“The Freddie Gray situation was the straw that broke the camel’s back,” Mike, a 42-year-old Baltimore resident, told Sputnik near the area where Monday’s riots took place. That’s why all this is going on right now.”
More than 200 people have been arrested, while 15 buildings and 144 cars were destroyed after being set on fire during the riots, according to the latest media reports.
Mike explained the police brutality and difficulties that residents experience resulted in an explosion of anger, and that is why some protesters “went crazy.”
“Truly speaking, do I agree with a lot of [the riots]?… I do think it was necessary,” he added.
Following Gray’s funeral on Monday, a group of rioters took to the streets of Baltimore throwing bricks at police, setting cars on fire and looting stores.
Earlier on Monday, the Baltimore police received threats from various gang such as the Bloods and the Crips, forcing state offices and schools to shut down for the day.
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency on Monday evening and activated some 5,000 National Guard troops to quell the riots.
Moreover, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a week-long curfew in the city from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.
