesville as well as joining a faith community that works on social justice issues, I've gotten involved with the suburban Maryland Black Lives Matter movement. Repeatedly, I've seen how white supremacy plays out even on this activist front, and I am requesting your teaspoons on behalf of a man victimized by this continued injustice.

On the evening of May 2, 2015, many activists, including an African American man named Larry Lomax and a white woman named Kerridwen Henry, participated in nonviolent protests against the Baltimore curfew, which was imposed in response to the community's outrage over Freddie Gray's murder. Both of these people were arrested. Rob Brune, an independent journalist, videotaped both incidents.

If you can watch the video, please note it contains stark evidence of racist police violence. The video, especially between 0:52 and 3:10, shows the vast differences in how a black man and a white woman, doing the same things at the same times in the same places, were treated.

Lomax approached a police position to break the curfew with his hands at his sides, walking at a slow measured pace. The police raced up to him and pepper-sprayed him directly in the face. He reeled from this assault for a couple of seconds, pulled up his pants, and then a police officer yanked him down to the street by his hair. Several other officers pepper-sprayed into the crowd, chasing them off. Lomax was dragged to the corner, scraping him along the ground.

At that same corner, not minutes later, Henry, in the yellow shirt, also defied the curfew. She sat down, was handcuffed, was not pepper-sprayed, was not dragged to the street by her hair, and was taken into custody. She later reported that a police officer said to her, "I respect your cause. I'm just doing my job." She was released from jail the next evening.

Lomax, who was detained for almost a month, has been charged with assaulting the police. Henry is asking that people with mighty teaspoons call the Maryland State's Attorney at 443-984-6000 and ask that all charges against Larry Lomax be dropped. If charges against him are not dropped, he will have to go to court Tuesday.

This guest post has been written with the input and consent of Kerridwen Henry.