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Pastor And Freddie Gray Protest Leader Arrested For Allegedly Attempting To Incite A Riot

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Casey Harper Contributor
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A Baltimore pastor and Freddie Gray protest leader have been arrested and charged with attempting to incite a riot.

Police say Westley West, 27, banged on the hood of a truck and was part of a group of protesters blocking traffic last week when protesters gathered over the hearing for the police officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray. West is listed as the pastor of Faith Empowered Ministries. The site describes him as “humble in service” and a man “who decided to make a difference in the lives of others by making a difference in his own.”

He was arrested Wednesday night and was charged with attempting to incite a riot, malicious destruction of property, disorderly conduct, disturbance of the peace, false imprisonment and failure to obey, the Baltimore Sun reports.

Authorities say they have a video of the incident.

“Mr. West appeared to be agitated and his observed actions were violent and hostile in nature,” police said.

“In 2015 during the wake of Freddie Gray’s death (caused by and while in the hands of Baltimore city police) and the unrest in Baltimore, Reverend West lead a stream of peaceful rallies bringing awareness to both citizens and public servants in Baltimore and Nationwide demanding that justice be served,” West’s bio on the site reads.

This is the second arrest in connection with last week’s protests. A different protester was arrested last week after allegedly assaulting a police officer during protests during the pre-trial hearing. (Freddie Gray Protester Arrested During Pre-Trial Hearing)

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