Baltimore Mayor Says ‘Space to Destroy’ Was Taken Out of Context
Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake of Baltimore speaks at a press conference after it was announced that charges will be filed against Baltimore police officers in the death of Freddie Gray on May 1, 2015 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty ImagesIt was the phrase that launched a thousand head scratches. Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake reiterated Sunday that she and her administration don't condone the rioting that has destroyed and damaged several businesses in the city, after saying last month that rioters had been given "space to destroy."
"I certainly think that it was taken out of context," Rawlings-Blake said Sunday on NBC's Meet the Press. Rawlings added that her family has deep Baltimore roots, and she would never condone the riots that followed the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray while in police custody. "We fought to get those stores in our communities," she said.