Baltimore Rioters Should be Treated as Criminals – Obama

US President Barack Obama said that the Baltimore rioters need to be treated as criminals, and not as protestors.

 

WASHINGON (Sputnik) — US law enforcement agencies should treat the rioters in Baltimore as criminals and not protesters trying to make a statement about the death of Freddy Gray, US President Barack Obama said during a press conference on Tuesday.

“That is not a protest. That is not a statement. It is a handful of people taking advantage of a situation for their own purposes and they need to be treated as criminals,” Obama said during a joint press conference with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe at the White House.

Baltimore rioters are not protesting because individuals that use crowbars to break into stores to loot are stealing, and people that burn down buildings are committing arson, Obama explained.

On Monday, Baltimore saw a wave of violence after the funeral of Freddy Gray, a 25-year-old African American, who was arrested on April 12 and died a week later as a result of spinal injuries received in unclear circumstances while in police custody.

Monday evening, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced a state of emergency and a week-long curfew in the city from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m.