In a revelation to some of the most violent protests in recent U.S. history, members of Baltimore gangs have denied the existence of a widely-reported truce to actively target police officers.
Baltimore has been on edge for days, stemming from the death of city resident Freddie Gray, who died after Baltimore Police Department officers denied him medical care while he was in their custody. The situation erupted Monday with massive protests, looting, and violent confrontation between citizens and police, resulting in injury for at least 15 police officers, at least one journalist, and an unknown number of civilians.
The BPD’s said it received a “credible threat” that members of some of the city’s most prominent gangs, including the Black Guerilla Family, Bloods, and the Crips, had all “entered into a partnership to ‘take out’ law enforcement officers.”
But speaking with local news channel WBAL Tuesday night, members identifying as Bloods said that the city’s gangs were indeed uniting—but in solidarity with peaceful protest, their neighborhoods, and justice for Gray, and not with vandalism, looting, or violence against police.
“We stand as one, though,” one self-identified Blood said.
As such, is currently unknown whether the gang partnership will result in violence against police or Baltimore residents.
Photo via Felixed/Wikipedia (Public Domain)
