Officials in Maryland will appeal the federal government's denial of millions of dollars in disaster aid to the state following the costly riots that broke out in Baltimore after the death of Freddie Gray.
Doug Mayer, a spokesman for Gov. Larry Hogan, said the governor's office "will be pushing to have the decision reversed" in a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The Hogan administration said last month that it was reviewing FEMA's decision to deny aid after W. Craig Fugate, FEMA's administrator, told Hogan in a June 12 letter that such aid was "not appropriate" for rioting events.
A disaster declaration from FEMA would allow public agencies in the state and city to recover 75 percent of eligible costs.
The state initially requested $19.4 million to cover riot responses by emergency personnel and for damage to buildings and equipment between April 25 and May 1.
In the request, the state cited a preliminary estimate that the rioting and looting in April and the five-night citywide curfew that followed had an overall economic impact of $30.5 million — including the loss of conventions, hospitality and leisure spending and of tourism from Orioles games that were closed to the public or moved to Florida.
Gray, 25, suffered a severe spinal cord injury while in Baltimore police custody on April 12 and died a week later. His death sparked mass protests against police brutality. The worst rioting and looting broke out hours after Gray's funeral April 27.
Hogan called in the National Guard to restore order, and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake instituted the curfew.
More than 380 businesses were damaged in the rioting, according to city estimates. Other businesses sustained substantial revenue losses because of the curfew restrictions. A separate Hogan request for a disaster declaration was approved by the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Six police officers have been charged in Gray's arrest and death, with charges ranging from second-degree murder to assault and misconduct in office. All have pleaded not guilty and are set to go to trial in October.
A spokesman for Rawlings-Blake said last month that her administration would assist in appealing the decision with the help of the state's federal delegation.
The city has reserved $20 million to cover direct costs, including overtime for police and firefighters, damage to city-owned property and payments to other jurisdictions for police and other assistance.
Henry J. Raymond, Baltimore's finance director, said in May that the city planned to cover the costs from its rainy-day fund but hoped for federal reimbursement.
In his June 12 letter, Fugate informed Hogan that the state would have 30 days to appeal the denial decision.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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