Thousands gathered at a Baltimore church on Monday to pay their last respects to Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose death from a spinal cord injury days after being arrested reopened barely healed wounds for African-Americans who feel unjustly treated by law enforcement.
Grieving relatives, friends and supporters crowded New Shiloh Baptist Church to say goodbye to Gray, who lay in a white casket surrounded by flowers and a sign reading "Peace ya'll," according to the Agence France Presse.
"I'm here to pay my respects," Kenny Nicholson, Grey's friend, told AFP.
White House officials and several lawmakers also attended the funeral.
A projector inside the church screened the words "Black Lives Matter & All Lives Matter," a nod to the declaration that arose in recent months following the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and other black males during encounters with police officers.
Gray died April 19, a week after Baltimore officers handcuffed and forced him inside a police van during an arrest for a weapons charge. Police said they placed leg cuffs on Gray inside the vehicle after he became aggressive, according to the Associated Press. He reportedly had no seatbelt on, which goes against department policy.
Before he was placed inside the transport van, Gray complained of needing medical attention but it wasn't until 30 minutes later when paramedics were called, the AP reported. It's still unclear how Gray's spine was injured.
Protests erupted for days after the young man's death, some of which turned violent over the weekend. Objects like soda cans and trash bins were thrown at cops and city store fronts were smashed, AFP reported. More than 30 people were arrested and six officers were wounded.
At Gray's funeral, a lawyer for his family said the six officers involved in the incident, who have since been suspended, should reveal what happened during the arrest in West Baltimore.
"This is our moment to get at truth. This is our moment to get it right," Bill Murphy, said according to the AP.
Many who didn't even know Gray attended the service, including Erica Garner, the daughter of Eric Garner, who died last year after being placed in a chokehold during an arrest attempt in New York City.
"It's like there is no accountability, no justice," Erica Garner told the AP. "It's like we're back in the '50s, back in the Martin Luther King days. When is our day to be free going to come?"
