Baltimore calls for calm after Freddie Gray mistrial

Officer William Porter was the first of six officers to face trial for manslaughter, assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct charges, but was released after three days of unsuccessful deliberations.

As protesters gathered outside Wednesday evening, officials said the hung jury was not the end of the case against Porter, and encouraged people to trust the judicial system.

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake agreed that the public must be patient in its quest for justice. “As a unified city, we must respect the outcome of the judicial process … We will not, we cannot be defined by the unrest of the spring,” she said.

The Baltimore chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People released a statement asking Baltimore residents to respect public property if they choose to protest the trial’s conclusion. Chapter president Tessa Hill-Aston added that despite the mistrial, she has noticed changes in the Charm City.

Protesters have gathered outside the courthouse throughout the day, rotating between chants of “No justice, no peace,” and “Send those killer cops to jail.”

“Protesters who are lawfully assembled have a friend in the Baltimore Police Department. Folks who choose to commit crimes and break things and hurt people are no longer protesters,” Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said in a press conference.

“I am not terribly surprised given what I had read as the trial progressed,” former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley said on the “Alan Colmes Show” Wednesday. “These are difficult cases and the prosecutor has her job to do and she’s made her judgment and we’ll see as justice plays out.”