I choose to believe that a similar outcome would have occurred without the riots. However, there would be several key differences in the speediness of the investigation and national attention.

During her speech, Baltimore County State Attorney Marilyn Mosby thanked the MD state Governor Hogan for fast tracking the medical report. I am sure there were other expediting interventions on the behalf of Hogan that enabled a swift resolution.

The national attention that this whole process received is, admittedly, completely due to the riots. This is now seen as an international incident. This story is on the front page of BBC news. This attention will bring greater scrutiny over how law enforcement are treating Black Americans.

The details of this case are appalling. The way Freddie Gray was unlawfully arrested, restrained, ignored, and subsequently murdered by the direct actions of BPD officers is beyond disturbing. One of the most tragic facts that emerged from the investigation is that he never should have been arrested in the first place.

This incident and the ensuing events and backlash completely drags the state of race relations in this country out into the open.

• We have a case were a 25 year-old man is dead solely because he is black.
• Unchecked Prejudice and stereotyping has led to the immediate and routine application of dangerous assumptions on Black Americans.
• Acting on these assumptions law enforcement is targeting Blacks, viewing any and all actions as suspicious, ignoring protocol, escalating benign infractions, and applying inappropriate and excessive force.
• Law enforcement is lying, intimidating suspects and witnesses, and ultimately going unpunished.
• When Blacks speak out about this inequality they are ignored and their complaints marginalized.
• Americans are quick to use any unfavorable incident to confirm their view as Blacks as irrational, unintelligent, violent animals.
• Just look at the state Reddit has been in over the past couple of days. It is frightening and sad.

America needs to change. The ubiquitous and subconscious prejudice that America harbors towards Black Americans needs to stop. The stereotyping needs to stop. The "Us and Them", "Black vs. White culture", mentality needs to stop. The apathy needs to stop. We are all American Citizens. The health, education, and economic pitfalls that Black Americans experience affects all of us.

We all need to work together to improve and strengthen our society. You don't need to donate your money, or even time. What needs to happen is that we all need to work on ourselves, we all need to question our prejudice, we all need to speak up and stop the propagation of stereotypes. Stereotyping leads to prejudice which, in-turn, dictates how we interact with one another.