National Guard troops are guarding the eastern U.S. city of Baltimore, Maryland. The action is part of an effort to re-establish order a day after rioting caused widespread destruction there. The violence started after the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man. He died from injuries suffered while police detained him.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency in Baltimore. The city’s public schools were closed Tuesday. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake has declared a week-long night-time curfew. She called the riots, “one of the darkest days the city has ever faced.”
The violence began as hundreds of high school students protested Freddie Gray’s death after classes had been dismissed for the day. Protesters attacked and burned businesses and vehicles. Some threw stones, bottles and other objects at police. Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said 15 officers were injured in the clashes. More than 200 people were arrested.
“I understand anger,” said Mayor Rawlings-Blake, “What we see isn’t anger – it’s the destruction of a community. My heart is obviously broken because somebody did not understand that we were for the community. Somebody did not understand that we were working on behalf of the community to invest, when nobody else would.”
Monday night, the family of Freddie Gray called for the rioting to stop. His mother, Gloria Darden, spoke to reporters. “I want you all to get justice for my son, but don’t do it like this here. Don’t tear up the whole city, man. Just for him? It’s wrong.”
Freddie Gray suffered severe spinal cord injuries after he was arrested on April 12. Officials say he was not placed correctly while being transported in a police vehicle. Police Commissioner Batts said officers were slow to recognize that he needed medical attention.
His death has become the latest incident to fuel protests about contacts between police and minorities in the United States.
The U.S. Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation have ordered a civil rights investigation into Freddie Gray’s death. The Baltimore Police Department says it expects more information about the case on May 1.
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