It was Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said "a riot is the language of the unheard."

There's no condoning violence, or looting, or harm, and there's no support here for displacement, or damage, or the putting of innocent people in danger.

But, if riots are the language of the unheard, how is it that in a social construction that is more connected than ever, with a media spectrum that allows for instantaneous global connection, there are still voices that go unheard? Cries that are muted? Images unseen?

Over the last several days there has been a recurring call to Dr. King's passive activism - "he never threw a brick or started and fire and he was able to change the world." I read and I read as I scrolled through my own routes of connectivity, my Facebook friends and those I follow on Twitter offering their own objections, affirmations, disgust and dismay.

I'm disturbed by this for two reasons. First, if Dr. King's voice maintains its strength and pertinence more than 50 years after his death, why is it there contemporary strife over police brutality and systematic discrimination within our criminal justice system? Obviously, something is missing. I'm disturbed by this attitude which equates social movements of the past with contemporary solution. Second, I fear that an ever-connected generation has lost the ability to access active voices free of bias or market-orient. Our access to the media of like-minds via 9,000 channels dimming the realities of our times.

For six days before the spark of violent protests, the looting, and the fires, members of the Baltimore community came together to peacefully protest police brutality. Protests began the day before the death of Freddie Gray, the circumstances surrounding his arrest still remaining unknown. Gray died after his spine had been severed during apprehension.

For six days, a group of people gathered peacefully to assert their grievances against an unjust system. For six days, the legacy of Dr. King was very much given homage.... for 6 days the people of Baltimore saw passive and peaceful protest.

So what's the problem? The problem is that, for those six days, no one outside of Baltimore saw any of this.

The day the violet riots began in West Baltimore, the day before a family said their final goodbyes to their young black son, that was the day that the national community was brought into Baltimore.

Prior to that, the world was discussing #BruceJennerABC, the 10th Anniversary of Dancing With the Stars, the return of Game of Thrones, the disaster in Nepal, along with all the other offerings of cable and satellite connection... It's not to say that other stories aren't important or valid, to say that our interests our not worth our time, and that fantasy and quasi-reality shouldn't have a time slot. It's merely to say that with expanded access comes dilution.

Danielle Williams, a protester in Baltimore City, articulated just that. After being approached by MSNBC's Thomas Roberts and questioned about the message the these violet protests were sending about justice, this is what Williams had to say: 

"My question to you is, when we were out here protesting all last week for six days straight peacefully, there were no news cameras, there were no helicopters, there was no riot hear, and nobody heard us, and now that we've burned down buildings and set business on fire and looted buildings, now all of a sudden everyday wants to hear us," said Williams. 

"Why does it take a catastrophe like this in order for America to hear our cry?"

Many Americans, namely white Americans, attribute their involvement in the Civil Rights Movement to the media. The cameras that showed the struggles and violence, the peace and hope of the March on Washington, on the streets of Birmingham, Alabama, and Jackson, Mississippi. In an era of 3 or 4 channels, and only one 5 o'clock news option, the media, engaged in true journalism. The news showed the news, and gave a voice to those who had been silenced. The media helped make peaceful protests powerful, because it allowed the unseen to be seen, and the unheard to be heard.

Americans, no matter how far away they were from the Southeast region of the country were able to be there, to see, and to be challenged by their own feelings, practices, expectations, and identities.

Today, our mainstream media story is vastly different. The fact is that while most media and political elite were and remain white men who have no need to bring to surface, or attempt to remedy the underlying social, political, and economic conditions that have caused the uproar in Baltimore, in Ferguson, in Springfield, and everywhere in between, the opportunity to do so has dissolved as networks chase viewers and ratings.

That fact is that we have media sources that cover the stories that suit our political, social, and economic allegiances and affiliations. Today, we can turn to Fox News or CNN, or even Comedy Central to see news delivered through the lens we most agree with, stories recited to us through our own lens and in our own perspective.

Today, as we take advantage of connectivity, we scroll through Facebook timelines and Twitter feeds tossing "likes" around like confetti... your choices? Yes, I agree with you. Yes! EXACTLY!! LIKE LIKE LIKE LIKE!... or, in the alternative, you can troll the ever-loving-life out of those you disagree with "I'm un-friending you, Buddy!" BLOCK BLOCK BLOCK BLOCK!

We let in what we already know and like, and keep out what we disagree with. My own little piece of the internet is visited by those who, more likely than not, already agree with what I have to say. I know and appreciate that there is little-to-no convincing here.

With 9 million channels, tumblr, pinterest, and beyond, there are so many of us who haven't in fact gained more access, more news, or more knowledge, but instead just the opposite. With more choices, we've become more selective, our filters have only increased, and our walls are built higher. Our media aligning more closely to the extremes of the spectrum to suit our own interests to increase their ratings.

You saw these riots how you wanted to see them: "Hooligans Start Fires" or "Riots Are A First Amendment Right." There's no discourse, no discussion, no dialog, and certainly no reaching over the aisle, no asking questions.

With market-growth comes the need for branding and specialization. In a time of "sex sells," our mainstream media fears losing viewers and followers, as we, the consumers, have the option to move on to voices that mimic our own. What would happen if our spectrum-oriented programming shared a story without their red or blue lens? Where would we go if we heard something we didn't expect? Would we stay around to listen or leap at the chance to ardently disagree?

Yes, #ALLLivesMatter, but right now we need to talk about black lives, and why #BlackLivesMatter, and if you don't see mass incarceration and disproportional violence as relevant and important then you, my friend, are a part of the problem. You're part of the reason why this conversation is so important!

“Now I wanted to say something about the fact that we have lived over these last two or three summers with agony and we have seen our cities going up in flames. And I would be the first to say that I am still committed to militant, powerful, massive, non-violence as the most potent weapon in grappling with the problem from a direct action point of view. I’m absolutely convinced that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt. And I feel that we must always work with an effective, powerful weapon and method that brings about tangible results. But it is not enough for me to stand before you tonight and condemn riots. It would be morally irresponsible for me to do that without, at the same time, condemning the contingent, intolerable conditions that exist in our society. These conditions are the things that cause individuals to feel that they have no other alternative than to engage in violent rebellions to get attention. And I must say tonight that a riot is the language of the unheard. And what is it America has failed to hear? It has failed to hear that the plight of the negro poor has worsened over the last twelve or fifteen years. It has failed to hear that the promises of freedom and justice have not been met. And it has failed to hear that large segments of white society are more concerned about tranquility and the status quo than about justice and humanity.”

 ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.