Hundreds of people were marching Wednesday night in Baltimore in protest against the death of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who was fatally injured in police custody earlier this month.
Protesters, many off them college students, marched through downtown and to City Hall calling for swift justice in the case of Gray's death. Many wore black T-shirts that said "Black Lives Matter" — which has become the slogan of a movement against police brutality.
People also chanted, "Tell the truth. Stop the lies. Freddie Gray didn't have to die."
Jacob Kinder, a student at Goucher University in nearby Towson, Md., said Gray's death and the subsequent protests and riots have been a big topic all week on campus.
Hundreds of protesters, many of them students wearing backpacks, marched through downtown Baltimore Wednesday, calling for swift justice in the case of Freddie Gray, a black man fatally injured in police custody. (Matt Rourke/Associated Press)
"I think there's a pretty big fault line between students who think that the protests are justified and the riots are justified and people who don't see race as a problem," Kinder said.
Kinder is white, as were many in the group.
A similar protest was happening in New York City, where several hundred people gathered at Union Square in Manhatta, chanting "no justice, no peace" and "hands up, don't shoot." Some were taken away in handcuffs by police officers.
The demonstrations come as Baltimore tries to get back to normal after riots Monday night. A 10 p.m.-5 a.m. ET curfew was put in place Tuesday, and it will continue for the rest of the week.
Police said Wednesday that they arrested 35 people, including one juvenile, after the city imposed the curfew.
Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said more than 100 people are still waiting in jail to be charged in connection with the riots Monday night. He said police have a 48-hour window to charge them or else they will go free. Another 100 people who were also arrested have been charged.
He says the backlog has occurred because officers have to fill out documents and do other work to file the charges. He says if people are released, they may face charges later after officers review video and social media.
Slow return to normal but protests continue
After the curfew was lifted in Baltimore Wednesday, rush-hour traffic began flowing through downtown, including at an intersection where demonstrators and police had faced off Tuesday night.
Protestors demonstrate against the police-custody death of Freddie Gray outside City Hall, Wednesday, April 29, 2015, in Baltimore. Hundreds of protesters marched through downtown calling for swift justice in the case of Gray, a black man who suffered critical injuries while in police custody. (David Goldman/Associated Press)
There were about 15 officers in riot gear protecting a check cashing business that was trashed.
Elsewhere, schools were reopened and tensions seemed to ease.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra played a free outside concert around lunchtime, and dozens of people gathered and sang the national anthem as the orchestra played along. The concert was part of the city's efforts to return to some sort of normalcy after rioters looted stores and burned businesses on Monday night.
In one of the oddest spectacles in major-league history, the Baltimore Orioles played the Chicago White Sox in a stadium with no fans after officials closed the game to the public because of safety concerns related to the riots.
Freddie Gray report won't be released
There were isolated protests in parts of the city, including outside the office of Baltimore's top prosecutor where a few dozen protesters gathered in the early afternoon to demand swift justice in the Gray case.
Organizers said they were rallying in support of State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who took office in January and pledged during her campaign to address aggressive police practices.
The protesters chanted "No justice, no peace!" and "This is what democracy looks like!" They say the city needs to return to peaceful protests.
Police have said they will turn over their report on the death of Freddie Gray to Mosby's office on Friday. She will then face a decision on whether and how to pursue charges against the police officers who arrested Gray. Six officers have been suspended during the investigation.
But police made it clear Wednesday they would not be releasing the report publicly as had been previously reported in the media.
"We cannot release all of the information from this investigation to the public because if there is a decision to charge in any event by the state's attorney's office, the integrity of that investigation has to be protected," Kowalczyk said.
Attorney general decries 'senseless' violence
Justice Department officials say they have met with the family of Freddie Gray, who died of a spinal injury days after being taken into police custody, and with an injured police officer who remains hospitalized.
The department says the meetings happened Tuesday.
Justice officials also say representatives from a specialized office that mediates conflict between police departments and communities are also in Baltimore and met with residents who shared concerns about a lack of trust in law enforcement.
There were no fans in the stands to witness the Baltimore Orioles' victory over the Chicago White Sox Wednesday after officials barred the public from the game because of Monday's riots. (Gail Burton/Associated Press)
Separately, the department says the results of a federal review of the Baltimore Police Department's use of force practices are expected to be announced in coming weeks. The department also has begun a civil rights investigation into Gray's death.
Attorney General Loretta Lynch decried the rioting in Baltimore Wednesday, calling it "senseless acts of violence" that were counterproductive.
U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who was only sworn into office the day of the riots, said Wednesday that Baltimore is 'struggling to balance great expectations and need with limited resources.' (Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)
In remarks at the Justice Department, she said while the city is in some ways a symbol of the issues the nation has been talking about when it comes to police use of force against black men, it is more than that. It is a city that police are trying to protect, and that peaceful protesters are trying to improve, she said, while "struggling to balance great expectations and need with limited resources."
Lynch, the former federal prosecutor for portions of New York City, was sworn in Monday to replace Eric Holder, becoming the first African-American woman to serve as the nation's top law enforcement official.
Address underlying social issues: Obama
President Barack Obama said Wednesday that the Baltimore riots show that police departments need to build more trust in black communities.
In an interview broadcast Wednesday on The Steve Harvey Morning Show, Obama said his heart went out to the Baltimore officers who were injured by rioters. He said there's no excuse for that kind of violence and that Baltimore police showed "appropriate restraint."
But he is calling on police departments "to hold accountable people when they do something wrong." He said Lynch is reaching out to mayors to let them know what resources are available for retraining police and providing body cameras to hold them accountable.
Obama said problems will continue if the response is only to retrain police without dealing with underlying social issues such as poor education, drugs and limited job opportunities. He says tackling those problems will require a broader movement.
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