Riot-Torn Community Gathers In Unity Following Mistrial
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--It wasn't the reaction the world expected, but it was the reaction the community demanded.
WJZ's Marcus Washington has more from the Penn-North Community after a judge declared a mistrial in the case of Officer William Porter.
The rain falling on the intersection of Pennsylvania Avenue and West North Avenue can't damper the pride Wade North feels for his community in the hours following hung jury in Officer William Porter's trial.
Marcus: "When you saw that show of support, that show of unity, what were you feeling."
"I felt great because there was nothing negative about it," said North.
The response Wednesday night was a far cry from what happened at the same intersection eight months prior.
This time around, a different message to the world.
"I like to see the way they came together. We still don't like what went on, but this is how we're going to express ourselves," said one resident. "You can be angry, but it's how you express. Let's move past the anger and the finger pointing, what can we do to make this better."
Marcus Washington spoke to residents all week who call east and west Baltimore home.
They push for a very clear message: to be respectful if you demonstrate and that happened on Wednesday night.
And that is the message that the residents at Penn-North wanted to relay to the world: that this is a place that they call home and they will protect it.
