Baltimore Riots: March from Midtown, Tick-Tock for Police

Baltimore Police say that roughly half of those arrested after Monday’s riots were still waiting to be processed Wednesday afternoon. Due to the backlog of paperwork needed to file charges, many were released without being charged or even told why they had been arrested, The Washington Post reported.

Police made 209 arrests during the riots Monday and of those, 111 people had yet to be charged Wednesday afternoon, according to Capt. Eric Kowalczyk.

“These were lawful arrests,” Kowalczyk said. He explained that during attacks on people and property, officers moved quickly to make arrests, while the administrative process was taking more time. Legally, he said authorities have 48 hours to charge an individual arrested in the riots, and if they cannot make the deadline, they will release the detainees now and file charges later.

Under normal circumstances, police are required to charge someone within 24 hours of an arrest and provide an opportunity to appear before a commissioner and post bail, but because of the state of emergency Gov. Larry Hogan extended that to 48 hours, according to The Washington Post.

Rallies, Marches Continue

Baltimore college and high school students planned a march at 5:45 p.m. starting at Penn Station and ending at City Hall.

At 6 p.m. CASA Baltimore organized a march at its headquarters at 2224 East Fayette Street to St. Patrick’s Church on Broadway at Bank streets. Participants held a prayer vigil calling for justice for the African American and Latino communities.

After riots rocked the city, peaceful demonstrations have popped around town.

Members of the faith community held a noon rally for peace outside the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, 120 East Baltimore Street.

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra delivered a free “peace concert” outside the Meyerhoff, 1212 Cathedral Street. “We could all use a little music now,” the orchestra tweeted.

Meanwhile, the Orioles played the White Sox with no fans inside the stadium at 2:05 p.m. in Camden Yards after the game was closed to the public amid unrest. The Orioles won, 8-2.

Curfew Enforcement Update

Gov. Larry Hogan has started a website called “Maryland Unites” as a resource for those who need help, want to report incidents or would like to donate time or money to helping Baltimore recover.

Overnight, there were approximately 3,000 officials out keeping the peace—2,000 National Guardsmen and 1,000 police, according to Hogan. The heavy law enforcement presence was designed to ensure the riots that happened Monday evening, when there were 235 arrests, did not persist, according to CNN.

Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said the first night of a weeklong curfew in the city appeared to work.

“The city is stable,” Batts told ABC News, noting the curfew was “in fact working.”

There was one “hot spot” on North at Pennsylvania avenues, where police used tear gas and pepper pellets to break up the crowd as some threw glass and bottles at officers, according to WYPR, which said there were ten arrests in the hour after the 10 p.m. curfew—two for looting, one for disorderly conduct and seven for breaking curfew.

Traffic Impacts

Police said drivers should avoid Penn Station Wednesday night because of the marchers.

Due to the peace concert mentioned above, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra officials anticipated “significant traffic delays” on nearby streets; citizens were advised to avoid the area after noon until the concert concludes.

The following roads were closed Wednesday, according to Baltimore transportation officials: Fayette at President to Gay; Baltimore Street at President to Gay; Frederick from Lexington to Fayette; westbound North Avenue at Druid Avenue.

Screenshot from YouTube/New York Times. Afternoon press conference photo by @BaltimorePolice.

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