Baltimore is One Step Away From Martial Law Because of a Few Out-of-Towners Who Are Destroying Property

Hours before the riots began Monday, mourners filled the 2,500-capacity New Shiloh Baptist church to attend Freddie Gray's funeral. Gray was arrested by Baltimore Police on April 12 after making eye contact with officers and then running away, police said. He was held down, handcuffed and loaded into a van without a seat belt. Leg cuffs were put on him when he became irate inside. He asked for medical help several times even before being put in the van, but paramedics were not called until after a 30-minute ride. Police have acknowledged he should have received medical attention on the spot where he was arrested, but they have not said how he suffered a serious spine injury. He died April 19. His death has been ruled a homicide and six officers have been charged in the case.

Curfew In Baltimore For Adults And Children: 15 Police Officers Injured, 2 Hospitalized After Bricks, Bottles Thrown

Baltimore police tweeted throughout the day and asked parents earlier in the evening to find and bring home their children, many of whom collectively initiated the chaos as part of a "purge."

April 27, 2015

Inquistr - Along with a state of emergency being issued in Baltimore amid widespread looting, as reported by the Inquisitr, a new curfew has been issued. As reported by WFSB, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has announced a curfew that will last from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. — with those aged 14 years and younger urged to stay in under the curfew starting on Monday, and the curfew to also extend to adults on Tuesday beginning from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. There is already a curfew in place for children 13 years of age and under, the mayor reiterated

As soon as the press conference announcement about the curfew was made, the word curfew began to receive a ton of reactions on social media, with folks wondering if the citywide imposed curfew would help to stem the violence and looting.

“What we see tonight going on in our city is very disturbing. We are deploying every resource possible to gain control of this situation and to ensure peace moving forward.”

As reported by CNN, 15 police officers have been injured in the rioting from some sort of flying debris, be it bricks or bottles. Mayor Rawlings-Blake said that Baltimore is not a lawless city and thugs will not prevail, because authorities will use all of the photos and video footage to determine who is responsible for the looting and violence waged against the police officers, and those individuals will be held accountable.

“Anyone who wants to add to peace to our city is welcome, if Rev. Sharpton wants to come… anyone who wants to act within the law.”

It was called a day of open warfare as looters cut firehoses of the firefighters who tried to stop the fire at a CVS store. All of the melee erupted after the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, a man who died in police custody of a spinal injury that has not been explained. Baltimore police have admitted that Gray was not restrained via a seatbelt as he should have been — if police protocol had been followed — but they have not admitted whether or not Freddie received a “rough ride” during the controversial time he spent in police custody.

#BREAKING #Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake imposes a curfew from 10pm to 5am for a week, following violence pic.twitter.com/BfVm4h649Q
— CCTVNEWS (@cctvnews) April 28, 2015

Baltimore protests: Wake for Freddie Gray after night of scuffles

April 26, 2015

CNN - As a funeral home opened its doors for Freddie Gray's wake Sunday, a few store owners were clearing the mess from the destruction caused by a handful of protesters the night before.

The vast majority of protesters who took to Baltimore's streets late Saturday were peaceful, but the handful who weren't left behind shards, rubble and dents.

Employees at a looted 7-Eleven cleaned up the aftermath and boarded up the windows, CNN affiliate WJZ reported.

The demonstration was aimed at police, who had Gray in their custody when he suffered injuries that would prove fatal.

Baltimore police said 35 people, including four juveniles, were arrested and six officers suffered minor injuries during the latest protest.

Before Sunday's wake, Gray's family members called for agitators to stop the destruction.

"My family wants to say, 'Can y'all please, please stop the violence,'" the victim's twin sister, Fredericka Gray, said Saturday night. "Freddie Gray would not want this."

News of her brother's smashed upper spine and officers' delay in getting him medical care has triggered outrage, and people are demanding justice for the latest-known African-American man to die violently after an encounter with white police officers.

Baltimore's faith leaders joined the mayor Sunday night for a renewed call for peaceful protests.

The violence witnessed the night before "is something that is unacceptable to me," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said. "It is something unacceptable to everyone who lives in and loves our city."

Baltimore citizens are encouraged to voice their concerns -- even their anger -- but in a peaceful manner, the mayor said. 

Agitators, riot gear

For a week, people have spilled into Baltimore's streets in peaceful demonstrations.

And Saturday, they continued. Marchers chanted in unison, "All night, all day; we're gonna fight for Freddie Gray." Poster board signs speckled the crowd. Some people wore T-shirts reading, "Black lives matter."

The crowd marched up to a line of police, most of whom were not wearing riot gear. Officers and squad cars backed away, as the crowd chanted "Please go home."

But the peaceful rapport came to an end when police in riot gear tried to hold a line, and a few protesters vandalized police cars, threw objects at officers, cursed at them and scuffled with them.

About a dozen young men smashed squad cars with garbage cans, climbed on top of them and stomped on them.

At least two journalists were swept up in the scuffles.

Baltimore City Paper reported that its photo editor, J.M. Giordano, was tackled and beaten by police while covering the protests.

According to the paper, Giordano was standing near protesters when someone threw a rock at police. The police responded, and Giordano was unable to get out of the way.

"They just swarmed over me," he said. "I got hit. My head hit the ground. They were hitting me, then someone pulled me out."

The incident was caught on video, which Baltimore City Paper posted online.

Separately, Reuters photographer Sait Serkan Gurbuz confirmed via Twitter that Baltimore police detained him Saturday night.

The police called the detention of the two journalists inadvertent.

"One journalist (Gurbuz) was released with a criminal citation, which is being recalled," a police statement said. "One journalist (Giordano) was released without any charges."

Commissioner thanks peacemakers

More police in riot gear moved in, forming a line many officers thick and raising their transparent shields, as officers on horseback backed them up.

And some protesters put themselves between police and enraged demonstrators to calm hot tempers. "Don't lose the message!" one of them called out again and again to the rowdier group.

Police Commissioner Anthony Batts thanked the peacemakers.

"Residents put themselves in between police officers and agitated crowd and asked for calm and asked for peace, which was very good to see," he said.

But a small group smashed store windows, police said.

Speaking on CBS' "Face the Nation" on Sunday, Rep. Elijah Cummings, who represents the area where the scuffles happened, blamed the violence on a few and said it could have been worse.

"At the end, there were a few people who said 'We're going to close this city down,' and the next thing you know, we had a few people, mainly from out of town, to come and to start beating up on police cars and throwing all types of projectiles," he said.

Regarding the police department, he told CBS "they are doing the best that they can under the circumstances," but he wants a thorough review of the police force.

"We've got to take this department apart and figure out what is wrong and what is right," he said.

Gray arrested, then dead

Police have said they detained Gray on April 12 over drug suspicions. He had been arrested in the past on drug-related allegations.

A neighborhood surveillance camera showed a person who appeared to be Gray sitting calmly next to two officers. Later footage showed the officers over him as he lay on the concrete.

Cell phone video shot from two different positions appears to begin after Gray has been arrested and shows officers dragging Gray, who is handcuffed, to a police van. He can be heard screaming.

Neighbors cried out that Gray, who was handcuffed, appeared to be injured.

Various outdoor surveillance cameras recorded the van driving through the neighborhood, making at least one stop. It took nearly 40 minutes to arrive at a police station with the distressed 25-year-old. Authorities have said Gray was not properly buckled in.

His family said his voice box had been crushed and his neck snapped. After a week in a hospital intensive care unit and emergency surgery, Gray died.

The preliminary work on his autopsy has been done, but the medical examiner's office is waiting on toxicology results and may invite spinal experts to look at the case. A full report may take 30 to 45 days.

Gray is scheduled to be laid to rest Monday.

Among those expected to attend are relatives of Eric Garner, who died last July after a New York City police officer put him in a chokehold. A grand jury declined to indict the officer, prompting protests.

Political friction

Police have exchanged criticism among themselves over Gray's treatment and the investigation.

Batts said he was appalled that Gray did not receive proper care immediately. There were no excuses, he said.

The Fraternal Order of Police shot back.

"These comments appear to be politically driven and in direct contrast to the commissioner's own request not to jump to any conclusions until the entire investigation is complete," Gene Ryan, president of the organization, said in a written statement.

Police say five of the six officers involved in the arrest have provided statements to investigators. The sixth officer has invoked his right to refuse to answer questions, Batts said.

Baltimore Prisoner in Freddie Gray’s Van Disputes Washington Post Police Account

May 1, 2015

The Wrap - Donta Allen, who was the prisoner in the van with Freddie Gray on the ride to the police station on April 12th, disputed a Washington Post story Thursday that referenced police records in which Allen allegedly said Gray was “trying to injure himself.”

Allen told the local CBS affliliate WJZ Thursday he was the other prisoner in the van with Gray, and that he never told that to the police.  “All I did was go straight to the station, but I heard a little banging like he was banging his head,” Allen said.

He added: “They trying to make it seem like I told them that, I made it like Freddie Gray did that to himself. Why the f–k would he do that to himself?”

The Post reported Wednesday that police records said the unnamed prisoner told police Gray was trying to injure himself in the van.

But Allen said the two were separated in the vehicle, and he said he couldn’t see Gray.

“When I got in the van, I didn’t hear nothing. It was a smooth ride,” Allen said. “We went straight to the police station. All I heard was a little banging for about four seconds. I just heard little banging, just little banging.”

“It is clear he is disputing an internal police report,” a Washington Post report spokesperson told TheWrap. “We accurately quoted from that report, which was a search warrant affidavit written by a police investigator.”

Gray was arrested by police on April 12th, and placed in a van for transfer. He was discovered to be in cardiac arrest almost an hour later when arriving at the police station. He suffered a spinal injury and died on April 19th. Baltimore has suffered street riots and violence since then.

The post Baltimore Prisoner in Freddie Gray’s Van Disputes Washington Post Police Account appeared first on TheWrap.