By now, you’ve probably seen the viral video of a Baltimore mother smacking her son after she spotted him participating in yesterday’s riots. And by now, we know that Toya Graham was simply trying to protect her only son.
The single mother told CBS News that as soon as she made eye contact with the 16-year-old, her maternal instinct kicked in.
“That’s my only son, and at the end of the day, I don’t want him to be a Freddie Gray,” she told the television station.
The death of Freddie Gray has left the city of Baltimore in turmoil, with rioters—many of whom are young—destroying businesses and cars. Though there were no injuries reported among protestors, Graham didn’t want to take a chance with any of her children having potentially fatal confrontations.
“By him seeing everything that’s going on, I just hope that he understands the seriousness of what was going on last night,” she told CBS yesterday.
What would you have done if you had been in this mother’s shoes? Would you support your child fighting for what he or she believes in, or would you pull them from the crossfire, worrying for their safety? Take our poll and leave us a comment telling us whether Graham went too far.
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