WASHINGTON 鈥� After a Monday night of violence, Tuesday night in Baltimore was 鈥渄ramatically different,鈥� 草莓传媒鈥檚 Andrew Mollenbeck says.
Speaking from Baltimore with 草莓传媒鈥檚 Mike Moss and Bruce Alan, Mollenbeck said there were 鈥渟till a few moments of tension鈥� around 10 p.m., when the citywide curfew went into effect, but that the influence of adults and community leaders calmed most problems.
Standing at what he called 鈥淕round Zero of the protests鈥� 鈥� the burned-out CVS where protesters and those leading a cleanup had congregated all day 鈥� Mollenbeck said he saw most people leaving before the curfew went into effect. He saw neighborhood leaders 鈥減leading with people, 鈥楶lease go home; please be safe.’鈥�
Two dozen to three dozen young people, Mollenbeck said, ignored the warnings and threw bottles 鈥� mostly water bottles 鈥� and rocks at law enforcement officials. Still, it was 鈥渇ar less violent than what we saw on Monday.鈥�
The difference, Mollenbeck added, was the presence of 鈥渇ar more adults鈥� and community leaders on Tuesday than Monday, when, even though the presence of adults was a calming influence, they were outnumbered.
鈥淚 saw them one-on-one, talking with young people, urging them that there are ways to fight for justice that don鈥檛 involve violence.鈥�
He added that on Tuesday groups of community leaders formed a buffer zone between police and demonstrators.
鈥淚t was faces the young people knew from their communities 鈥� and that created a sense of calm.鈥�
Mollenbeck hoped for a calm Wednesday, saying the resumption of school would help in that regard. He added that the next large, organized demonstration is set for this weekend at City Hall. Organizers, he said, are hoping for tens of thousands of people.
