Indonesian Student in Baltimore Prefers Fearing Exam Over Riot

Liputan6.com, Jakarta Following the death of a 25- year- old African- American Freddy Gray, a large group of protesters marched into the heart of the city, publicly denouncing local police injustice and discriminative treatment towards the recently deceased all the way from Baltimorean City Hall to Inner Harbor.

Freddy was detained by local police on 12 April 2015 shortly after being caught possessing a switchblade. 

Questions began to be raised as evidence blatantly showed that Freddy's spine was severely damaged despite local police unwavering defiance on notions suggesting the use of force throughout the detaining process. 

Freddy's death on the 25 of April 2015 marked the commencement of violently- displayed act of demonstration which now transformed into exuberantly- violent form of rioting against the law enforcers.

The riots have actually started shortly after Freddy was pronounced dead on 25 April 2015. 

Situation exacerbated with protesters prolonging their demonstration whilst causing uncontrollable- scale of social upheaval in the region. 

What begins as healthy demonstration ends with undesirably- harmful revolts resulting with 15 policemen reportedly injured.

22 Year- old Indonesian citizen currently residing in Baltimore, Andi Budiman shared how the anger of the protesters can no longer be contained and thus allowed for the escalation of turmoil to reach alarming level.

The exacerbation of the riot was immediately taken into the region government's serious consideration with Maryland Governor, Larry Hogan declaring

"a state of emergency followed by the deployment of national guards to mitigate the situation," Andi told Liputan6.com, from Baltimore, Maryland, Tuesday (28/4/2015).

"City hall has also imposed curfew from 10pm - 5am," he added.

Andi is currently registered as John Hopkins University Molecular Biology postgraduate student.

He informed how classes were being cancelled as universities and schools momentarily closed until further notice.

"A lot of schools have cut short their activities. My university stopped classes extending 7pm today. When my friends and I heard news informing cancellation of our class, we went for some ice cream instead," Andi continued.

Andi's calm response suggests that the enormity of the issue is still under control and can still possibly be contained with no worrying direct impact towards Indonesian students there. His relieving statement considered as further assurance about the safety of the Indonesian students there so far despite the catastrophe the riot has produced.

Andi further explained how the Indonesian Student Association in The United States (Permias) with its base in Washington DC, took the time to redirect their attention to the Indonesian students in Baltimore and constantly check upon them using any mode of communication available.

According to Andi, the students main fear is not the riot nor the potentiality of harm being imposed by perpetrators on them. 

They on the other hand, fear the possibility of their exam to be cancelled or postponed due to the tumult. 

Universities and schools have decided to close down and students who have exerted all their energy and time preparing for the examination reportedly displeased knowing the likeliness of such possibility.

This is not the first time the city of Baltimore challenged with the inevitable emergence of social upheaval involving the authority and a group of people with African- American background. 

Similar case occurred in 1968 following the assassination of Martin Luther King. While the current case affects the whole region, the preceding one in 1968 allowed for the initiation of riots all across The United States. 

The notion of 'racial discrimination' clasps through everyone mind when it comes to discussing Baltimore riot.

Andi however, informed how the point of view have evolved from seeing such case as rooting from racial issues to general mistreatment of detainees by the police.

"I feel that this is due to the issues that has been pushed back by the city for a long time. Such as police treatment of detainees. So this problem eventually rattles social upheaval. Its not easy given the city’s crime rate," Andi concluded. (Akp/Ein)