In Baltimore, Maryland, thousands of people have continued to protest peacefully over the police custody death of Freddie Gray. Gray died of spinal injuries a week after he was arrested for looking a police lieutenant in the eye, then running away. His family said his spine was 80 percent severed at the neck. Overnight, thousands of police and National Guard troops continued to enforce a 10 p.m. curfew. Newly confirmed Attorney General Loretta Lynch said the Justice Department would provide whatever resources are needed to control the protests.
Loretta Lynch: “I have been in direct contact with officials in Maryland, including the governor, and I’ve directed this department to provide any assistance that might be helpful in restoring calm and resolving the unrest that broke out across the city.”
After arresting more than 200 people overnight on Monday, Baltimore was forced to release about half of them Wednesday, amid a spate of legal challenges. Some of the prisoners said they were held without food for 18 hours. An 18-year-old shown in a picture smashing a police car with a traffic cone is being held on half a million dollars bail, after his stepfather convinced him to turn himself in. Schools reopened in Baltimore after they were closed following Monday night’s uprising, which saw cars and buildings torched. But the public was barred from attending a Baltimore Orioles baseball game at Camden Yards, meaning the teams played for an empty stadium. The Associated Press called it “one of the weirdest spectacles in major-league history.”