Baltimore police arrest 35, 6 officers injured in protest

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and a coalition of two dozen interdenominational leaders issued a "call for peace" Sunday after 35 people were arrested and six police officers were injured in protests over the death of Freddie Gray.

The Police Department in the afternoon released a list of the names of the 31 adults arrested, omitting those of the four juveniles.

Despite police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts' insistence that a minority of out-of-town instigators caused the violence, online court records Sunday showed that only three of those arrested during Saturday's protests were from outside Maryland.

"While the vast majority of arrests reflect local residency, the total number of arrests does not account for every incident of criminal activity," police said. "The Baltimore Police Department believes that outside agitators continue to be the instigators behind acts of violence and destruction."

Rawings-Blake said "outside forces" took advantage of the community's pain to incite violence. The out-of-towners' presence was "reflected more than just in the arrest numbers but what we saw on the streets," the mayor said.

"Many people who weren't from our community were, in essence, trying to hijack the very raw emotions of some of those who live in Baltimore and were expressing anger over the death of Mr. Gray," she said. "People from the outside were inciting some of the 'shut this city down' sort of messaging, and then just left."

Multiple storefronts were vandalized and several police vehicles were damaged, police said. Other property damage was reported, but police did not immediately provide further information.

Police said city officers worked in collaboration with "local and state law enforcement partners" to restore calm.

Extra officers will be deployed throughout the city this weekend, police said.

Meanwhile, a coalition of about 25 local religious leaders continued to call for peace.

"From the days of our nation's earliest civil rights sit-ins, Baltimore has a long tradition of peaceful and respectful demonstrations," the coalition said in a statement released by Rawlings-Blake's office.

"Together, as leaders of different faiths in our city, we join Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and call for our citizens to honor and continue that history as we pray for the family of Freddie Gray."

Gray died April 19, a week after he sustained a spinal cord injury while in police custody.

Among those calling for peace were the Rev. Frank M. Reid III of Bethel AME Church in Upton/Druid Heights, the Rev. S. Todd Yeary of Douglas Memorial Community Church and Auxiliary Bishop Denis J. Madden of the Archdiocese of Baltimore.

Other spiritual leaders included Resident Bishop Marcus Matthews of the Baltimore-Washington Conference of United Methodist Church, the Rev. Jamal H. Bryant of the Empowerment Temple, Rabbi Andrew Busch of the Baltimore Hebrew Congregation and Minister Carlos Muhammad of the Muhammad Mosque Number Six.

ywenger@baltsun.com

twitter.com/yvonnewenger