Yesterday, Baltimore saw protesters, cleanup crews and even dance troops — a far cry from Monday night's rioting. The National Guard is still on the streets. Last night there were some violations of the 10pm curfew and the police used tear gas to clear a major intersection.
Baltimore is trying to recover from its worst civil disturbance since 1968, when the city erupted over Martin Luther King's assassination. The public schools are open again, the Symphony will hold a free concert — but the Orioles will play baseball in an empty stadium closed to the public. Nobody has yet explained the death 10 days ago of Freddie Gray, a young, black man in police custody. State and federal prosecutors are investigating.
Yesterday, President Obama took time during his press conference with Japan's Prime Minister Abe, to denounced rioters as "thugs" and "criminals." He called violence in the divided city is another wake-up call for a nation plagued by police abuse and discrimination by race and class.