Freddie was a charming and funny 25 year old Baltimore native. He was a beloved twin to his sister, Fredricka, and little brother to his sister, Carolina. Freddie liked to dance and play football and gave himself the nickname ‘Pepper.’

Ten years ago, Freddie’s tragic murder at the hands of the Baltimore Police Department sent waves of grief and anger throughout Baltimore and the nation. For the past decade, this grief and anger finds no rest as the three officers who killed Freddie still walk free without consequence. None of them were convicted. All charges dropped.

Freddie Gray deserves justice, but above all, Freddie Gray deserves to still be with us today. A decade later, we remain committed to fighting against over policing and police brutality as we remember who Freddie was and the systems that failed him. Rest in power, Freddie Gray.

Freddie Gray’s funeral marked a tipping point for the unrest in Baltimore. Suddenly- Baltimore was thrust into the national spotlight and what we know as an Uprising was painted as a solitary event of lawless rioting.

We remember what actually happened in Baltimore on April 27, 2015 when the curfews were enacted. We remember the militarized police intimidation and provocation. What the media neglected to cover was the reality of what was happening on the ground: neighbors protecting neighbors, a community coming together in collective struggle and solidarity in the midst of mourning.

The media stopped reporting on police misconduct in Baltimore, but it hasn’t gone anywhere, it has just become so commonplace that it is not newsworthy. We are still waiting to see the changes we were supposed to see in the implementation of the Consent Decree and in many ways, we are fighting the same battles we were in 2015. We are still demanding police accountability, just using different voices.