BALTIMORE: Thousands of people protested in Baltimore in fresh demonstrations on Saturday, a day after six police officers were charged over the death of an African-American man in their custody.

The Maryland National Guard said on Twitter it had nearly 3,000 soldiers and airmen ready to help “keep the peace” in the city.

“The findings of our comprehensive, thorough and independent investigation, coupled with the medical examiner’s determination that Mr Gray’s death was a homicide... have led us to believe that we have probable cause to file criminal charges,” Maryland state prosecutor Marilyn Mosby said.

In contrast to the violence and looting that flared after Freddie Gray’s funeral on Monday, there was a festive atmosphere in Baltimore, as demonstrators — white and black — gathered at City Hall, the focal point of rallies in recent days.

“It’s been a frustration what’s going on. Now we want to stop police brutality, we want peace,” Autumn Hooper, a 25-year-old African American woman, said.

The death of 25-year-old Gray at the hands of police has reignited simmering resentment in the United States over law enforcement tactics, particularly in their dealings with the black community.

Police made at least 15 arrests when some protesters defied a 10:00pm curfew on Friday, underlining the anger that persists on the street despite the shock announcement that the six officers — three of them black — would face a range of charges, including second-degree murder and manslaughter, over Gray’s April 19 death.

Mosby said Gray “suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained” inside a moving police van following his arrest on April 12.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2015

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