Mayor Talks About Baltimore's Future As Freddie Gray Trials Loom

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WJZ) -- U.S. Mayors, hoping to have presidential candidates take up issues important to cities, have a front person Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

But as Alex DeMetrick reports, a riot and the potential for more is casting a long shadow.

At her appearance at The National Press Club in Washington, Baltimore's mayor spoke as the President of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and to convince presidential candidates to champion city issues like infrastructure, public health, affordable housing and immigration reform.

"Mayors have to get things done," Rawlings-Blake said.

But as mayor of Baltimore, there's no escaping last spring's riots.

And questions from the press touched on what happens when six Baltimore police officers, charged in the death of Freddie Gray, begin going on trial next month.

"The lessons would be to take a look subsequent to the unrest with the improved training, the better communications protocols and well as equipment," she said.

Caught off guard by the violence, the administration has been stressing it is ready for whatever comes

"This time around we want to make sure we can possibly do everything we can to protect the citizens, the businesses, the police officers, and demonstrate our preparedness and our commitment to public safety," Interim Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said.

The mayor says relations between police and the public is a national issue and candidates running for national officer need to back city efforts.

"The police and the community are married. It can be a healthy marriage or it can be a bad marriage, but we're in this together," Rawlings-Blake said.

The first of the six police officers charged in the Gray case goes to trial on Nov. 30.