Activists Are Occupying Baltimore’s City Hall

The demands come as the City Council’s appointments committee is scheduled to consider on Wednesday afternoon a request by Rawlings-Blake to confirm Davis as the city’s permanent top cop after several months of him serving in an interim capacity.

Lawrence Grand Pre, one of the protesters who left after 3 a.m., says about 10 mostly student activists still remained inside and 30 to 40 police officers were in a hallway near the remaining demostrators.

Davis says police aren’t just reviewing what happened, they’re launching a full Internal Affairs investigation into the officer’s actions.

Rawlings-Blake appointed Davis interim commissioner in July after his predecessor Anthony Batts was sacked amid a spike in violent crime in the city.

The full city council could vote on his appointment as early as Monday. Six Baltimore police officers are now awaiting trial for their role in his death after an investigation showed Gray sustained a severe neck injury while in the back of a police van with his hands in cuffs and legs restrained. His death ignited outrage in the city and sparked protest, riots and looting.

Protesters shout as council members leave the chamber at city hall in Baltimore, Wednesday, October 14, 2015. “We are waiting to see if we’ll get a meeting with anyone tonight”.

A member of the group who identified herself as Ralikh Hayes told an Associated Press reporter over the telephone Wednesday night that 32 protesters were inside and that they “have no access to bathrooms, food or water now”. Five Baltimore police officers have been charged in connection with his death.

“I don’t think they should view this as a threat”, Murphy told WBAL NewsRadio 1090.

“It is clear that since Kevin Davis took office as interim Police Commissioner there has been a heightened aggression from Law Enforcement towards protesters”, the letter states. I understand their frustration….

“It’s all part of the healing process”, Davis said, after the vote, according to the AP, adding: “The fact that this occurred isn’t upsetting”. She said the incident contributes to a poor relationship between the police and community and that “there are very few things that you can do to another human being that are that disgusting”.

Davis received support from multiple parties during the council meeting including Lt. Gene Ryan, president of the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3, a union that represents rank-and-file officers in the city. His contract will run through June of 2020.