Baltimore Buzz: Loretta Lynch Meets with Gray Family & More

Source: Alex Wong / Staff / Getty

Attorney General Loretta Lynch is really getting her hands dirty with her latest efforts to resolve the unrest in Baltimore. Yesterday, Lynch met privately with Freddie Gray’s family, the 25 year old man who infamously died while in police custody. She also spent time visiting Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, Police Commissioner Anthony Batts, local clergy and activists during her five hour visit.

Lynch made a point to express her gratitude to the local police for remaining vigilant and for protecting Baltimore citizens during the protests. In a quote from CBS News she says:

“I have watched the police of this city, and I know that there are difficulties. I know that we have struggles, and we are here to help you work through those struggles in the way that will hopefully be the best and most productive way for this department. But to all of you who are on the front lines, I just want to say thank you.”

Up Next: Surveillance Planes Cover Baltimore Skies After Recent Protests

Surveillance Planes Cover Baltimore Skies After Recent Protests

Big Brother is at it again.

Residents of West Baltimore have now been greeted with surveillance planes flying over their streets, homes and businesses. For days, city and federal officials have been holding a campaign to watch over citizen activity in response to the protests and riots that have plagued their city in the wake of Freddie Gray’s death.

Information from Flightradar24 and the Federal Aviation Administration reveals that two Cessnas were circulating over areas where riots had occurred with assistance from the FBI on Thursday, Friday and Saturday night. Experts explain that while we don’t know the planes’s analytical reach, they are designed to identify and track the movements of people in the area.

The American Civil Liberties Union is now investigating the legal authority on use of this surveillance technology and how much ground the planes were able to cover.

Up Next: Jazmine Sullivan Covers Classic Nina Simone Song, ‘Baltimore’

Jazmine Sullivan Covers Classic Nina Simone Song, ‘Baltimore’

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ibDGbxaIA00%5D

Jazmine Sullivan’s latest cover shows us that the best, most poignant music always stands the test of time.

As part of an upcoming documentary celebrating the life and work of jazz legend Nina Simone, Sullivan croons Simone’s 1978 song, ‘Baltimore.’ The song is from an album of the same name with 10 tracks, each one expressing her social commentary on the social unrest at the time.

In the years that Simone originally wrote and performed the song, Baltimore was already suffering from crime, the residual effects of World War II, poor housing and employment rates,  and a high infant mortality rate. Years later, the people of  Charm City are still fighting tooth and nail for their basic human rights.

Look out for Simone’s Netflix documentary, What Happened, Miss Simone? when it debuts on Friday, June 26. You can hear her original recording here.  

Up Next: Prince Gears Up for a ‘Rally for Peace’ Concert in Baltimore

Prince Gears Up for a ‘Rally for Peace’ Concert in Baltimore

My all-time favorite artist is playing his part in the Black Lives Matter movement.

After recently recording a protest song for the legacy of Freddie Gray and the protestors that have been marching in his name, Prince has announced his latest concert, a “Rally 4 Peace” concert this Mother’s Day. The show’s going down at the Royal Farms Arena; tickets go on sale today.

The concert is slated to be a commemoration of the people of Baltimore while also serving as a political statement on current social issues in America.

No word yet from Paisley Park on when Prince’s protest song will be released.