Baltimore braces for massive protests over Gray’s death

Thousands of people were set to hit the Baltimore streets in fresh large-scale demonstrations on Sunday, a day after six police officers were charged over the death of an African-American man in their custody.

As many as 10,000 people were set to turn out for a massive rally in the riot-scarred city, CBS Baltimore reported, in what could be the biggest show of people power yet in nearly a week of demonstrations that threaten to spread across the United States.

The Maryland National Guard said on Twitter it had nearly 3,000 soldiers and airmen ready to help “keep the peace” in the city.

Police made at least 15 arrests when some protesters defied a 10:00 pm curfew Friday, underlining the anger that persists on the street despite the shock announcement that the six officers -- three of them black -- would face a range of charges, including second-degree murder and manslaughter, over Freddie Gray’s April 19 death.

The 25-year-old Gray’s death at the hands of police has reignited simmering resentment in the United States over law enforcement tactics, particularly in their dealings with the black community.

Demonstrations have erupted daily in Baltimore this week, while there have been rallies in many other major American cities, including New York, Philadelphia and the capital Washington, in echoes of the protests that broke out across the United States last year over the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager in Ferguson, Missouri.