Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images.

In response to the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray—who died of spinal injuries sustained while in police custody—hundreds took to the streets of Baltimore in protest over the weekend.

Since Gray’s death on April 19th—a week after he was arrested—people have been peacefully protesting the streets of Baltimore with a clear but firm message: that they want justice, answers, and accountability from the police department and city of Baltimore.

Over the weekend, some of the peaceful protests turned violent. The Baltimore City Paper has been diligently covering the ongoing protests, even when things took a violent turn (City Paper photo editor J.M. Giordano was beaten by Baltimore police, along with some protesters while trying to cover the events). The Baltimore Sun reports that 31 adults and four juveniles were arrested during Saturday’s protests for a variety of charges, including disorderly conduct, assaulting a police officer, malicious destruction of property, rioting, theft, and more. The Sun also reports that six officers suffered minor injuries during Saturday’s protests.

But there are some questions as to what exactly caused the peaceful protests to suddenly turn violent. Neil Cooler, an Arlington, Va. resident, told DCist that he met other protesters at about 1:15 p.m. at the Western District police station, where everyone was getting organized.

“There were a few hundred people there, some speakers,” Cooler says. “Everyone was calm, there were no police in sight, save for [police helicopter] Foxtrot.” That collected calmness of the protesters lasted throughout the afternoon into the evening as they marched through West Baltimore with Gray’s family, Cooler says. “We stopped at the Shock Trauma Center for a moment of silence.”

Even when the protesters entered the Camden Yards area—the reported area where things took a turn—the protesters were self-policing themselves to ensure everything remained peaceful. “I saw a couple of half-empty water bottles thrown at the police,” Cooler says. “They didn’t fight back and the protesters policed themselves and everyone told the bottle throwers to stop and they did. I witnessed one kid jump on a cruiser and dent the roof/crack the light bar and all of the protesters told him to get down and policed again. The goal was to block traffic and bring attention to the problem.”

But the violence didn’t take place until later that evening after Cooler had hopped on a 7:20 p.m. train back to D.C.

According to multiple reports, things began to turn south after dark, when, as the Sun reports, “a minority of out-of-town instigators caused the violence.” According to multiple eye-witnesses, the trouble started when sports fans coming out of Camden Yards provoked protesters by yelling racial slurs and insults.

The Nation’s Dave Zirin, who was covering Saturday’s protest, reports that fans attending Saturday’s Orioles game were told to stay inside Camden Yards after the game was over for their own protection as the protesters rallied in the area. From Zirin:

But before we go to the baseball field, let’s make one thing clear: most everything the media reported about the Baltimore protests has skirted the line between the highly sensationalistic to the libelous. Every headline and photo has focused on property damage, allegedly done by those protesting for Freddie Gray. Played down or ignored is the Baltimore I saw: a place where more than two thousand people—including families and children—marched resolutely while helicopters and visible surveillance drones flew overhead.

More from Zirin:

This detaining of thousands of fans for their own “protection,” only lasted a few minutes but it’s effects have been far-reaching. Whether intentional or not, it was more than just an overly cautious over-reaction. It was a message sent out across the country that this protest was not only unlawful but something to be feared.

Most of what’s been reported about the violent part of Saturday’s protests downplays or misreports that it was largely instigated by drunk sports fans. For example, the below photo, allegedly depicting a woman having her bag stolen by a protester, spread across social media like wildfire yesterday:

The man in the picture, Baltimore City Paper’s Brandon Soderberg, says that many media outlets have been reporting the photo out of context.

Despite whatever false narrative many media outlets have been reporting, the fact remains that violence broke out over the weekend and it needs to be addressed. At Freddie Gray’s funeral today—where thousands turned out to pay respect, including three of President Barack Obama’s aides—Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said that she worried that Saturday’s burst of violence has “[become] a distraction” from the tragedy of Gray’s death.

“I got so many calls and messages last night and this morning from people who certainly expressed frustration and grief about the tragic death of Freddie Gray but wanted to also explain how heartbroken they were that our city was vandalized by a small group of individuals,” Rawlings-Blake said in a press conference Sunday, the Sun reports.

Though the protests have died down after Saturday’s incidents, Baltimore police are worried that more violence is on the horizon for the city.

As police worry about the threat of gang retaliation against officers, Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md. 7th District) pleaded for peace at yesterday’s press conferece. “I haven’t come here to ask you to respect wishes of the family,” Cummings said. “I’ve come here to beg you.”

Filed Under: baltimore, baltimore protests, freddie gray,