Injustice And Unjustice

The recent riots in Baltimore were the result of the people’s (mostly black communities) view/opinion that Freddie Gray was unjustly treated in the back of the police van after he was arrested and being transported to the Police station. Whether rioting was or was not the best approach by the people of Baltimore to address what was perceived as a gross injustice is debatable. History has taught us a tremendous amount about how to effectively respond to these sorts of situations. Specifically, the writings, “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and “Crito” by Plato have taught ways to overcome injustices, such as the perceived prejudicial treatment of Freddie Gray in
In “Civil Disobedience” by Henry David Thoreau, he states that it is the responsibility of the citizen to the state and its laws to completely
For example, he is saying that it would be very hypocritical for an individual to applaud a soldier for not going to fight in an unjust war while that very person will continue to support the unjust government that is pursuing the war. Thoreau gives a perfect example of his thoughts through his belief in the abolishment of slavery. In “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., King states that it is the responsibility of the citizen to obey the laws that are considered ‘just.’ But, if a law is considered unjust, one has a “moral responsibility to disobey [it]” (King 14). King also argues that no law is acceptable and cannot be considered just whenever the group which it involves has no part in writing it, through being denied the right to vote. King exemplifies his statements about obeying just laws and disobeying unjust laws with his fight against racial discrimination. He explains that segregation is “not only politically, economically, and sociologically unsound, it is