Carmelo Anthony Marches In Protest Of Freddie Gray’s Death Through Streets Of Baltimore

Carmelo Anthony of New York Knicks fame marched in protest of the suspicious death of Freddie Gray on April 18 after being in police custody, according to new pictures from multiple news outlets.

Anthony, who sparked controversy in the wake of Eric Garner’s death by being one of the few NBA players to not sport an “I Can’t Breathe” warm-up shirt, joined the protest marches on Thursday after a moving Instagram post in which he asked people to build the city up, rather than tear it down. The post condemned rioters and urged peaceful protesters to keep fighting for what they believe in.

“The anger, the resentment, the neglect that our community feels right now, will not change overnight. Continue, fighting for what you believe in. But remember, it takes no time to destroy something. But, it can take forever to build it back up.”

Anthony, who often speaks of Brooklyn, New York, as his home, originally hails from Baltimore and spent a few of his high school years playing basketball there. Baltimore is where he grew up and “became a man,” he says.

While marching in a peaceful protest Thursday afternoon, Anthony was swarmed by reporters and cameras, and he spoke with Channel 2-WMAR in Baltimore as well as CNN about his reasoning behind flying home to Baltimore to protest. He also had a message for the rioters and looters.

“This is the easy part, me walking down the streets that I grew up. My message to the city, especially the youth: calm down and relax, I understand the severity of what’s going on right now. I understand the anger that our youth is feeling right now. We gotta put our arms around the youth and carry them along with us. I tell people all the time: ‘We gonna get the justice that we want. It’s gonna be served.’ Our community is fed up. They are fed up right now, but there are different ways you can go about it. I’m here to lead that kind of toward the right path. This is a peaceful march.”

Marches in protest of Freddie Gray’s death have been ongoing since before a memorial service in his honor was held on April 27. The service sparked riots and looting, and forced the city to initiate a 10 p.m curfew on April 28, in an attempt to stop the violence and destruction that had already seen countless police officers and protestors injured as a result.

How do you feel about the marches in protest of Gray’s death? Are they warranted?

[Image Credit: NY Post]