Baltimore streets erupt with riots

BALTIMORE– Streets trembled as police and demonstrators clashed during the eruption of riots following the funeral of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old man “who died in April after sustaining a spinal injury while being transported in a police van,” according to an article in the International Business Times.

Also according to this article, “The demonstration Saturday, [April 18], was a peaceful ‘victory rally’ after six city police officers were charged Friday with crimes, including murder and manslaughter, in the April death of Gray.”

Peaceful protests turned violent as Baltimore Police began to arrest “more than 200 people,” according to an article on Fox News.

Marciarae Harmon, senior, expresses that the “extent to which the riots have gone, basically destroying the city, is unnecessary but… it’s one of the only ways to get our point across.”

This “point” is that “we are not going to continue to sit silently and allow officers to take the lives of innocent black people, specifically black males,” Harmon said.

Less than three hours after the announcement of Gray’s death, a 10 p.m. to five a.m. curfew went into effect in the streets of Baltimore and was repealed six days later.

In a tweet, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, mayor of Baltimore, announced the end of the curfew, stating, “Effective immediately, I have rescinded my order instituting a city-wide curfew. I want to thank the people of Baltimore for their patience.”

Demonstrators celebrated the end of the curfew by “gathering at City Hall for a rally of prayers and song,” according to an article in the Latin Post.

After buildings were burned to the ground and lives were lost, protests have decreased in Baltimore but have recently occurred in New York City.

“We are better than this, and we will be better than this,” Rawlings-Blake said, according to NBC News, adding: “Never count Baltimore out.”