Riots and looting in Baltimore have been a "setback" for the city, but it will continue to mend, said the city's former mayor Martin O'Malley, who later served as Maryland governor and is weighing a 2016 bid for president in the Democratic primaries.
O'Malley has faced criticism over his record as mayor when he cracked down on crime with a "zero-tolerance" policy. Many have said the program contributed to the distrust between black residents and police. Frustration spilled over in late April when Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man, died of a spinal cord injury after being in police custody.
O'Malley defended his actions Sunday on
"Meet the Press," saying that not only has crime gone down in Baltimore as the result of his policies, but that people are now moving back into the city.
"I signed legislation to decriminalize, in essence, marijuana possession and other minor charges," O'Malley said. "I signed registration to restore voting rights. So this is constant work. It is not done."
Violence and looting associated with protests over Gray's death are "a heartbreaking setback for an otherwise remarkable comeback for Baltimore the last 15 years," O'Malley said.
He said the real problem is that poverty and inner cities have been ignored on the federal level and that the job of restoring cities has been left to mayors.
That will be a focus of his presidential campaign should he decide to run, O'Malley said, adding that he won't shy away from announcing an official entry into the race in the troubled city.
"I wouldn't think of announcing any place else," he said.
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