Baltimore Riot Mom Toya Graham Talks Ejecting Son From Violence: ‘I Don’t Want Him To Be A Freddie Gray’
Toya Graham, the Baltimore riot mom who was caught slapping and then ejecting her son from the increasing violence, has come out and spoken about why she decided to intervene.
Image and videos of Graham’s exploits have gone viral and have reminded the world of the human-side of the issues. In fact, Graham has blossomed into a viral star over the last few hours, and the hashtag #MomOfTheYear has joined most messages about her.
Speaking to CBS News, Graham, who is a single mother of six, explained the thoughts that rushed through her mind as she repeatedly hit her son, and she insists that she only did what she did to protect him.
“He gave me eye contact. And at that point, you know, not even thinking about cameras or anything like that. That’s my only son and at the end of the day I don’t want him to be a Freddie Gray.”
Freddie Gray’s death in mysterious circumstances after being arrested is what triggered the escalating violence that has enveloped the city of Baltimore over the last few days. These protests, which started off peacefully, have since become violent, and the National Guard have been brought in to deal with the issues.
Graham recalled that she saw her 16-year-old son wearing a mask with a hoodie and merging into the protestors as things became more and more heated. Upon seeing her son acting in such a fashion, Graham admitted that her maternal instincts simply kicked in and she was propelled to do something to stop him.
“At that point, I just lost it. I was shocked, I was angry, because you never want to see you child out there doing that.”
Graham’s son knew that he was in almighty trouble as soon as his mother had recognised him in the melee. “He knew he was in trouble. He said when ‘I seen you,’ he said, ‘Ma, my instinct was to run’,” she remarked.
As the violence began to escalate, the pair watched from the safe haven of their home. In fact, her son’s Facebook page soon begin to light up with comments that condemned his actions and paid tribute to hers. Graham remarked that most people simply noted, “You shouldn’t be mad at your mother, you should give her a hug.”
Graham believes that the rioting and violence is the wrong way to get justice for Freddie Gray, and she is worried about the impact that it could have on future generations and their outlook. In fact, Graham admitted that somedays she feels the need to lock her son in the house so “he won’t go outside.”
[Image via HNGN]
