A civic event in which kairos was a significant element had to be the Freddie Gray incident that happened in Baltimore, Maryland. Because of the Gray’s fatal death, tension was elevated in the public eye due to the previous killings of Trayvon Martin and Michael Brown. As police brutality has become a controversial issue in this day and age, these killings brought in a new perspective of race being a part of the shootings. To give readers an understanding about each situation, I will give a brief synopsis of each situation.

Trayvon Martin (Sanford, Florida) – Trayvon was on his way home from a convenience store when George Zimmerman called the police to report a suspicious character.  He claimed that prior to the event, there were a series of break ins throughout Sanford which  increased his alertness.  When Zimmerman called the dispatcher, they asked, “Are you following him?” Zimmerman responded that he was and they specifically told him not to follow him thereafter. Soon after, Zimmerman hung up and had a violent encounter that resulted with the death of Trayvon.

Michael Brown (Ferguson, Missouri) – Police were dispatched due to Brown stealing a box of Swisher cigars. He was identified by officer Wilson who ordered Brown and his friend to move into the street. He pulled up to the two males and a violent encounter embarked resulting to Brown getting shot in the hand. Brown attempted to flee while Wilson shot him around six times, killing him instantaneously.

Freddie Gray (Baltimore, Maryland) – Gray was originally arrested for having a switchblade in possession . While he was transported, he fell into a coma and was immediately taken to a trauma center. What happened between the arrest and the ride to the trauma center is not certain, but when the situation was investigated, spinal cord injuries were  profound which was a factor that caused the State Attorney to declare Gray’s death a homicide. Soon after, six officers were charged with charges ranging from manslaughter and illegal arrest.

Kairos was significant due to the nature of just one event reminding the public of three things; police brutality, racism and discrimination. It was also remarkable because it caused the public to release all of the tension that was building up from inside due to the  previous two events.