Baltimore Prepares For Demonstrations After Minneapolis Unrest

BALTIMORE, MD — The death of a black man in custody of a Minneapolis police officer has had a ripple effect across the country, including 1,100 miles away in Baltimore, where leaders say they were deeply disturbed by the cellphone video of the arrest of 46-year-old George Floyd, which ended in his death.

"What we saw in the video was disturbing and shocking to the conscience," Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison said Friday afternoon at a news conference.

Derek Chauvin — the officer who was seen pressing his knee to Floyd's neck for several minutes — was charged Friday with third-degree murder and manslaughter. The death of Floyd touched off days of demonstrations in Minneapolis and other cities.

"Following the events from across the nation from yesterday and today, the Baltimore Police Department has been creating a contingency in the event we have to deploy resources to allow residents to exercise their First Amendment rights and then to keep them safe as well," Harrison said.

At least one demonstration is planned in Baltimore Saturday.

The Baltimore Police Department is "in constant contact" with its local law enforcement partners and Maryland State Police and has plans in the event of both large and small gatherings as well as short- and long-term demonstrations, Harrison said.

The commissioner called what happened in Minneapolis "deeply horrific" and "heartbreaking." He released a video Friday condemning what happened in Minnesota:

He has been overseeing implementation of Baltimore's consent decree under the Department of Justice, which took effect following the 2015 death of Freddie Gray in police custody.

"The Baltimore Police Department remains committed to rebuilding and earning the trust of the communities we serve through fair, equitable and dignified treatment of all," Harrison said. "I stand with the leaders from across this country and our communities to call for these officers to be held accountable for their abhorrent actions and for justice to be served."

The mayor of Baltimore also on Friday condemned the actions of the police in Minneapolis.

"As we all watched Minneapolis burn last night, it was a stark reminder of our city's own trauma," Baltimore Mayor Jack Young said Friday. "In Baltimore we are committed to carrying out our own structural reforms."

Said Young: "No human deserves to be treated the way Mr. Floyd was treated."

He said he had previously signed the Elijah Cummings City Healing Act into law and was launching a new COVID-19 coordinated mental health recovery effort to help residents get through this time.

See Also:

• Baltimore Plans Demonstration Saturday For National Day Of Protest
• George Floyd Death: Police Officer Derek Chauvin Arrested
• Freddie Gray Case Ends With Charges Dropped Against Officers
• George Floyd's Death Prompts Action In Anne Arundel County
• Freddie Gray Was a 'Martyr,' Says Jesse Jackson at Funeral
• Montgomery Police Condemn Floyd's Death, Plan For Protests