Riots Place Baltimore In A State Of Emergency

Riots Place Baltimore In A State Of Emergency

Baltimore residents continued to be at odds with the police department as protests following the burial of Freddie Gray escalated into emotional displays, rioting, and property damage later in the day. With cars and stores set ablaze and people flooding the streets in multiple isolated pockets of rioting, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and called in the national guard, as well as thousands of additional law enforcement officers. Via CNN:

Up to 5,000 law enforcement officials will be requested from the mid-Atlantic region to help quell the violence in Baltimore, Col. William Pallozzi of the Maryland State Police said at a press conference late Monday.

Chaos and violence erupted on the streets of Baltimore late Monday as protesters clashed with police, several of whom were injured.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard. The mayor of Baltimore said every possible resource was being deployed to “gain control of this situation.”

“What we see tonight that is going on in our city is very disturbing,” Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake told reporters. “Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs who — in a very senseless way — are trying to tear down what so many have fought for.”

She announced that the city will impose a mandatory curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily, effective for one week starting Tuesday. The mayor also promised to hold those responsible for the violence accountable.

He said that 15 officers were injured. Two remain hospitalized, and the others have been released. Most were hurt by flying debris in the violence that DeSousa described as “unprecedented.”

Rioting doesn’t solve the issues at hand…but it’s a symptom of a bigger issue. Stopping this display of widespread frustration is step one…but what will they do to fix the issue of police violence that birthed this problem to begin with??