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BREAKING: Arrests made as hundreds in NYC, DC rally for Baltimore’s Freddie Gray
RT,
30 April, 2015
New York City police have started arresting people marching in solidarity with protesters in Baltimore, where demonstrations and riots were sparked by Freddie Gray’s death in police custody.
The arrests come after hundreds of people gathered in New York's Union Square to rally against Gray's death and in support of those in Baltimore. The NYPD had warned participants that marching into the streets or blocking sidewalks could result in arrests.
The
arrests come after hundreds of people gathered in New York's Union
Square to rally against Gray's death and in support of those in
Baltimore. The NYPD had warned participants that marching into the
streets or blocking sidewalks could result in arrests.
NYPD is arresting people on the streets. #ShutItDown #FreddieGray
Police
are charging protesters with disorderly conduct, according to CNN.
It's
unclear exactly how many have been arrested, but the Associated Press
is reporting that at least 12 people have been detained.
Still more being loaded into police vans here on 17th near Union Square, NYC #BlackLivesMatter #FreddieGray
The
event was organized by the Millions March coalition, which asked
participants who support“social,
economic, and racial justice” to
head down to Union Square to “stand
in solidarity with them and with their resistance because their
resistance is for justice and their justice is our justice.”
Union Square crowd chanting "#FreddieGray #MikeBrown shut the whole system down"
“People
of Baltimore have taken to the streets day after day for justice for
Freddie Gray and for Black lives across the country but now that the
National Guard has been called in and a curfew set, we must stand in
solidarity with the people of Baltimore,” the
group wrote on the Facebook page for Wednesday’s event.
“The
media will continue to paint the people of Baltimore as rioters and
looters but people forget that the City and Police of Baltimore loot
and destroy Black and Brown communities of Baltimore every day of the
year.”
Hundreds
of protesters showed up to Union Square to begin the rally.
A HUGE crowd gathering for #BaltimoreUprising solidarity march in #NYC #FreddieGray #BlackLivesMatter
Prior
to the rally's commencement, police used loudspeakers and distributed
flyers warning demonstrators that they could be arrested if they walk
in the streets or block the sidewalks.
In
Washington, DC, the National Black United Front scheduled its own
rally in support of Gray and “all
those that have been killed by at the hands of police terrorism.”
Speaking
with the Washington Post, one local activist described the motivation
behind the event.
“We
wanted to come out and show our solidarity with folks who are
protesting for Freddie Gray in Baltimore and continue to bring
national attention to this, and not allow for this, like any
incident, to be treated as isolated to one city,” said
Eugene Puryear.
Several
hundred people turned out, where protesters were set to march to the
White House.
Gray
was a 25-year-old American who died in police custody as a result of
a severe spinal cord injury. It’s unclear how Gray sustained the
injuries, though police have said that timely medical care was not
given and that the young man was not secured by a seatbelt when
placed in the back of a police wagon.
Federal
and local investigations are ongoing, but protesters have taken over
Baltimore streets nightly for the past week or so. The majority of
the rallies were peaceful, but rioting and looting on Monday pushed
the mayor to implement a weeklong curfew and for the Maryland
governor to declare a state of emergency.
Hundreds are rallying right now in downtown DC to demand justice for #FreddieGray #DCFerguson #BaltimoreUprising
Baltimore
Uprising: State Halts Civil Rights Protections for Those Arrested
As Baltimore picks up the
pieces from the last few days of protests and riots, a new day brings
new aspects to light, and a city that remained relatively calm on
Tuesday night is still bracing itself for the possibility of more
violence. Not helping matters, Baltimore police have imposed
expensive bonds on its poorest residents.
30
April, 2015
The
city’s police clarified Wednesday that their report on the details
of the death of unarmed 25-year-old Freddie Gray in police custody
would not be released on Friday as many expected, adding to mounting
frustrations among the city’s residents that information about the
murky incident is not forthcoming from authorities.
@CassandraRules Police should act accordingly and be as gentle as possible. Last thing we should be rooting for is #BaltimoreOnFire
I'm not rooting for Baltimore on fire, but this scares me more tbh. @chesswiz77 pic.twitter.com/W5kHLn7Bam
The
lead-up to the events in Baltimore over the last few nights is, at
best, complicated. Gray’s death ignited pent-up frustrations about
the way minorities are treated by US law enforcement. It’s hard to
condone the violence, but it’s necessary to understand where it
comes from: a sordid history of systemic prejudice, wherein black
youths are inherently viewed as threatening, while white youths
rioting after a soccer game are seen, simply, as rambunctious.
Mass
riots rarely happen in a vacuum, after all. Something lights the
tinderbox.
Thousands
of Troops Patrol Baltimore as Citywide Curfew Comes Into Effect
If
a history of injustice can be partly – if not mostly – blamed for
the riots, then Baltimore’s reaction to the demonstrations can also
play a major role in whether the last outburst was the one that
breaks the cyclical nature of inequality.
So
far, Baltimore police may be off to a bad start. In an effort to
crackdown on individuals which Baltimore Mayor Rawlings-Blake called
"thugs," the state’s governor, Larry Hogan, has put some
fairly draconian measures in place.
Taxing
the Poor to Protect the Rich
Over
the last two days, Baltimore police have arrested hundreds. While 35
were taken into custody Tuesday night after the city’s week-long 10
pm curfew went into effect, 235 were arrested during Monday’s
riots.
According
to the Guardian, most of those individuals are being held without
charge. While Maryland’s habeas corpus law allows for 24-hour
detention without charge, Governor Hogan has suspended that
safeguard, claiming it was "necessary to protect the public
safety."
There is no protest activity at this time in Baltimore. We continue to hope for peace. #OneBaltimore
Suspending
laws meant to protect the citizenry against the dangers of a
police-state is hardly the way to prevent chaos that was originally
inspired by those same fears of law enforcement overreach.
Katie
D’Adamo, a lawyer with the Office of the Public Defender, confirmed
to BuzzFeed News that most of the adults arrested on Monday are being
held in tiny cells.
Baltimore
City Police Captain Eric Kowalcyzk also said as much during a
Wednesday news conference, saying that 111 people have yet to be
charged with a crime, though he also said that many of those may be
released for the time being to be charged at a later date.
"While
we may be in a state of crisis, what we do now, under the American
system of justice, people who were arrested and have not been
arraigned, have not been charged, are in fact innocent," said
Cornell William Brooks, president of the NAACP. "The fact that
we have 200 people who are sitting in legal limbo is concerning."
A
man stands in front of a line of police officers in riot gear as part
of a community effort to disperse the crowd ahead of a 10 p.m. curfew
in the wake of Monday's riots following the funeral for Freddie Gray,
Tuesday, April 28, 2015, in Baltimore.
Even
those who have been charged face unjust circumstances. The Guardian
also states that the governor plans to retroactively discourage
future riots by imposing heavy, unrealistic bail bonds
against those who have been arrested.
One
19-year-old, for example, was charged with eight offenses
relating to his participation in demonstrations
on Saturday. His bail was set at $500,000, a high price to place
on an already disenfranchised population. The 19-year-old was
arrested after he was unable to pay.
A
City Holds Its Breath
The
likelihood of escalations during Wednesday demonstrations
is still anybody’s guess. But after Monday’s riots and
skirmishes following the curfew on Tuesday night, police
and city officials aren’t taking any chances.
In
an effort to curtail unnecessary crowds in the downtown
area, the Baltimore Orioles have taken steps of their own. In a
first for major league baseball, the Orioles played their game
against the Chicago White Sox to an empty stadium.
In
the past, MLB games that coincided with riots were postponed
to a later date. This was the first to be played to a
crowd of zero, with the Orioles winning with a score
of 8-2.
"It’s
a very tight schedule and…when you know you’re going to have
other conflicts like weather and unavoidable situations comes
up, you try to avoid it," league historian John Thorn told
ABC News.
Though
unprecedented, fans could still watch the game for free
on league’s website, and the decision will keep 30,000 people
off the streets of the Inner Harbor.
"After
conversations with the Orioles and local officials, we believe
that these decisions are in the best interests of fan
safety and the deployment of City resources," league
commissioner Rob Manfred said in statement.
Peaceful
protests have continued throughout the day, as they have
in days past since the death of Freddie Gray.
Organizers hope that is how they will remain.
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