US Muslims urge Baltimore calm

OnIslam & News Agencies

MARYLAND – As an uneasy curfew entered its first night in Baltimore, a leading American Muslim group called for calm and expressed condolences to the family of fallen African American Freddie Gray, whose death resulted in protests that erupted across the city, culminating in widespread looting and arson as defiant demonstrators clashed with police.

“The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) is disturbed over the escalation of violence and rioting shortly after the funeral of Freddie Gray,” ISNA said in a statement obtained by Onisalm.net.

”Our condolences go out to the family and loved ones of Freddie Gray during this unfortunate time.”

The conflict started after several days of peaceful protests over the April 19 death of Gray, a 25-year-old black man who died one week after suffering a severe spinal cord injury and falling into a coma while in police custody.

He was buried on the afternoon of Monday, April 27. Hours later the outbursts of violence engulfed the city.

Reports indicate that at least 20 police were injured and 250 people have been arrested since the rioting began.

“In the past few days, what began as peaceful protests, have grown into wanton destruction, thievery, looting and arson, as well as uncalled-for attacks on first responders,” read the ISNA statement.

Despite the widespread rage in the city, some residents deemed the violence “embarrassing” and “heartbreaking”. “We owe it to ourselves to do better,” Laquicha Harper, a 33-year-old resident, told CNN.

“I understand that everybody is upset, I understand that tension is brewing … I’m here, I get it.

“But there are better ways that we can handle our frustration. And they can’t hear us when we’re behaving this way.”

Meanwhile, ISNA called for addressing police brutality, profiling and lack of accountability.

“City is Stable”

In a live press conference Monday night, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake blamed “thugs” for the riots stating that the city is being “destroyed by thugs who in a very senseless way are trying to tear down what so many have fought for.”

The mayor further called for an all-night, city-wide curfew beginning Tuesday night from 10PM-5AM for a period of one week; extended as deemed necessary by authorities.

Enforced by 1,000 police and 2,000 National Guardsmen, the first night of the curfew came to an end Wednesday morning with police reporting that the city was now stable.

“We do not have a lot of activity or movement throughout the city as a whole, so the curfew is, in fact, working,” Police Commissioner Anthony Batts was quoted by USA Today.

“Citizens are safe. The city is stable. We hope to maintain it that way.”

After some slight initial flurries of glass-throwing, crowds were dispersed by midnight, largely peacefully with Police commissioner Batts stating in a Guardian report that “approximately ten” arrests had been made while the curfew was in effect.

Some of the protesters vowed not to leave and decided to violate the curfew in defiance of the police.

“The whole point of the protest is bucking the system” Dana Briscoe, 33, who works for a cell phone company, said. “It’s a part of history.”

For Thomas Plummer, 28, a tow truck driver, challenging the curfew “shows them who is in control; who has the power.

“They need to remember they work for us.”

Decrying Thuggery and Violence

In press statements President Obama denounced the demonstrators as “thugs” on Tuesday while Baltimore City Council President C. “Jack” Young defended them, saying: “They’re not thugs. They’re just misdirected. We need to direct them on a different path by creating opportunities for them.”

Condemning the rioters as criminals, Obama nonetheless delivered his sharpest criticism of law enforcement since a protest movement against police brutality erupted last summer.

“There are some police who aren’t doing the right thing,” he said.

Thousands of Americans took to the streets in December 2014 in Washington, New York, and several other cities protesting grand jury decisions related to the deaths of African-Americans at the hands of police.

The laundry list of deaths is telling, namely, Michael Brown, 18, of Missouri, shot and killed by police in August 2014; Eric Garner, 43, of Staten Island, succumbed to a banned chokehold in July 2014; and, Tamir Rice, age 12, of Cleveland, was shot dead in November 2014. Also in November, Akai Gurley, 28, was shot dead in Brookly; Trayyvon Martin, 17, was shot and killed by a neighborhood watch leader in Florida in 2012, and Amadou Diallo, who was shot 41-times by New York police officers in 1999.

As a result of the high profile 2012 killing of Trayyvon Martin a movement was initiated known by the hashtag #BlackLivesMatter.

According to the movement’s website, #BlackLivesMatter is “working for a world where Black lives are no longer systematically and intentionally targeted for demise.  We affirm our contributions to this society, our humanity, and our resilience in the face of deadly oppression.  We have put our sweat equity and love for Black people into creating a political project–taking the hashtag off of social media and into the streets. The call for Black lives to matter is a rallying cry for ALL Black lives striving for liberation.”

A US Census Bureau Report estimates the 2014 population of Baltimore City at 622,793. The same report indicates that the city is comprised of roughly 31.6 percent Caucasian Americans and 65.5% African-Americans.

A post-9/11 Glenmary Research Center report indicates that roughly 13.25 percent of the Baltimore City population identify as being Muslim, or approximately 52,867 overall.