"What You’re Seeing in Baltimore City Is What We Have in Our Hearts": A First-Hand Account of Last Night in Baltimore

A photographer explains what he saw within the events that rocked the city.

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In Baltimore, Md., Monday morning opened with the funeral for 25-year-old Freddie Gray and closed with sections of the city aflame.

On April 12, three Baltimore police officers on patrol bikes arrested Gray. A video of Gray’s arrest shows him in pain as he’s being loaded into a police vehicle. A half-hour later, paramedics were called, and it was discovered that Gray’s spine was 80 percent severed at his neck, an injury he received while in police custody—how exactly he received it hasn’t been determined. Gray died April 19, and the Department of Justice is currently looking into whether any prosecutable civil rights violation occurred.

While numerous peaceful protests in response to Gray’s death earlier this month have taken place, large parts of the city were engulfed in violent confrontation yesterday. Even though there were calls by Gray’s family and other community leaders in the community to end the violence, looting and property damage was widespread. There have also been reports of more than a dozen police officers being hurt during the riots, and as of yesterday, one officer was unresponsive after he was injured.

Photographer CJ Treasure, who lives near the city of Baltimore, visited the area last night and took the photos in this story. Here, he talks to us about what he saw.

Follow @OGSeige for more photographs from events in Baltimore.

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