Public unrest turned Baltimore upside down 10 years ago when police pursued, arrested and brutalized Freddie Gray — who later died from the injuries.

Gray, a 25-year-old Black man living in West Baltimore, was in his community on April 12, 2015 when the police chased, subdued — allegedly injuring him — arrested him and took him on a “rough ride,” which severed his spine. Gray died in the hospital on April 19 — all while a subsequent uprising that decried his arrest, injury and death, gained momentum in Baltimore.

“I remember hearing about Freddie Gray much like I did the countless other Black lives lost during the rise of the Black Lives Matter movement,” said Rashad Staton, a life-long Baltimorean.

Today, Staton is also the executive director of Community Law in Action, Inc., but in 2015, he was a recent graduate of Morgan State University.

Gray’s death was a breaking point for the city and reiterated a national issue of police brutality in Black and brown communities. Protests began almost immediately and grew quickly.

“A friend handed me their phone and said, ‘You need to see this.’ I watched in disbelief, anger, and pain — feelings I knew all too well from seeing the tragic ends of Tamir Rice, Mike Brown, and so many others,” said Staton. “It wasn’t just another headline. It was a deep, personal blow — a reminder that our lives continue to be devalued in real time.”

Staton wasn’t present when the Baltimore Uprising began but recalled that parts of it felt orchestrated. Thousands of people took to the streets for nearly two weeks — which is often called the Baltimore Uprising.

“When I got to the epicenter … it was a community coming together. Youth, elders, activists — even gang members — walking together, protecting the neighborhoods, redirecting anger into purpose. It was a moment of solidarity that Baltimore will never forget,” said Staton.

The Baltimore uprising lasted almost a month, only dying down when State Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced charges against the six officers connected to Gray’s death. 

Tawanda Jones is the sister of Tyrone West, a 44-year-old Black man who died during a traffic stop in July 2013. According to multiple sources, Jones still fights for a review of her brother’s case since West’s officers were never charged.

Jones also said she remembered when Mosby announced charges against the police officers involved in Gray’s death.

“I must say, and it literally was like a moment in time that I’ll never forget and I was so appreciative of it and praying that we got accountability,” Jones said. “But then it’s like they dragged it off, and then it’s like justice delayed is justice denied.” 

The six officers involved in Gray’s death faced multiple charges such as second degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, assault, misconduct and reckless endangerment among others. However, none of them were convicted. Three officers were acquitted and charges on the remaining three were dropped, according to a July 2016 article from NPR.

Although the officers weren’t convicted in criminal courts, Gray’s family was awarded $6.4 million in their wrongful death settlement in September 2015.

Since Gray’s death, Baltimore City has taken steps to reform its police department. This started when then-Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake had the Department of Justice complete a civil rights investigation of the Baltimore City Police Department. The results of which found a “pattern or practice of constitutional violations,” including excessive force and racially biased arrests. These findings led to a federal consent decree in 2017 to reform the entire department.

“The city has taken steps — policy reforms, increased oversight, community-based policing models — but whether those efforts are genuine or reactionary is still a question,” said Stanton. “True prevention isn’t about responding to national scrutiny. It’s about valuing Black life every single day, before it’s taken.” 

A 2021 American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland report detailed continued misconduct among Baltimore City police. The report shows residents submitted complaints about more than 1,800 officers between 2015 and 2019 — a period that coincides with the DOJ investigation and its implementation of the federal consent decree.

The report also stated that more than 400 officers have been “the subject of at least one complaint of physical violence against a member of the public.”

Duane “Shorty” Davis, the organizer of Occupy Baltimore, was also featured in Baltimore Beat’s April 9 article.

“Freddie got killed and they got money,” said Davis. “After they got the money and the money ran out, we still suffering the same Freddie Gray shit. We still getting killed by the police. We still got jump-out boys. We still got police.”

According to Davis, while the city has Black leaders in pivotal positions, it still needs criminal justice reform and accountable leadership.

“The uprising taught us that we are the cavalry we’ve been waiting for,” said Staton. “We have the tools to protect, rebuild and sustain our neighborhoods when we come together with purpose.”

Many Baltimore publications and community leaders have reflected on Gray’s death and the subsequent uprising.

“Dr. King once said, ‘A riot is the language of the unheard.’ But for many of us, it was much more than that. It was organized resistance,” said Staton. “Baltimore is more than the headlines. We are rich with legacy, love and leadership. And if we stay committed to doing the work — together — we’ll build a city where justice isn’t a demand, but a standard.”