For more than two weeks, the City of Baltimore has been reeling over the tragic death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who suffered a fatal spinal injury while riding in the back of a police van. He was arrested on April 12 and died one week later. The details surrounding his death are still unclear, though Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts has admitted that his officers left Gray unbuckled in the van despite being handcuffed and shackled. Batts also acknowledged that Gray's multiple requests for medical attention were ignored. Mobile video footage from a bystander shows Gray crying out in pain before he was taken away.
Peaceful demonstrations to demand justice for Freddie Gray and other victims of police brutality have been organized throughout Baltimore since Gray's initial arrests. The movement against police brutality in the city did not start with Freddie Gray-citizens have been protesting harsh treatment by Baltimore police for years. Yet Gray's death has been a critical, galvanizing event for the community. More than 1,000 people turned up on Saturday, April 23, to march. Two days later, Gray was buried with 3,000 people attending his funeral-including relatives of Eric Garner, Trayvon Martin, Amadou Diallo, and Alberta Spruill.
Several hours later, just a half-mile from the church where Gray's funeral was held in West Baltimore, riots broke out, spreading across the city and lasting for hours. Below are photos, taken by Rachel Cohen and Juliana Vigorito, of both the riots Monday night and the community cleanup Tuesday morning. -Rachel M. Cohen