There is hope: Riots take a timeout as Baltimore enforces a curfew

A weeklong overnight curfew that went into effect at 10 p.m. last night got off to a not-so-promising start, with about 200 protesters initially ignoring the warnings of police officers and the pleas of community activists to disperse. Some threw water bottles or lay down on the ground, and a line of police behind riot shields hurled tear gas canisters and fired pepper balls at the crowd and slowly advanced forward to push it back. The crowd rapidly dispersed and was down to just a few dozen people within minutes. Just before midnight, Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts declared the curfew, which ends at 5 a.m., a success.

Tonight I think the biggest thing is the citizens are safe, the city is stable. We hope to maintain it that way.

Anthony Batts, Baltimore police commissioner

The violence set off soul-searching among community leaders and others, with some suggesting the uprising was not just about race or the police department, but also about high unemployment, high crime, poor housing, broken-down schools and lack of opportunity in Baltimore’s inner-city neighborhoods — issues that are not going away anytime soon.

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