A Ground-Level View of Baltimore’s Protests: Hope, Anger, and Beauty

Protesters, police, tear gas, and roller skates collide in Andrew Renneisen’s gorgeous photos.

Protesters in Baltimore stand between the police and other protesters in hopes of keeping the peace.<a href="http://www.andrewrenneisen.com">Andrew Renneisen</a>

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On April 12, Freddie Gray was arrested by Baltimore police. One hour later he was comatose. A week later he was dead, succumbing to spinal injuries inflicted while in custody. On Monday, Gray’s funeral was followed by peaceful protests as well as looting, arson, and confrontations with police.

Photographer Andrew Renneisen was on the streets that night and the following day as the city took stock of the riots’ aftermath, capturing images of violence and destruction, but also hope and courage.

All photos by Andrew Renneisen.

A protester picks up a tear gas canister after it was fired to disperse a small crowd that stayed past a 10 p.m. curfew.
 

Baltimore residents watch the scene of a fire at Baker and North Mount Streets.
 

A car burns on Fulton Avenue.
 

Residents watch the fire at Baker and North Mount Streets.
 

Freddie Gray’s friends and family pray at the New Shiloh Baptist Church the night of the riots.
 

A police officer across the street from the fire at Baker and North Mount Streets.
 

The fire’s aftermath.
 

Citizens clean up a CVS that was looted and set on fire during protests.
 

A protester on the morning after Monday’s massive protests.
 

Police create a wall on West North Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
 

A peace walk in honor of Freddie Gray Andrew Renneisen
 

A helicopter hovers over a rally following the peace walk. Andrew Renneisen
 

Protesters link arms together after bottles were thrown at police.
 

Black baby dolls hang from a tree to protest Gray’s death.
 

Police form a line and deploy tear gas to disperse protesters.
 

Roller skating amid the protests.
 

Tear gas floats behind a protester.

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Mother Jones was founded to do things differently in the aftermath of a political crisis: Watergate. We stand for justice and democracy. We reject false equivalence. We go after, and go deep on, stories others don’t. And we’re a nonprofit newsroom because we knew corporations and billionaires would never fund the journalism we do. Our reporting makes a difference in policies and people’s lives changed.

And we need your support like never before to vigorously fight back against the existential threats American democracy and journalism face. We’re running behind our online fundraising targets and urgently need all hands on deck right now. We can’t afford to come up short—we have no cushion; we leave it all on the field.

Please help with a donation today if you can—even just a few bucks helps. Not ready to donate but interested in our work? Sign up for our Daily newsletter to stay well-informed—and see what makes our people-powered, not profit-driven, journalism special.

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