© Reuters / Shannon StapletonDemonstrators jump on a damaged Baltimore police department vehicle during clashes in Baltimore, Maryland April 27, 2015.
Hogan said the riot "put innocent Marylanders at significant risk" and that the deployment of the National Guard is a "last resort" to restore order to the city.
"People have the right to protest and express their frustrations, but Baltimore city families deserve peace and safety in their communities," he added. "Destructive acts cannot and will not be tolerated."
At the press conference, Maj. Gen. Linda L. Singh said National Guard troops will carry arms while on patrol, but only for self-defense.
Earlier in the day, Hogan declared a state of emergency and activated the National Guard to help handle the unrest in Baltimore. The situation escalated dramatically on Monday after a group of school-age kids gathered at Mondawmin Malland began throwing rocks at law enforcement. Officers responded with mace and pepper spray, but the young people involved then moved to set at least two vehicles on fire, as well as a local pharmacy.
Man stands in front of his looted store in Baltimore. Rioters stole everything inside. @nbcwashington @msnbc pic.twitter.com/qQqo84NB0c— Shomari Stone (@shomaristone) April 27, 2015Prior to the governor's statement, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake declared a curfew will be implemented beginning Tuesday night and will last for one week. All adults and minors, outside of emergency situations, will need to be off the streets from 10pm to 5 am.
She also called the rioters "thugs" several times and said it was "idiotic" to think that destroying the city would lead to improvements in anyone's life.
"Too many people have spent generations building up this city for it to be destroyed by thugs," she said.
Comment: Thugs without uniforms he means of course, so long as you have a uniform you're good to go to destroy property and lives.
Rawlings-Blake also differentiated between those destroying property and causing injury from those who took to the streets without violence last week.
"It is very clear there is a difference between what we saw over the past week with the peaceful protests... and the thugs who only want to incite violence and destroy our city," she said.
Comment: Yes, which is why the best way to get rid of a protest is to ignite it into violence, it has happened in the past where civilian dressed officers have infiltrated movements just so their uniformed pals could step in and stop it, also providing the audiences following it from home an spectacle that can then be used as justification for more police brutality, this might not be the case in Baltimore, but it would not be surprising if it was.
Tensions between law enforcement and the community have risen since the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who was arrested earlier this month after running away from police. He suffered a severe spine injury while in police custody and slipped into a coma upon being hospitalized. Gray died one week later.
Local police have acknowledged that officers should have sought medical attention for Gray at the point of apprehension and that they failed to offer timely assistance multiple times. They also did not secure him with a seatbelt in the police wagon, which is against department policy.
Both local and federal law enforcement are investigating the incident.
the national guard. the coward.
There is a pattern here. Elites, ruling class, local overlords, high places, celebrities, media characters, rich, bluebloods seem to not know any other way than to call for violence. they cannot have a conversation, they cannot comprehend simple meanings, they cannot compute and take responsibility for their actions, and their ONLY solution is always to call the cavalry to put us down. this is all they do, this is all they know.