Mayor Will Be Out Of Country During Freddie Gray Anniversary
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- WJZ has learned that during the upcoming anniversary of Freddie Gray's arrest, the city's top leader will be out of the country.
Rick Ritter has more on the Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's trip, which comes at a crucial time for the city.
April 12 is the one-year anniversary of Gray's arrest. The 25-year-old was taken into custody by Baltimore City police and died a week later of a spinal cord injury. His death sparked outrage and chaos as the city erupted in turmoil.
April 12 is also the day that the mayor leaves for southwest Asia on a five-day trip arranged by the U.S. Conference of Mayors and financed by the government of Qatar.
"I know that I have a city that doesn't want to see what happened last April happen again," said Rawlings-Blake, who was criticized last year for waiting hours to publicly appear while Baltimore burned on national television, and then for her decision to enforce a citywide curfew.
But she says she's not concerned about the timing of the trip.
"You can be worried or you can plan, and we're planning," the mayor said.
She added that similar preparations were effective during a hung jury for Officer William Porter.
And even though she'll be overseas for days, she says she'll still be checking in.
"I am constantly engaged whether I am in Baltimore, whether I'm in Towson, D.C.," said mayor said.
She also noted that the city needs to give Gray's family the respect and peace they asked for.
"We're better than that and we know that," she said. "And that's not just me saying that, it's coming from the community."
Some have already been planning peaceful protests, including Pastor Jamal Bryant, calling on people from across the country to join in.
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