WASHINGON (Sputnik) — US law enforcement agencies should treat the rioters in Baltimore as criminals and not protesters trying to make a statement about the death of Freddy Gray, US President Barack Obama said during a press conference on Tuesday.
“That is not a protest. That is not a statement. It is a handful of people taking advantage of a situation for their own purposes and they need to be treated as criminals,” Obama said during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House.
On Monday, Baltimore saw a wave of violence after the funeral of Freddy Gray, a 25-year-old African American, who was arrested on April 12 and died a week later as a result of spinal injuries received in unclear circumstances while in police custody.
Monday evening, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a state of emergency and a week-long curfew in the city from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
