Curfew Clamped In Baltimore As Police Arrest 27

Curfew was clamped in the U.S. city of Baltimore after at least 27 people were detained by the police during the protests owing to the killing of a black man named Freddie Gray in police custody. Over a thousand were protesting against the custodial death, forcing Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to impose a curfew across the city.

A state of emergency was declared by state governor Larry Hogan and Maryland National Guard was pressed into service to quell the mayhem caused even as around 15 cops sustained injuries. The governor has sent 500 state troopers to Baltimore and is requesting at least 5000 officers from neighbouring states. The National Guard have clarified that they won’t declare martial law and were merely present to help the cops control the situation there.

A week after Gray was arrested by the police, he died of bad injuries inflicted on his spine and this made protestors turn violent, set ablaze many police vehicles and torch a pharmacy in Baltimore. A probe has been ordered into Gray’s death and six officers having being held responsible have been suspended.

Turmoil fears have made the University of Maryland's downtown campus and several businesses to shut down early. The Metro between the Mondawmin and Lexington Market stations was shut down. City officials said roads near Mondawmin Mall were closed, as well as and North and Pennsylvania avenues. Downtown streets were also closed.

Police have come fully equipped in their riot gear and are busy trying to restore order, as demonstrations continue as usual. "I hope that as the eyes of the country are on Baltimore, that we see very clearly that this is a community that's willing to confront tough issues, that's willing to demand accountability, but also demands peace and progress at the same time," Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who attended Freddie Gray’s funeral, said in a bid to call for peace.

Thousands of people had gathered at the New Shiloh Baptist church to bid farewell to Gray and his family, while mourning his death, called for peace and harmony and an end to protestations. "We are here because of Freddie Gray, but we are here because there are a lot of Freddie Grays. There is a corrosion of justice around here," attorney William Murphy said at the service, which was also attended by White House cabinet secretary Broderick Johnson.

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