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             12 Arrested After Violence Erupt at Baltimore Protests

   by VOA News

   Police arrested at least 12 people in the eastern U.S. city of
   Baltimore  Saturday as thousands of protesters marched in anger over
   the death of a 25-year-old man, who was critically injured while in
   police custody.

   Days of largely peaceful demonstrations turned sporadically violent as
   the rally reached the city center. Video from the scene showed several
   people smashing the windshields of police cars.

   Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts told reporters a smaller
   group split off from the main protest and confronted police officers
   near the city's baseball stadium, where a game was scheduled.

   Authorities deployed more than 1,000 law enforcement officials around
   the city for the largest of daily protests for police accountability
   since the death of Freddie Gray last Sunday.

   'Very upsetting'

   Speaking on CBS television Sunday, Maryland Representative Elijah
   Cummings said the relationship between police and communities is the
   civil rights cause for this generation. He added that it is still not
   exactly clear why Gray was arrested and the entire situation is "very
   upsetting."

   The Baltimore man was taken into custody April 12 after initially
   running from police. He died a week later from what a family attorney
   said was a nearly severed spinal cord.

   How he was grievously injured while in police custody remains unclear.

   Officials said Gray was not restrained properly while being transported
   in a police van.

   Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said Friday she wants to know why police
   officers apparently did not follow the policy requiring that all
   prisoners wear seatbelts while being transported, and why they did not
   call for medical assistance after Gray asked for it.

   The police commissioner said officers were slow to recognize that Gray,
   who apparently had asthma, needed medical attention.

   More information May 1

   More information on the case is expected May 1, according to the
   Baltimore Police Department.

   The agency placed six officers who had contact with Gray on paid
   administrative leave. The U.S. Department of Justice is investigating
   whether civil rights violations occurred.

   Gray's death follows the widely questioned killings of several black
   men by police in the United States in recent year, raising concerns of
   systemic discrimination against minorities.
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/twelve-arrested-after-pockets-of-violence-erupt-at-baltimore-protests/2735100.html