Carmelo Anthony is proud of his Baltimore roots. And as the city remains fraught with tension after days of dangerous unrest spurred by the funeral of Freddie Gray, the New York Knicks superstar is showing just how much he wants to make a difference.
Anthony is back in Baltimore today, marching with fellow demonstrators towards City Hall in peaceful protest of Gray’s death.
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Gray, a 25 year-old black man, was arrested on April 12 for possession of a switchblade. Multiple witness accounts describe policemen using excessive force as Gray was taken into custody and placed inside of a transport van. Due to reasons unknown, he lost consciousness after suffering a severe spinal cord injury while being transported to police headquarters.
After being transferred to an ambulance and taken to the hospital, Gray was deemed comatose by doctors. He died on April 18 having never regained consciousness.
Though protests surrounding the nature of Gray’s death began peacefully, they devolved into rioting and looting following a memorial service in his honor on April 27. Tens of protestors and police officers were injured during the disorder, and the city initiated a 10:00 PM curfew for all citizens on April 28 in efforts to curb the ongoing violence.
Anthony, who spent a majority of his formative years in Baltimore, decried the rioters’ actions in a passionate Instagram post three days ago.
Kudos to Anthony for taking more direct action in the interim. He and the thousands of other peaceful demonstrators fighting for change and searching for answers have our full support.
[myfoxdc]
