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The violent riots in Baltimore have subsided, but city officials are on edge with the threat of more riots this evening.
Earlier today, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan announced in a press conference that more than 1,000 National Guard soldiers would be deployed around Baltimore to ensure there’s not a repeat of the events that transpired last night. Fox 5 reports that Maryland National Guard spokesman Lt. Charles Kohler said as many as 5,000 members could be on the streets of Baltimore tonight.
The Baltimore City Police released the toll of yesterday’s riots, which accounted for 144 vehicle fires, 15 structural fires, and 235 arrests—34 of which were juveniles. According to the Baltimore Sun, at least one person is in critical condition as a result of one of those fires. Additionally, at least 20 police officers were injured—six seriously—as a result of yesterday’s riots.
In the wake of yesterday’s riot, hundreds of residents throughout West Baltimore came out to help clean up their neighborhoods and the businesses destroyed by the riots. Many people came to the site of a CVS pharmacy ravaged by looters to help sweep and cleanup the store.
The city is taking precautions in case more violent protests and riots break out again tonight. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake instituted a weeklong citywide curfew from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. effectively immediately. A number of local businesses have closed their doors and Baltimore City schools were closed today as well.
The Orioles postponed their game against the Chicago White Sox at Camden Yards tonight. Their game tomorrow will be played at Camden Yards but will be closed to the public.
President Barack Obama spoke about the situation in Baltimore for the first time earlier today when prompted by a reporter during a press conference. “There’s no excuse for the kind of violence that we saw yesterday, it is counter productive,” he said. He criticized the looters and rioters from yesterday saying “[they] are not protesting, they’re not making a statement, they’re stealing … And undermining businesses and opportunities in their own communities.”
He added that “if we are serious about solving this problem, then we’re going to need to not only help the police, we’re to have to think about what we can do—the rest of us.That’s hard,” he said. “That requires more than just the occasional news report or task force.
