Baltimore mayor: Outsiders turned peaceful Freddie Gray protest violent

Baltimore protests.
(Image credit: Mark Makela/Getty Images)

The mayor of Baltimore said that people from outside of the city were behind the violence that marred a mostly peaceful protest on Saturday over the death of Freddie Gray.

"Last night we saw a small group of agitators turning what was otherwise a peaceful demonstration into violent disruptions," Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said at a news conference. "I will not let those individuals put their agendas ahead of our city's." Small groups of protesters broke off from the main group and threw bottles, metal barricades, and other objects at police officers and patrol cars, Reuters reports. Some also vandalized property downtown. Six officers sustained minor injuries, and 35 people were arrested, authorities said.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.