Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, September 4, 2015

This week we witnessed respectful, peaceful and lawful demonstrations as the first motions in the Freddie Gray trial were heard. I want to thank the citizens of Baltimore who gathered in the spirit of our City’s long history of peaceful protests. 
I want to express my gratitude to the honorable men and women of our Baltimore Police Department for allowing people the opportunity to demonstrate peacefully and ensuring their safety, while maintaining order. Your dedication and commitment to securing the community created an environment for citizens to express their First Amendment rights.  Working together with our partners we protected the rights, freedoms, and privileges embraced by this nation.  It was an illustration of public safety at its best.
Nevertheless, I recognize that we must be prepared for any and all possibilities in the coming months. My administration has been actively engaged in reviewing what happened during April’s unrest, both what went right and where we need to improve. We have purchased new equipment for police, provided updated training, and upgraded our communications systems and protocols, among many other things. We worked with the Baltimore Police, Schools Police, and Maryland Transit Administration Police to ensure a smooth start to the school year. And we will continue our efforts to improve coordination and communication. 
Moving forward, I am confident that we will be defined as a city that unites and comes together as One Baltimore.

This originally appeared in the Rawlings-Blake Review. If you do not receive the Mayor's weekly newsletter, subscribe here.