Black Voicesvoicesblack lives matterFreddie Gray

Black Influencers Express Outrage Over Dropped Freddie Gray Charges

"The system we allow has failed him."
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By 

Senior Culture Writer, HuffPost

It was announced Wednesday morning that the charges against the three remaining officers involved in Freddie Gray’s death have been dropped. After the last few weeks, in which we saw the deaths of Alton Sterling and Philando Castile, this news for the black community is demoralizing to say the least. 

People across social media have been moved to speak out against the dropped charges, including “Selma” filmmaker Ava DuVernay. 

DuVernay’s tweet pretty much sums up the sadness of the situation: 

Other black public figures have weighed in with their disappointment and dismay at this new development:

 

And the general consensus amongst black people on Twitter, celebs and non-celebs alike, is that America’s justice system needs to change:  

The fact that Freddie Gray’s death was ruled a homicide and, yet, no one will answer for it is, as DuVernay and many others are pointing out, proof that our system is broken. The dropped charges against these officers are a brutal but unsurprising blow, a reminder that the injustices of police brutality go beyond the deaths of black people, it also includes the lack of justice for those deaths. 

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Before You Go

'Justice For Freddie Gray' Protests
(01 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(02 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(03 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(04 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(05 of16)
Open Image Modal
Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(06 of16)
Open Image Modal
Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(07 of16)
Open Image Modal
Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(08 of16)
Open Image Modal
Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(09 of16)
Open Image Modal
Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(10 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(11 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(12 of16)
Open Image Modal
Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(13 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(14 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
(15 of16)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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Protestors participate in a vigil for Freddie Gray down the street from the Baltimore Police Department's Western District police station, April 21, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (credit:Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images)
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