Baltimore Mayor Imposes Curfew, Says 'Thugs' Trying To Tear Down City
BALTIMORE (CBS/AP) -- Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake says she will impose a weeklong curfew after people looted stores, set fire to cars and threw bricks and other objects at police officers.
"What we see going on tonight that is going on in our city is very disturbing. It is very clear there is a difference between what we saw over the past week with the peaceful protests, those who wish to seek justice, those who wish to be heard and want answers, and the difference between those protests and the thugs who only want to incite violence and destroy our city," said Rawlings-Blake during a press conference Monday evening.
The mayor said the only exceptions for people to be on the streets during the curfew would be for medical emergencies or those going to work.
"I'm a life-long resident of Baltimore, and too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs who, in a very senseless way, are trying to tear down what so many have fought for," she said. "We are deploying every resource possible to gain control of the situation and to ensure peace moving forward."
The riot began hours after the funeral for Freddie Gray, who died after suffering an injury in police custody.
Police say 15 officers have been injured in the Baltimore riots and two are still in the hospital.
More than two dozen people have been arrested after people looted stores, set cars on fire and threw bricks at police.
The riot started just hours after the funeral for Freddie Gray, who died following injuries he suffered while in police custody.
