BALTIMORE — After an unprecedented week of upheaval, thousands of citizens of this beleaguered city came out once again Saturday, this time hoping that the end of chaos would mark the beginning of real change.
The crowd gathered at City Hall on a spring day might have been smaller than the 5,000 predicted when the rally was planned, but it was decidedly upbeat.
Protesters who had grown hoarse calling for police to be held accountable in the death of Freddie Gray seemed almost disoriented by getting their wish. Some toggled between euphoria and skepticism. Others tried to keep the pressure on, saying only that a conviction would equal justice.
As the day wore on, however, the peaceful mood shifted somewhat as residents chafed at the prospect of yet another evening of police-imposed restrictions.
Toward the end of the afternoon, mounted police could be seen stationing themselves around downtown blocks. Then, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts announced that a mandatory curfew would stay in place for a fifth night because authorities were worried about more trouble.
Still, on a day when rival gang members could appear together at the microphone, protesters celebrated that a door seemed to open a crack — and they agreed that it now needed to be kicked wide.
Andre Powell, 60, leaned against an office building a block from City Hall and tried to make sense of a week unlike any other in his 20 years of organizing around the issue of “police terror.”
“It’s not over. That’s really important,” said Powell, a Maryland state employee. “The officers haven’t been put on trial. They haven’t spent a day in jail. We’ve only won one battle.”
This moment must be leveraged, Powell said, to establish more civilian control over the Baltimore police and set up a review board with subpoena power. People need to seize this moment to come forward with their stories. Freddie Gray’s death was horrific, but he was far from an outlier, he said.
Caneisha Mills said the good feelings won’t last unless the criminal charges are followed by much more than guilty verdicts.
“We need education centers, social programs, counselors,” said Mills, a middle school teacher from Washington who traveled to Baltimore as part of a group from the D.C.-Ferguson movement. “It’s not just that we’re sad about Freddie Gray.”
The festive vibe and abundance of vendors and street performers made clear how much tension had drained away since State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby acted with surprising swiftness Friday. Even as they celebrated — some called Saturday’s gathering a victory march — many yearned for an end to upheavals that have included burning shops, media glare and a 10 p.m. curfew.
Police maintained a sizable presence Saturday, and some protesters and tourists snapped pictures with officers and National Guard soldiers. In announcing the continuation of the curfew Saturday night, authorities said they wanted to ensure that a peaceful day ended the same way.
