Fifteen buildings were set ablaze, more than 200 arrests were made, 15 troopers were injured, the National Guard was called out and Baltimore imposed a curfew. Then cleanup began.
Baltimore’s riots add to the United States’ record of violent social unrest in past months.
Again, the common denominator is inequality.
The west coast city within an hour’s drive of the White House is the country’s sixth largest by population. It has shrunk since 1950, from almost one million to now 620,000 — 63% black.
The riots erupted in Sandtown-Winchester, the neighbourhood where Freddie Gray lived (who died of spinal injuries while in police custody). There, one adult in five doesn’t have a job and half the households earn less than 25,000 dollars — the poverty line.
In the world’s richest nation, per capita, studies show high rates of adolescent mental health suffering, substance abuse, exposure to violence, notably sexual, and a lack of social support in Baltimore.
New York-based write
