As I watch the events unfolding following Freddie Gray’s funeral, I’m trying to find inspiration from the March2Justice that happened just one week ago today.

Justice League NYC—along with families, youth, and community leaders—marched 250 miles from New York City all the way to the nation's capital to urge Congressional leadership to take decisive action on police brutality and racial profiling. They put their bodies on the line because they were “fed up with years of police brutality and injustice toward people of color” and because of the continued lack of accountability in the insurmountable mass of police violence/misconduct cases against communities of color across the United States.

This march was beautiful. I had the honor of joining the March2Justice during the smallest, last leg of the march as the justice champions came into DC. What I saw was an outpouring of love and compassion, amazing grassroots education (there was not one person who we came across while marching that didn’t receive information on the legislation), and a powerful appeal to lawmakers on solutions moving forward to end this structural inequality. These actions, along with the other actions by communities across the country, are making a huge difference.

This is why, a week later, I find I’m saddened by the violence. NOT the rioting in Baltimore, but by the violence that leads to deaths like Freddie Gray’s and the verbal violence in the online space (from social media to traditional media) that dehumanizes black and brown bodies and straight up ignores the oppression people of color face in Baltimore (and across the country) everyday prior to the riots. These acts of violence are the real tragedy.

I recently finished an article by Leela Fernandes in which she explores the ways “private citizens literally [aid] the state in its policing.” It’s striking to me how this is happening right now with the events in Baltimore. Every person who leaves comments online that dehumanize individuals/communities with language like “thugs” and “animals” or who are critical of what is a natural (and not unexpected reaction after weeks of peaceful protest) to decades of institutionalized oppression are supporting the nation-state in their policing of black and brown bodies and are aiding and abetting in the media’s attempts to distract us from the real problem—the structural inequality and broken institutions (which negatively impact both everyday people and the police alike) that lead to a man having his spine severed and denied his basic human rights.

Let’s not get distracted folks. There are real problems in our communities and it’s not the riots. Instead of being complicit in biased policing of oppressed communities, take action now to address the repressive establishments at the root of these events.