Baltimore riots: 60 arrested in New York as protests spread

Demonstrators marched in separate groups through Manhattan, facing police on scooters who used batons to keep protestors on sidewalks. Those who moved into traffic were arrested.

Smaller protests also took place in Houston, Ferguson, Missouri, Washington, D.C., Seattle and some were arrested in Denver.

The demonstrations come in response to the death of a 25-year-old black man who died after being taken into Baltimore police custody on April 12. Freddie Gray suffered spinal injuries in police custody after being arrested for carrying a switchblade. He was found unconscious in the van when it arrived at the police station.

Officers said that Gray experienced a “medical emergency” within an hour of his arrest and was taken to hospital. According to his family his spine was “80 per cent severed” at the neck and he also suffered other injuries.

Despite extensive surgery Gray died just one week after his arrest. Six police officers were suspended and Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts said the officers failed to get Gray medical attention “in a timely manner”.

Questions are now being raised over the circumstances of Gray’s death, which sparked outrage in the largely African American community of Baltimore.

Read more - Baltimore's Freddie Gray protests: the key questions

Baltimore riots

Riots erupted on Monday night north west of the city just hours after Gray’s funeral was held. More than 200 people were arrested and nineteen buildings were destroyed. Scenes of chaos and violence cast a shadow over the city as 144 vehicles were set on fire and 20 police officers were injured in the worst riots to hit Baltimore in decades.

Following the riots, 3,000 National Guard troops were called in to help police enforce a week-long curfew from 10pm to 5am.

Small groups of demonstrators defied the curfew and at least 10 people were arrested during a second round of protests on Tuesday night.

Thousands of demonstrators have since marched peacefully in Baltimore demanding justice for Freddie Gray and police reforms. Schools reopened and business resumed on Wednesday, but the mood is still tense as residents are still seeking answers about the fate of Freddie Gray.

“Can’t stop, won’t stop, put killer cops in cell blocks,” was chanted by protesters as the marched on city hall and local resident Noy Brown-Frisby said the atmosphere is still hostile.

“There is so much tension. The crime is so high that when there is interaction between police and the community it becomes volatile,” she said.

#Baltimore We will rebuild. A heart broken pastor stands in front of his community’s housing project for seniors in flames.

— Kylie Morris (@C4KylieM) April 28, 2015

This comes as Baltimore police spokesman Captain Eric Kowalczyk said investigations into Gary’s death, which are to be released on Friday, would not be made public.

“We cannot release all of the information from this investigation to the public because if there is a decision to charge in any event by the state’s attorney’s office, the integrity of that investigation has to be protected,” he said.

Police will give their findings to prosecutors and the US Department of Justice is conducting a separate probe into possible civil rights violations in Gray’s death.

Presidential hopeful Hilary Clinton weighed in on the civil unrest in Baltimore and called for an end to excessive prison sentences that burden black communities.

“There is something wrong when a third of all black men face the prospect of prison during their lifetimes,” she said.