April 28, 2015

Some Hopeful Images From Baltimore: Residents Uniting to Clean Up the City

AP/Evan Vucci

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After an evening of violent unrest, Baltimore residents emerged Tuesday morning to clean up after the destruction and prepare for what could be more chaos. On Monday, at least 15 police officers were injured and dozens of businesses were destroyed, as rioters clashed with law enforcement officials throughout most of the evening.

Residents, including children, were seen gathering around a CVS that had been looted and torched the night before. An affordable housing unit for senior citizens was also among the buildings destroyed by fires. Many businesses remain closed until further notice.

A large part of the clean-up effort was initiated by a Facebook group seeking volunteers to help amid Monday’s violence. By Tuesday morning, nearly 2,500 people gathered at various meeting points throughout the city.

Monday’s rioting followed the funeral of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, whose death after suffering a spinal cord injury while in police custody sparked protests. Initially, those protests were mostly peaceful; Gray’s family was quick to denounce the ugliness that erupted Monday. “To see that it turned into all this violence and destruction, I am really appalled,” Richard Shipley, Gray’s stepfather, told NBC.

Many community members have also condemned the destruction. On Monday, one unidentified mother was seen reprimanding her son for participating in the violence.

Another protest is scheduled for 3 p.m. on Tuesday.

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