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[h=4]Baltimore police commissioner: 'The city is stable'[/h]One night after violent protests that saw buildings burned, stores looted and more than 20 police officers injured, Baltimore enjoyed a night of relative calm Tuesday as police and National Guard troops dispersed protesters and a curfew took effect without any major disturbances.
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Police officers used pepper spray to try to enforce curfew and break up crowds on the second night of protests in Baltimore. VPC
Residents create a human buffer line of people between the protesters and the police lines one day after rioting following the funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year old black man who died in police custody.(Photo: Jack Gruber, USA TODAY)
One night after violent protests that saw buildings burned, stores looted and more than 20 police officers injured, Baltimore enjoyed a night of relative calm Tuesday as police and National Guard troops dispersed protesters and a curfew took effect without any major disturbances.
Shortly after the curfew began it looked as though more violent clashes between police and protesters were in store when members of the crowd hurled objects at police and officers responded by firing pepper pellets and smoke canisters into the crowd.
Yet, the tension quickly eased as the remaining crowd began to disperse and the police maintained a measured response. In all, 10 people were arrested Tuesday night, seven of them for violating the curfew, two for looting and one for disorderly conduct, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said in a news conference.
"We do not have a lot of activity or movement throughout the city as a whole, so the curfew is, in fact, working," Batts said. "Citizens are safe. The city is stable. We hope to maintain it that way."
USA TODAY
The part of the Baltimore protests you haven't seen
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the week-long curfew Monday night in response to the riots that broke out following the funeral for Freddie Gray.
Gray died April 19, one week after being arrested and suffering a severe spinal injury. After Gray's funeral Monday, protests ostensibly against police violence quickly deteriorated into devastating riots. Bands of looters, some armed with crowbars, roamed the city, hurling rocks at police, destroying patrol cars, smashing store windows and torching buildings.
As the 10 p.m. curfew drew closer, a police sergeant broadcast a plea to the thousands of people who had gathered at the intersection of West North and Pennsylvania. While the gathering on Tuesday stayed peaceful, she said, it was time to go home.
"We police ourselves. That's how we do it," she said. "We are showing America we can police ourselves. We are going to fight on your behalf. We are about our neighborhood. We're going to rebuild. We want a better Baltimore. Parents, take your children home."
While some in the crowd left, many remained until the final moments or vowed to stay even as police in riot gear advanced down the street. Dana Briscoe, 33, said he didn't think police had the resources to lock everyone up for violating the curfew. Briscoe, who works for a cell phone company, said he'd stay to make a statement.
"The whole point of the protest is bucking the system," Briscoe said. "It's a part of history."
Thomas Plummer, 28, a tow truck driver, tied a t-shirt over his face to protect himself if police turned to tear gas and pepper spray to disperse the crowd. He said he planned to challenge the curfew because he wanted to show that police don't have all the power.
"It shows them who is in control, who has the power," he said. "They need to remember they work for us."
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USA TODAY's Rem Rieder and Michael Wolff discuss the responsibility of the media when covering a polarizing story like the riots in Baltimore, Maryland. (USA NEWS, USA TODAY)
A little smoke and tear gas seemed like a minor inconvenience to Shawny Reese, 28, a nursing assistant and student, who served with the Army's 101st Airborne.
"I spent 15 months in Afghanistan. If I can't stand with my people for one night, I'm not worth anything. " she said. "I want justice. I have a father, a brother. I don't want to be afraid for my men every day."
Governor Hogan said Tuesday that 250 people were arrested in Monday's violence. Police said more than 20 police were injured, and Batts said one of them remained hospitalized Tuesday. About 20 businesses and more than 140 cars were burned.
City officials are hopeful that this moment of relative calm after Monday's chaos will extend into the days ahead, aided by the presence of 2,000 National Guard troops and an additional 1,000 law enforcement officers.
"Overall today has been a very good day,'' Batts said. "We're going to be out in strong numbers making sure we have no issues in our city.''
Schools, which were closed Tuesday, will reopen Wednesday. The Baltimore Orioles will play Wednesday's game after cancelling the one scheduled for Tuesday night, although it will be played in an empty Camden Yards stadium, without spectators.
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