Baltimore---Thousands of people called for justice in Baltimore on Saturday in new demonstrations a day after six police were charged over the death of an African-American man in their custody.
Many cheered the surprise convictions of the officers -- three of them black. They face a range of charges, including second-degree murder and manslaughter.
The Maryland National Guard said on Twitter it had nearly 3,000 soldiers and airmen ready to help "keep the peace" in the city.
But in contrast to the violence and looting that flared after Freddie Gray's funeral on Monday, there was a festive atmosphere in Baltimore, as demonstrators -- white and black -- gathered at City Hall, the focal point of rallies in recent days.
After the rally, protesters marched toward the neighborhood where Gray was killed on April 19.
"Who's streets? Our streets!" they chanted.
- 'Stop police brutality' -
"It's been a frustration what's going on. Now we want to stop police brutality, we want peace," Autumn Hooper, a 25-year-old African American woman, told AFP.
The death of Gray, 25, at the hands of police has reignited simmering resentment in the United States over law enforcement tactics, particularly in their dealings with African Americans.
Police made at least 15 arrests when some protesters defied a 10:00 pm curfew Friday, underlining persisting anger at alleged police brutality and racism.
Demonstrations have erupted daily in Baltimore this week.
There have also been rallies in many other major American cities, including New York, Philadelphia and the capital Washington, in echoes of the protests that broke out across the United States last year over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.
AFP
