Freddie Grey

Did Freddie Grey let himself down or did society and government let him down? I think that the blame for Freddie Greys fatal death cannot be solely placed upon the government or society. Freddy Grey was an American so he was entitled to just as many rights as everyone else. Freddie was also an adult, so he was completely responsible for his own actions. Even after he had his fair share of run-ins with the police and suspensions from school as a kid, he continued to make a name for himself with the police.  He committed a series of crimes as an adult and even had pending charges when he died. If Freddie would have made better decisions the police wouldn’t know him by name or automatically suspect him as being guilty for something.

Society also played a large role in Freddie’s fate. Because of the judgmental society that we live in, everyone thought that Grey was doomed from the start. In the area that he grew up in, kids were not successful, in fact, most did not even graduate from high school. If society makes Freddie believe that he is nothing and won’t become anything, why shouldn’t he believe it? I

 do feel however, that the government also played a large role in Freddie’s death. The government would receive statistics on the school Freddie attended showing little success, and did nothing about it. They could have intervened sooner and set up AP courses or other programs to boost student productivity. They could have helped the teaching situation too, the teachers at that school were undedicated and frequently absent, and most were young and inexperienced, it is not fair to the kids. I also think that throughout his life Freddie’s judgment was fogged by the disabilities he faced because of his lead amount. The level of lead in the kids in Freddie’s neighborhood is unhealthy and more than preventable by the government. The amount of lead in Freddie’s body at the time of his death is absurd.  The government programs set in place to remove lead paint exposure are nowhere near as proactive as they need to be to eliminate this problem.