Maryland National Guard soldiers stand guard outside City Hall in Baltimore, Md., on Tuesday. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan activated the Guard after rioting in the wake of the funeral of Freddie Gray who died in police custody.(Photo: Mike Morones, Army Times)
BALTIMORE — A force of 2,000 soldiers from the Maryland National Guard has been activated to assist State Police efforts to prevent a repeat of Monday night's violence in Baltimore.
Guard troops are posted at City Hall and throughout the city. The law enforcement presence at City Hall, along with a throng of media, community activists and political leaders — including Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and the Rev. Al Sharpton — created a bustling but peaceful scene Tuesday afternoon.
Violence erupted after Monday's funeral of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died from a traumatic spinal injury he suffered while in police custody.
The Maryland Guard's Alpha Company, 1st Battalion, 175 Infantry Regiment, set up in an area of operations including City Hall, Johns Hopkins Medial Center, and other parts of downtown under the leadership of 1st Lt. Sean Gramm and 1st Lt. Henry Hensley.
"None of our areas have received any kind of significant incidents throughout the day, which is a good thing. We're now stabilized and setting up logistics," Gramm said.
Pvt. Matthew Ellis of A Company, 1-175th Infantry, Maryland National Guard, stands post in front of City Hall in Baltimore on Tuesday. (Photo: Mike Morones, Army Times)
Gramm said interactions with civilians had been positive so far. He said there was one incident outside his company's AO area of operations in which a person tried to set off a Molotov cocktail. That individual was stopped before lighting it, Gramm said.
His soldiers have focused on preparations for Tuesday evening, when things may escalate.
"They could either just be like, 'We're done we had our night of it,'" Hensley said. "Or maybe they don't. There's no way to read into that. There's been a very sophisticated dynamic response procedures set up throughout the day. I think they realize that too, and are probably being more cautious."
Cummings, whose district includes much of Baltimore, said he saw the Guard's mission as necessary, but also said he doesn't like seeing the city this way.
"It doesn't make me feel very good, but I realize that we have to keep functioning, and people have to be safe, and if that's what it takes for the time being to accomplish that, then we have to do it," Cummings said. "But I do not like seeing what looks to be a militarized zone in the city."
He noted that after the Ferguson riots in Missouri, there was an emphasis on dealing with the issue of militarization of law enforcement, which was said to fan the flames.
"We were trying to get rid of the weapons and the military look in our community," he said. "But for the time being, we need to do what we are doing, and we'll get through this. And we'll look for a better day."
The Guard soldiers were prepared, particularly from recent operational lessons, said Maj. John McDaniel of 1st Battalion, 175th Infantry Regiment.
"I focused on the operational lessons to make sure we had good coordination with law enforcement about our posture as we come into the area, and how our soldiers present ourselves," McDaniel said.
McDaniel said the soldiers are ready to respond, but he hopes there won't be a night like Monday's.
"We're hopeful that things have calmed down. I look forward to a boring night," he said. "We'll see."
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1zlSEvT
No comments:
Post a Comment