Just hours after the funeral of yet another black man who died in police custody, the city of Baltimore erupted in violence on Monday with hordes of black youths pelting the police with stones, looting stores and setting them ablaze, prompting the authorities to declare a state of emergency in the port city barely 65 km from Washington.
In scenes reminiscent of the protracted anti-police violence in Ferguson, triggered by the shooting death of a black teenager by a white police officer last August, Baltimore has been witnessing protests over the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray from spinal injuries reportedly suffered while in police custody nine days ago.
But the protests that were largely peaceful earlier turned suddenly violent on Monday, with hundreds of youths hurling rocks and bottles at the police, who appeared badly outnumbered and were seen in retreat even as their cars were torched. The mobs went on a looting spree at a major pharmacy and shops in a mall, setting them on fire while running away with the booty.
At least 15 police officers were injured, some with broken bones and at least one of them unconscious, in the rapidly-escalating unrest that finally prompted the authorities to declare emergency, impose night-time curfew and deploy National Guard troops.
Police said on Tuesday that two people had been shot, each in the leg, in separate incidents overnight. In all, 27 persons have been taken into custody.
Baltimore is a black majority city with an African-American mayor and police chief. The city’s Democratic leadership came under criticism for not seeking early deployment of National Guard troops from the State of Maryland’s Republican Governor.
Gray’s death on April 19, following his arrest after a chase and restraining action a week earlier, is the subject of an inquiry. Pending its outcome, six officers have already been placed under suspension. He is but the latest in a list of black men who have died in encounters with police that have included Ferguson’s Brown, Eric Garner of Staten Island in New York and Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Members of Gray’s family disapproved of the rioting. Attorney William Murphy said the Gray family dreaded that the rioting might affect the investigation into the young man’s death. “This could damage the justice we’re trying to get for Freddie,” Murphy said.
Making up for their initial inaction, the authorities said up to 5,000 troops from the National Guard would be available to keep the peace on Baltimore’s streets.