BALTIMORE (AP) - Baltimore's mayor has lifted a citywide curfew six days after the death of Freddie Gray sparked riots in the city.
The order for residents to stay home after 10 p.m. had been in place since Tuesday, and officials had planned to keep it in place through Sunday. Protests since Monday's riots have been peaceful, and the announcement of charges against six officers involved in Gray's arrest eased tensions.
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said in a statement Sunday morning that her goal was not to maintain the curfew any longer than was necessary.
Gray died after suffering a severe spinal injury while in police custody. The six officers face charges ranging from manslaughter to second-degree murder.
O'Malley Legacy
BALTIMORE (AP) - Martin O'Malley often casts Baltimore as a comeback city that recovered from the ravages of drugs and violence during his years as mayor.
Now, weeks before the former Maryland governor expects to enter the 2016 presidential race and challenge fellow Democrat Hillary Rodham Clinton, Baltimore's turnaround has been marred by rioting.
That's placed scrutiny on O'Malley's "zero tolerance" law enforcement policies as mayor from 1999 to 2006.
The record shows that murders and violent crime overall declined under O'Malley.
But it also was when a grand jury concluded that too many arrests were being made in Baltimore's black neighborhoods without merit.
And it's when the city settled a lawsuit from people who said they were wrongly arrested for minor offences - the sort of concerns driving anger in Baltimore today.
