Baltimore Is Cleaning Up Monday's Destruction

On Tuesday morning, Baltimore residents left their homes to witness the remains of last night's destruction and looting that had prompted Gov. Larry Hogan to declare a state of emergency and Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake to impose a mandatory curfew on the city. In a heartening display of solidarity, cleanup efforts in Baltimore began as residents volunteered to put their city back together — or at least, as best as they could.

A Facebook event inviting residents to "get together and help" clean up communities and businesses affected by last night's violence, including a CVS that was destroyed; more than 2,700 people marked themselves as "going" on the page. Volunteers gathered early on Tuesday at Pennsylvania and North Avenues — the epicenter of the clashes that took place hours after Freddie Gray's funeral — armed with trash bags and other cleaning supplies.

Shop owners, municipal employees, and Baltimore volunteers seized the opportunity provided by Tuesday's calm to try to restore some sense of order in the city. By noon on Tuesday, cleanup efforts led by by municipal employees, including the the city's Department of Parks and Recreation, were well underway. Mayor Rawlings-Blake, facing pressure to contain the violence that could very well erupt again on Tuesday, tweeted her support of the cleanings and to hail the support of local businesses affected by the clashes.

Image: Getty Images (3)