Baltimore: After riots, protesters and police ensure peace

By: CBS58 Staff

Posted: Apr 29, 2015 7:34 AM CDT | Updated: Jul 28, 2016 5:26 PM CDT

In Baltimore, the numbers alone show the stark contrast between Monday's lawlessness and Tuesday's restraint.

On Monday night, police made 235 arrests. After a citywide curfew went into effect at 10 p.m. Tuesday, only 10 people were arrested.

On Monday, 20 officers were injured, including six seriously. On Tuesday night, one officer was hurt.

And on Monday night, dozens of cars and buildings went up in flames as sirens blared throughout the city. On Tuesday night, nothing was on fire.

After Monday's violent outburst, the city had held its breath in the minutes leading up to the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew, wondering whether mayhem will erupt once again.

It didn't.

While some protesters defied the curfew and faced off with police, the confrontation was essentially a staring contest -- each side waiting to see what the other side would do.

Even a notorious intersection near where Freddie Gray was arrested was peaceful Tuesday night.

Twenty-four earlier, the intersection had a burned out car. A tavern there was looted. So was a liquor store.

By Tuesday night, aside from officers in riot gear standing next to armored vehicles, there wasn't a soul in sight.

With the renewed peace, Baltimore city schools will reopen Wednesday. Cleanup will continue. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will host a free concert because \"we could all use a little music in our lives right about now.\"

After sharp criticism over what went wrong Monday night, many are marveling at everything that went right Tuesday.

Protesters policed each other

Throughout the day and night, peaceful protesters formed human barricades between hot-tempered demonstrators and police.

\"We show that we can police ourselves,\" said one man who stood for hours in what protesters dubbed a \"unity line.\"

\"We're about positivity here in Baltimore. It starts with us. This long line of people came out here because what we seen on TV yesterday, we didn't like it.\"

In the minutes before the curfew, one community leader grabbed a megaphone and clamored for demonstrators to leave.

\"Go home tonight! Please!\" she bellowed on the megaphone. \"You know, it's not about people selling out.\"

Police restraint

Many residents also credited the police for not over-reacting after the curfew went into effect.

\"The police did a fantastic job tonight,\" one person commented on Twitter. \"Technically they could of arrested everyone at 10:01.\"

Instead, authorities made just 10 arrests: seven for violating curfew, two for looting and one for disorderly conduct, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said.

Before the curfew, Baltimore police Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said officers had a \"wide range of discretion' on how to enforce it.

This time, police had help -- lots of it.

Some 2,000 National Guardsmen and more than 1,000 police officers from across Maryland and neighboring states were assigned to the streets of Baltimore on Tuesday night, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said.

\"This combined force will not tolerate violence or looting, which has led to the destruction of property and put innocent Marylanders at risk,\" the governor said.

The clean-up

While there was no major damage Tuesday night, the recovery from Monday's destruction is far from over.

Many saw their neighborhoods torn apart, their homes and vehicles damaged, their livelihoods in shambles.

So residents like Cindy Oxendine took to the streets to sweep up rocks, glass and more, despite her aching back.

\"It started off peaceful, and it ends up like this,\" Oxendine told CNN affiliate WBAL. \"I've seen stuff like this on the news in other cities, but I never thought I would see it in front of my doorstep. It's crazy.\"

Others who also had nothing to do with the riots also tried to clean up the mess. Sulaiman Abdul-Aziz, 15, said he saw some of the mayhem.

\"I felt disappointed,\" the teen said, \"because a lot of that could have been avoided if people would have started thinking before they would have done all that stuff.\"

The governor's office has started a new website for those wanting to help Baltimore recover from the havoc of this week's riots.

\"We have received an outpouring of support from Marylanders and people all around the country who want to help get our beloved Baltimore back on its feet in the wake of the violence and destruction,\" Hogan said in a statement.

The website, www.marylandunites.org, allows visitors to volunteer for clean-up efforts, donate to charities helping affected residents and report new incidents to police.

Fresh protests across the country

Baltimore wasn't alone in protests Tuesday night. Hundreds of demonstrators flooded streets in Ferguson, Missouri, in solidarity.

But the outcome in Ferguson was more violent. At least two people were shot in separate incidents.

City spokesman Jeff Small said officers aren't sure whether the shootings were linked to the protests.

\"Police are having a difficult time investigating because of the rocks being thrown at them,\" Small said.

Ferguson and Baltimore are among a spate of cities where protests have erupted over the deaths of black men who died after encounters with police.

Last August, unarmed black teenager Michael Brown was shot and killed by Officer Darren Wilson in Ferguson.

Baltimore's outrage came after the death of Freddie Gray, who died from a severe spinal cord injury on April 19. Many questions remain over how Gray suffered that fatal injury a week earlier, after he was arrested.

Baltimore police have been investigating Gray's death and are expected to have a report for the state's attorney's office by Friday. From there, prosecutors will decide whether charges should be filed.

Anger over Gray's death may have spurred Monday's violence, but Baltimore City Council Member Brandon Scott said it was also fueled by \"a long, long, longstanding issue with young African-Americans.\"

\"We're talking about years and decades of mistrust, of misfortune, of despair that it's just coming out in anger,\" Scott said. \"No, it is not right for them to burn down their own city. But that is what's coming out of these young people.\"

Moving forward

The city will still have a curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. for the next week.

The Baltimore Orioles, whose Tuesday night game was postponed, will get to play the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday -- though the game will be closed to the public. A Major League Baseball source said the league is not aware of any prior closed-door games in major league history.

But Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Tuesday the city is recovering.

\"I think we saw a lot more of what Baltimore is about,\" she said. \"We saw people coming together to reclaim our city, to clean our city, and to help heal our city. I think this can be our defining moment.\"