Last night, the city of Baltimore exploded in a series of violent protests that resulted in fires, injuries, and the governor of Maryland calling a state of emergency and activating the National Guard to assist local and state police. According to CNN, nearly 200 people have been arrested since protests for the death of Freddie Gray began yesterday. The city's director of strategic planning and policy, Howard Libit said that there were 144 vehicle fires and 15 structure fires.
On social media, photos and descriptions of the protests have been uploaded with the hashtag #purge (referencing the 2013 movie in which all crime is legal for one night a year). But this morning, Baltimore streets were quiet, with schools closed and people taking to the streets to survey the damage and help clean their communities up.
From social media, we can see that the National Guard has been brought in and is literally standing by, lining certain streets in Baltimore. And in those streets, we can see the other side of the protests—people picking up brooms and doing what they can to help clean up the debris this morning. Here are some highlights:
National guard on the streets of #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/HIncmaRVRW
— Alex Rosen (@AlexRosenCNN) April 28, 2015
Surreal scene as dozens of National Guardsmen line the street at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore: pic.twitter.com/Of1f8FFfFP
— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorpNBC) April 28, 2015
Large group of volunteers cleaning up that burnt out CVS in Baltimore pic.twitter.com/84BVzu7SWS
— justin jouvenal (@jjouvenal) April 28, 2015
Smoke coming from back of burned CVS. Crews got call for rubbish fire from citizens cleaning up. #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/TWgkt0h6z3
— Aaron Gilchrist (@nbcaaron) April 28, 2015
Maryland State Police bringing out armored vehicle as people are cleaning up #Baltimore pic.twitter.com/n8Arg8J2t2
— Joshua Scott Albert (@jpegjoshua) April 28, 2015
Community kids cleaning up Baltimore neighborhoods mess after protesters destruction #cnn #cnnlive #cnnbrk pic.twitter.com/ly90AO0o7D
— Jonathan Schaer (@CnnCameraman) April 28, 2015
This is Jason Butler. He showed up this morning to clean up a devastated neighborhood #BaltimoreRiots via @MeganWBAL pic.twitter.com/sY2PgGi8ti
— Alcides Segui FOX (@seguifox13) April 28, 2015
The good and the sane residents volunteering to clean up their city in the aftermath of the #BaltimoreRiots pic.twitter.com/QFmFvGRENL
— pb & chelly (@chelsea_elisa) April 28, 2015
#Baltimore residents cleaning up and surveying the damage left behind by last night's riots. http://t.co/jFU6lyREg8 pic.twitter.com/XvwLOg5hri
— FOX Baltimore (@FOXBaltimore) April 28, 2015
We spoke w this 15 year old who's been out cleaning up in Baltimore. He was disappointed by the events of last night pic.twitter.com/ET8TesOfyb
— Athena Jones (@AthenaCNN) April 28, 2015
.@LarryHogan thanking officers and people cleaning up Baltimore. #Baltimoreprotests pic.twitter.com/tOFIhEOeWB
— Aaron Gilchrist (@nbcaaron) April 28, 2015
This morning Baltimore youth cleaning up their neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/b36gJS5WZD
— BmoreFab (@BmoreFab) April 28, 2015
Busy morning in the @nbcwashington newsroom as we cover the aftermath of the #BaltimoreRiots. Make sure to follow for updates. #PrayForBmore
— Brittany Alexandra (@B_Serius) April 28, 2015
