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Photos Of Baltimore After Freddie Gray's Funeral Show A City In Turmoil As Protesters Call For Change
Police brutality was brought to the forefront of the national consciousness last year, after a spate of citizen deaths sparked calls for change in law enforcement behavior. On Monday as a man was laid to rest, scenes of chaos outside the New Shiloh Baptist Church erupted as protests turned violent during Freddie Gray's funeral in Baltimore. According to The New York Times, rioters in the northwest of the city looted business stores and pummeled police decked in riot gear with stones.
The 25-year-old Gray died in late April allegedly amid dubious circumstances, a week after being chased and arrested by Baltimore police. Initially peaceful, the protests turned violent over the course over the weekend. Maryland State Police have asked for an additional 40 armed forces to the city on top of the 42 already sent there on Monday afternoon to assist Baltimore police. There are currently more than 280 state troopers in the city since last Thursday.
Monday's violence was cause for concern for Gray's family, whose attorney, according to CNN, said was sure they were "against what is beginning to develop here in town."
Here's what the city in turmoil looks like.
Over the weekend, peaceful protests in Baltimore turned violent — with 12 arrests made on Saturday alone — continuing into Monday’s riot.
Video footage showed Baltimore police in riot gear, and they appeared to have allegedly used tear gas on protestors.
Some police officers were reportedly injured — Capt. Eric Kowalczyk told CNN that there were ”seven officers that have serious injuries, including broken bones, and one officer who is unconscious.”
Marred by angry rioting, Gray’s funeral counted among its attendees local level White House officials, Rev. Al Sharpton, and the family of Eric Garner, the black man who was allegedly placed in a chokehold by a NYPD officer and later died, The New York Times reported.
Most of the violence took place near the Mondawmin Mall near the New Shiloh Baptist Church where Gray’s funeral took place.
According to The Huffington Post, crowds of cops and teenagers gathered outside the mall as a chopper circled the skies. The riot began at 3 p.m.
Earlier Monday, Baltimore police said that they had received threats from gangs including the Black Guerilla Family, Bloods, and Crips who partnered up to reportedly “take out” police officers.
Maryland’s National Guard was placed on alert as protests continued through the weekend into Monday.
Meanwhile, family and friends mourned Gray, who died on April 19 after suffering a spinal cord injury while in police custody.
Gray’s death sparked a renewed anger for police brutality, particularly against minorities. The Justice Department said it will investigate Gray’s death.
Gray’s family expressed shock and sadness over the violence, and their attorney said they are laying low on Monday night.
Newly-sworn in Attorney General Loretta Lynch briefed President Obama on the fevered situation in Baltimore, and the Justice Department said it “stands ready to provide any assistance that might be helpful there.”
The city is on edge as tension between its minority residents and police continue to flare, triggered by the suspicious circumstances surrounding Gray’s death and the subsequent lack of information from the police.
The Baltimore protests echo those from last summer, after a series of unarmed black men were fatally injured by police officers across the country, prompting nationwide calls for an end to police brutality and racial profiling.
