According to the police report and NBC and BBC News sources this is the breakdown of the protests in Baltimore and their cause. Baltimore resident Freddie Gray died after suffering injuries during an arrest on April 12th. The officers chased Gray down after he, according to the police officers involved, “fled unprovoked”. A switchblade was found on Freddie Gray’s person, possession of such an object is illegal in Baltimore. Gray was not given immediate medical attention despite his protests that he was hurt and his demands for an inhaler. He also was not properly secured in the police van he was carried away in. Gray was at last taken to Maryland University Hospital’s Shock Trauma Center. Gray slipped into a coma and died a week later on April 19th.
“Baltimore needs peace”
— Freddie Gray's Stepfather
On April 20th the Baltimore Police Department announced that they were suspending six officers in connection to the case. The day before the officers were suspended protests began in front the Western District Center. On April 21st the Justice Department began an investigation of the case. From April 21st onward protest continued to grow.
On April 25th protests turned violent with many properties near Camden Yards, the stadium for the Baltimore Orioles, were damaged. The night of April 27th, after the funeral for Freddie Gray, protests in Baltimore turn into riots with major damage done to properties and police vehicles. Governor Hogan declares a state of emergency and sends in State Troopers and National Guard troops. The Baltimore Orioles played to an empty stadium on April 29th due to the citywide curfew.
On May 1st, the State prosecutor Marilyn Mosby said the death of the 25-year-old black man was a homicide, and his arrest was illegal. The officers in the case will face criminal charges. The charges range from second degree murder to assault.
The arrest of Freddie Gray and his death from injuries suffered during police custody reignited debate in the country over police brutality. Many in Baltimore feel that they are victims of oppression by the police because of their socio-economic status.
Freddie Gray’s family denounced the riots, his Stepfather was quoted as saying, “Baltimore needs peace”. Things have calmed down in Baltimore since the violence at the end of April because on May 1st charges were pressed against the officers involved. The last news article specifically covering the riots was posted on May 3rd when BBC reported that the Baltimore authorities were lifting the overnight curfew. The debate about police brutality has moved on from the streets of Baltimore.
