After apparently finding her son dressed in black riot gear, a Baltimore woman was captured on camera slapping the young man and marching him away from the police. The scene quickly went viral online, with the woman being dubbed “Mother of the Year.”
Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake ordered a mandatory
curfew to be imposed Tuesday night after a violent riot erupted
in the wake of the funeral for Freddie Gray, a young black man
who died in police custody over a week ago.
READ
MORE: Baltimore riot: Violent clashes, tear gas, rubber bullets
after Freddie Gray funeral
Gray died as a result of severe injuries suffered in police
custody and escalating violence in the city pushed Rawlings-Blake
to implement a week-long curfew, but one Baltimore woman took
matters into her own hands when she found what many people
believe to be her son ready to riot.
A video posted by TJ (@jtcheri) on Apr 27, 2015 at 2:09pm PDT
Those three slaps in the video inspired a Twitter user to comment
that the woman was “mom of the year” and that “She’s just lookin’
out for her son apparently.”
A video captioned “that awkward moment you mom catches you
rioting” also emerged.
A video posted by Simply’iSh (@simply.ish) on Apr 27, 2015 at
3:33pm PDT
From another angle, the apparent mother tries to expose her son’s
face by trying to tear off his balaclava hood, but she is
unsuccessful. She then tells him to “Get the **** over here! Get
over here.”
That awkward moment your mom catches you rioting
#baltimore #baltimoreriots #prayforthiskidA video posted by Karla H. (@ine3) on Apr 27, 2015 at 2:07pm PDT
The final scene shows the son and mom, despite the distance
between them, heading away from the riot together.
A video posted by Keezy (@yaasss_keez) on Apr 27, 2015 at
12:38pm PDT
The same day, Baltimore police asked parents to find their kids
and get them off the streets.
Several juveniles are part of these aggressive groups. WE ARE
ASKING ALL PARENTS TO LOCATE THEIR CHILDREN AND BRING THEM
HOME.
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice)
April 27, 2015
Under the curfew announced by Rawlings-Blake, no adults or minors
will be allowed on the streets between 10pm and 5am from April 28
to May 5.
Prior to the curfew announcement, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan
declared a state of emergency for Baltimore as violence erupted.
READ
MORE: Justice Department investigating death of man killed in
Baltimore police custody
The protests began around 3pm, as young people were leaving
school and started throwing rocks and bricks at police officers.
Some officers threw rocks back and police responded with mace and
tear gas. Fifteen officers were injured.
Since then, two-dozen people have been arrested and there has
been massive looting and four separate fires in East and West
Baltimore.