Baltimore photographer reflects on his experience capturing the unrest following Freddie Gray's death in 2015
A Baltimore photographer reflected on his work during the unrest that followed the death of Freddie Gray in 2015.
Gray died days after he suffered injuries while in the custody of Baltimore Police. His family marked 10 years since his death and called for continued progress during a ceremony on April 19.
"I grew up here," photographer Shaun Young said. "I wasn't a personal friend with Freddie, but…I grew up right here, on Calhoun," he said.
In April 2015, Young was swept up in the protests happening right outside his door.
"I had never seen anything like that before in my life," Young said. "The unity of the community, like everyone was just…this whole block was filled."
Eventually, Young became part of the protest as his image was captured and sent around the world.
"We were all on the same accord of wanting change and justice, and saying, 'Hey, you're gonna take accountability for what happened here,'" Young said. "We're not gonna sweep this under the rug and pretend, oh, he just died. No."
Photographing unrest after Freddie Gray's death
Young captured photos of the unrest after a man gave him a camera and showed him how to use it.
Young later became a professional photographer, and his home base is not far from the infamous intersection of Pennsylvania and North Avenues.
"They went in the CVS, set it on fire, and I specifically remember there was a person who cut the hose," Young recalled. "Like, ya'll no, it's gonna burn."
Ten years later, a new CVS sits on the corner. When WJZ's Denise Koch arrived at the location during the interview with Young, a woman made sure to mention that there were young people who were doing good.
"They protected buildings. They stopped a lot of the destruction from happening," she said.
One man, however, still struggled to talk about the death of his childhood friend Freddie Gray.
Following the unrest, Young organized a football game between Baltimore City police officers and men from the Penn-North neighborhood.
Ten years later, Young said he senses less hostility.
"What they've done, especially right here at Penn-North, they've provided more of a community officer.
When asked if the community learned from the unrest following Gray's death, Young said, "If you really paid attention to it, it's community. It's just like it's immeasurable."
