Twenty-five-year-old Freddie Gray died in police custody on April 12. “Gray is not the first person to come out of a Baltimore police wagon with serious injuries,” the Baltimore Sun reports.
His body was laid to rest today at a funeral attended by thousands.
The Black Lives Matter movement responded to Gray’s death with a series of peaceful marches over the weekend. Yesterday and today, there have also been protesters smashing police cars, throwing rocks at police, and looting one drugstore.
Here’s Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, mayor of Baltimore:
I want to let people know that we will find out exactly what happened, and we will hold the right people accountable.
— Mayor Rawlings-Blake (@MayorSRB) April 19, 2015
Today, the situation worsened.
Owner of Trinacria on Centre Street said juveniles swarmed store, breaking windows and throwing stuff. Police too busy to respond.
— Scott Dance (@ssdance) April 27, 2015
“Police are just doing their job” https://t.co/k7LOLgtpPP
— King Anthony (@TrillAC_) April 27, 2015
Officer is down. Badly injured. pic.twitter.com/5lCOTJMS2a
— Erica L. Green (@EricaLG) April 27, 2015
I count five helicopters above us pic.twitter.com/mg9sKctpn4
— Rachel Cohen (@rmc031) April 27, 2015
Freddie Gray was arrested on April 12.
It’s April 27th and we still have almost no idea how he sustained the injury that killed him.
— Christopher Hayes (@chrislhayes) April 27, 2015
This report by the Marshall Project partially explains why that is: a so-called Officers’ Bill of Rights on the books in Maryland.
The Baltimore Police Department claims that gangs are jointly planning to “take out” police, citing no specific evidence.
Please see the attached credible threat to law enforcement: http://t.co/YxhgmPMM1U
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) April 27, 2015
Protesters threw rocks, some police threw rocks back, and protesters chased them down the street.
Cops in Baltimore caught throwing rocks back at protesters before the crowd fights back #FreddieGray
Posted by NowThis on Monday, April 27, 2015
Police appear to be firing rubber bullets.
BCCC student Zachary Raeburn was trying to catch train when cops shot him w something pic.twitter.com/ye15fZWH6m
— Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) April 27, 2015
Shawn Carrié, the photographer who was hit with a runner bullet by police, says he works for @vicenews. pic.twitter.com/5kW8FgQCBq
— Colin Campbell (@cmcampbell6) April 27, 2015
There’s a stream of largely racist responses to the riots based around this hashtag: #BaltimoreRiots.
Black Lives Matter activists like Deray McKesson and Shaun King are framing what’s happening in an altogether different way.
The Baltimore PD announcement re: the “credible threat” of gang violence is meant to preemptively make all groups of black people guilty.
— deray mckesson (@deray) April 27, 2015
Again.
Study the adjectives used for protestors like “aggressive” & “violent” then ask who severed the spine of #FreddieGray ?
— Shaun King (@ShaunKing) April 27, 2015
@deray What’s it take to start recognizing some police officers as credible threats?
— Laugh Out, Loud (@laughtersfury) April 27, 2015
UPDATE:
Maryland Gov. Hogan declares state of emergency, activates National Guard.
— Matt Pearce (@mattdpearce) April 27, 2015
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