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Artists & Athletes For A Cause Inauguration Celebration

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Tensions between police and protesters caused clashes in Philadelphia during the fourth night of demonstrations over the death of Freddie Gray.

Officers pushed back members of a march who surged on a police line outside City Hall on Thursday, with police saying four arrests had been made.

One protester told the Philadelphia Inquirer he had been hit by a police club, while a senior police officer was said to have suffered a blow to the lip.

In Baltimore however the scenes were far calmer, with most residents following the 10pm curfew put in place by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

Police were still out in force, dressed in riot gear and armed with tear gas, but they were not met with many protesters, despite reports earlier in the day that Gray broke his neck after falling head-first into the back of the police van as it was moving.

Nearly 100 police officers have been injured in the Maryland city since it was thrown into chaos on Monday night when demonstrations over Freddie Gray’s death began, with half requiring emergency medical treatment in the street.

Even though the protests in Baltimore had quietened down, unrelated gun violence surged across the city, with five shootings on Thursday night.

Protesters rush a police line after a rally in Philadelphia as demonstrations over the death of Freddie Gray entered the fourth night

The protest in solidarity with those marching in Baltimore turned aggressive, with police raising their batons

Police stand between protesters and the entrance to the Four Seasons Hotel in Philadelphia

A protester at left argues with a policeman as police line up in riot gear in the background after the curfew went into effect

Protesters march with placards in Philadelphia on Thursday evening after the ‘Philly is Baltimore’ rally

The Baltimore Sun reported that at least five people were shot in three separate incidents on Thursday, adding to the six homicides that have occurred since the National Guard was brought in.

Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts confirmed the curfew will be in effect throughout the weekend, with two marches expected in the Maryland city over the next few days.

However restaurants and bars in the area have joined the American Civil Liberties to argue that, now that order has been restored, the restrictions should be lifted.

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said it would be unwise to lift the curfew as he believes there is ‘a real potential for more violence and more danger over the weekend.’

Carmelo Anthony

Source: Nathaniel S. Butler / Getty

‘We don’t want to alarm anybody, but we want to be fully prepared for the worst possibilities,’ he added. ‘We have other really extreme groups that are violent, that want to come in here just to cause mayhem.’

Earlier on Thursday Carmelo Anthony was pictured joining protesters marching through the streets of Baltimore.

The NBA star and Baltimore-native Anthony walked through his old neighborhood while members of the Baltimore Ravens handed out food to children in the city.

Former linebacker Ray Lewis also spoke to schoolchildren and urged them to be an ‘example of change’.

He said: ‘This is an opportunity for everybody to find out who they are in trying times, The spotlight is on us, it’s on Baltimore. We’re all we got. We have an opportunity to change Baltimore.’

Anger: A man wearing a black ski mask and combat trousers holds up a sign reading ‘Who polices the police’

Chaos descended on the city on Monday night after a day of peaceful protest, with mobs torching cars, setting buildings ablaze and looting shops.

Trouble began after a funeral was held for 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died of severe spinal injuries on April 19, a week after he was arrested by police.

The city has been the site of daily demonstrations since Gray’s death, as tensions simmer over alleged police brutality and discrimination against African Americans.

The New York Knicks’ Anthony wore a Cassius Clay sweater as he walked with protesters on Thursday. He told FOX 5: ‘Our community is fed up. But we’ve got to be smart about it. If we want something, we’ve got to speak up. I think that the biggest problem in our community is our youth is not being heard. They feel like they don’t have a voice.

‘I want to create a platform that gets them talking and get people to hear what they have to say. That’s the biggest disconnect right now.’

Anthony played basketball at Towson Catholic High School during his first three years of high school.

‘We got to be patient with that,’ said Anthony. ‘Kind of start believing in our system. I know it’s hard to say that right now …but we have to all band together and try to start rebuilding this city.’

Three days ago, after watching the violence unfold in the city, the All-Star wrote on Instagram: ‘We all want Justice. And our city will get the answers we are looking for. My deepest sympathy goes out to the GRAY Family. To see my city in a State of Emergency is just shocking. We need to protect our city, not destroy it.

‘What happens when we get the answers that we want, and the media attention is not there anymore? We go back to being the same ol Baltimore City again. If not yourself, then Think about the youth. How this will impact them. Let’s build our city up not tear it down.

‘Although, we want justice, let’s look at the real issues at hand. For example, When was the last school built in Baltimore? That’s just one example. I know my community is fed up. I’m all about fighting for what we believe in.

‘The anger, the resentment, the neglect that our community feels right now, will not change over night. Continue, fighting for what you believe in. But remember, it takes no time to destroy something. But, it can take forever to build it back up.’

State Assemblyman Michael Blake, left, and state Seb Gustavo Rivera (center) speak to reporters during a news conference in front of New York City Police headquarters, demanding an end to violent, hyper-aggressive policing

Broderick Johnson, the leader of President Barack Obama’s initiative for minority males says it has been painful to watch violence and looting unfold in his Baltimore hometown, but he feels optimistic that the worst is over.

He commended the efforts of ordinary people he said are rejecting violence and trying to help restore peace after violence left nearly 100 police injured as businesses were looted or set ablaze after the funeral for 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died in police custody.

‘That filled me with a lot of hope and it reminded me that there are a lot of wonderful things about the people who grow up in Baltimore,’ Johnson said in an interview.

But what happened Monday night was a little surreal for Johnson, who heads the minority-male initiative Obama named My Brother’s Keeper.

Thousands more gathered for mostly peaceful protests in Baltimore Wednesday, with police arresting 18 people, compared to more than 250 on the night of the riots.

Amid the demonstrations, the Baltimore Orioles postponed two Major League Baseball games against the Chicago White Sox this week and Wednesday’s contest at Camden Yards was closed to the public.

source: Joy105.com