Demonstrators upset with the Baltimore police handling of the arrest of Freddie Gray, a young man who died from a spinal injury one week after he was detained by officers, marched through the city’s streets Saturday.
The police department used Twitter to update the public on the progress of the march, which it called a peaceful protest. The march ended up at City Hall, where speakers demanded justice for the Gray family and an end to what they called police brutality against black suspects.
At least one protest organizer had promised in advance that the event would be big enough to shut down the city, but while hundreds of people turned out and walked, the major disruption was only to traffic on a few streets.
After hearing speakers and taking down a U.S. flag and replacing it with a black-and-white version, protesters headed toward the Inner Harbor, where there are dozens of restaurants packed with weekend diners, and the Oriole Park at Camden Yards, where there is an evening baseball game.
Gray died on Sunday, a week after his arrest. Protesters have marched since, outraged by the arrest, which was recorded on a bystander’s cell phone and nature of Gray’s death. The witness said Gray was yelling and indicated he was having difficulty breathing.
At some point after he was detained, he suffered a severe spinal cord injury. His family said his voice box was crushed and his neck snapped before he slipped into a coma and died.
On Friday, police officials said that Gray should have received medical care at the site of his arrest and at other times as he was transported to a police station. The van carrying him stopped three times on its way to the station where he was to be booked, but when it arrived at the Western District officers called for an ambulance, which took him to a hospital.
The questions investigators are looking into are: How and where did Gray suffer a severe spinal injury? And are police liable for his death?
The preliminary work on his autopsy has been done, but the medical examiner’s office is waiting on toxicology results and may invite spinal experts to look at the case, authorities said. A full report may take 30 to 45 days.
Police Commissioner Anthony Batts told reporters on Friday there are no excuses for the fact that Gray was not buckled in as he was transported to a police station.
He also said officers should have given Gray timely medical care “multiple times.”
Those comments upset members of the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police.
“We are disappointed in the comments made yesterday by Commissioner Anthony Batts, and various members of his command staff, relative to the actions of the officers directly involved in the Gray investigation,” Gene Ryan, president of the organization said in a written statement. “These comments appear to be politically driven and in direct contrast to the commissioner’s own request not to jump to any conclusions until the entire investigation is complete.”
Police say five of the six officers involved in the arrest have provided statements to investigators. The sixth officer has invoked his right to refuse to answer questions, Batts said.
A wake for Gray will be held Sunday, with a memorial service and funeral following on Monday.