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Baltimore, the largest city in the State of Maryland in the U S erupted in violence on Monday as hundreds of rioters looted stores, burned buildings and injured many following the funeral of a 25-year-old black man who died after he was injured in police custody.
What started as peaceful protests days ago turned violent, with stores being looted, rocks being thrown at police and buildings and cars set on fire.
It all started on the day of Freddie Gray's funeral in the afternoon when a so-called flier from a local high school depicted that a "purge" is scheduled to start, according to the Baltimore Sun. Taking stock of the situation and sensing the anger amongst people dozens of police gathered on the streets of Baltimore when protesters began to confront riot police. What originally started as peaceful protests turned violent.
Eventually cases of ransacking, loots, thefts engulfed the city along with the already existing violence on the streets. Looters sacked liquor stores, pharmacies, a shopping mall and a check-cashing store. Rioters smashed car windows outside a major hotel and twice slashed a fire hose while firefighters fought a blaze at a CVS pharmacy that had been looted before it was set on fire. Youths threw rocks and bricks at police. Several officers had broken bones, the police department said.
Slowly cases of arson also picked up with multiple fires across Baltimore amid riots and looting. The most devastating one ignited a $16 million senior center under construction in East Baltimore.
The family of Freddie Gray however condemned the violence that spread across the city after his funeral following his death in police custody a week ago. According to CNN, Gray's mother said that she wanted people to demand justice for her son but violence was not the way towards it.
Freddie Gray was a 25 year old man from Baltimore who according to records he had several run-ins with the law in the past. Court records show he was arrested more than a dozen times, and had a handful of convictions, mostly on charges of selling or possessing heroin or marijuana. His longest stint behind bars was about two years.
He died of a severe spinal injury on April 19, one week after being arrested by police following a foot chase in his neighborhood. It wasn’t clear why he ran when he saw the police. The officers said they found a switchblade in his pocket.Video shot by a civilian bystander shows officers dragging Gray, who appeared limp, after he was handcuffed.
Officials say he was able to climb into the back of a police van.The driver of the van made at least one stop on a 30-minute ride to a police station to put Gray in leg restraints, police officials said. Officials said Gray was angry and talking when he was first put in the van but was not breathing when it arrived at the police station. Police have said they don’t know whether Gray was injured during his arrest or while in the van.
Officials say he was able to climb into the back of a police van.The driver of the van made at least one stop on a 30-minute ride to a police station to put Gray in leg restraints, police officials said. Officials said Gray was angry and talking when he was first put in the van but was not breathing when it arrived at the police station. Police have said they don’t know whether Gray was injured during his arrest or while in the van.
Meanwhile, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan, a Republican, declared a state of emergency and sent in the National Guard. A city-wide curfew has been put in place by Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake effective for a week, in order to restore order. Blake called the looters "thugs" and said they had nothing to do with protests over police brutality.The Mayor has also called in the National Guard to address the problem.
Baltimore police said 15 officers have suffered injuries in the clashes on the city's streets, including broken bones, and two remain hospitalized. The police also said they arrested 27 people till now for rioting .
The growing violence in Baltimore, just 40 miles from the White House, represents another challenge for the Obama administration in addressing racial unrest across the country. Since the police killing of an unarmed teenager in Ferguson, Missouri, last summer, the administration has worked to acknowledge deep frustrations in minority communities while also supporting law enforcement.
As of now six officers in connection with Gray's death have been suspended, and the U S Justice Department is investigating the incident for possible civil rights violations.
