Activists calling for greater transparency in police department occupy Baltimore City Hall

In Baltimore, activists who are against the appointment of Kevin Davis as Baltimore's new police commissioner attended a City Council meeting Wednesday night, and said they wouldn't leave the building until they met with Davis and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to discuss greater transparency and accountability in the police department and city government.

Davis' appointment was approved by a subcommittee on Wednesday, and on Monday, the vote will go to the entire City Council. The Baltimore Uprising demonstrators chanted "No justice, no peace!" and "All night, all day, we will fight for Freddie Gray!" A spokesman said they wanted to discuss a variety of topics with Davis and Rawlings-Blake, including having the police wear badges and name tags at all times and spending more money on education and social services. By midnight, there were still about 35 demonstrators inside City Hall, and Baltimore Uprising member Ralikh Hayes told The Associated Press: "People are sitting, relaxing. We are waiting to see if we'll get a meeting with anyone tonight. We want to meet with the interim commissioner and the mayor, but that meeting doesn't mean we're leaving. We'll be here."

Davis was appointed by Rawlings-Blake as interim commissioner in July, after Anthony Batts, who served as commissioner during the riots that followed the April death of Freddie Gray, was fired. Davis said the protest is "all part of the healing process," and "the fact that this occurred isn't upsetting. It's just part of where the city is right now. I understand where they are. I understand their frustration."

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