Activists protesting the arrest of 7-year-old Gerard Mungo Jr. clashed with a group of police supporters outside Eastern District headquarters on Tuesday evening.
“We?re going to keep fighting,” said activist Darren Mohammed, as roughly two dozen people circled the sidewalk holding signs and waving to passing cars.
But about a dozen people who said they came to show support for the police called the demonstration unnecessary.
“They should wait until Internal Affairs finishes their investigation of the arrest to pass judgment ? this protest doesn?t help fight crime,” said Charlene Bourne, an east Baltimore resident.
The scene marked another divisive chapter in the arrest of Gerard, the east Baltimore boy who was handcuffed by police for allegedly sitting on a dirt bike. The arrest sparked outrage in the city, with Mayor Sheila Dixon issuing an apology just days after the arrest, saying “it was wrong to arrest a seven-year-old.”
Less than two weeks after Gerard?s arrest, his mother, Likisa Dinkins, was arrested in her sister?s home ? allegedly for impeding an arrest. Her arrest further heightening tensions in a city already divided over police arrest policies.
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Still, Janice Hudson, an Eastern District community leader, said she was offended by the demonstration.
“These people are never at our community meetings. They should be protesting crime.”
But Aaron Wilkes, 39, disagreed.
“I?ve lived in east Baltimore all my life, and I?m here because arresting a 7-year-old is an injustice to all the people of this city.”
Col. Rick Hite, who works in community relations for the police department and who attended the rally, said it was time for the protesters to offer solutions.
“Commissioner [Leonard] Hamm has said he would sit down and talk, but they have declined,” he said.
“They need to discuss policy, procedures and practice, to bring about actual change,” he said.
But Mohammed saidhe had made demands that were not met.
“Until Commissioner Hamm has the badges of the officers that arrested Gerard, he has no credibility,” he said.
“We?re taking our concerns to the civil rights division of Attorney General Doug Gansler?s office.”
