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Black Lives Matter protesters return to Baltimore streets

Students from Baltimore colleges and high schools march in protest chanting "Justice for Freddie Gray" on their way to City Hall on April 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (AFP photo)

Thousands of people in the US city of Baltimore have once again hit the streets to protest the death of an African-American man in police custody.

The demonstrators gathered outside City Hall on Wednesday in a peaceful protest over the killing of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died of severe spinal injuries on April 19, a week after he was arrested and detained by Baltimore police.

The demonstrators were carrying placards bearing the message “Black Lives Matter” and “Justice 4 Freddie Gray”.

Signs also included "End Police Brutality Now," Justice and Equality For All" and "Stop Police Militarization Killings."

The protesters were also chanting slogans against racial discrimination and police brutality in the United States, with many shouting “No Justice No Peace,” which has become a centerpiece of the persisting protests over the past ten days.

"We are asking that they remain peaceful,'' police Capt. Eric Kowalczyk said.

Students from Baltimore colleges and high schools march on their way to City Hall on April 29, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland. (AFP photo)

Tens of thousands of people have taken to the streets of the US in recent days to protest the brutal killing of Gray.

The killing was just one of a succession of fatal police brutalities in recent months.

Large-scale protests were held across the US after a series of high-profile incidents of white police officers killing unarmed African-American men, including Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri; Tamir Rice in Cleveland, Ohio; Eric Garner in Staten Island, New York and Walter Scott in North Charleston, South Carolina.

On Monday, Maryland’s Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency in Baltimore, activating the National Guard as clashes were underway between riot police and angry protesters.

In addition, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake placed the city under curfew starting Tuesday.

Following a violent night, Baltimore’s streets looked like a war zone early on Tuesday after buildings and cars were set on fire and a dozen businesses were either looted or damaged. The destruction was to such a degree that children could not go to school on Tuesday.

GJH/GJH


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