Over the past week, large-scale riots have broken out in Baltimore, Maryland. Some sources say the riots stemmed from anger over a 25-year-old black man, Freddie Gray, who died of a spinal injury while in police custody.

What began as peaceful protests over Gray’s mysterious and likely racially motivated death after being arrested, eventually erupted into riots. Little is known as to how the riots moved from peaceful to violent. Some sources say that the protesters grew frustrated without any answers, and took to vandalism. Others say that looters who used the crowds of peaceful protestors to their advantage in order to cause chaos. Regardless, the anger was real, and state troopers were called in to handle the chaos.

If the riots were truly derived from looters, than this issue also stems from class. The neighborhoods in West Baltimore where the riots originally broke out are of very low income. Looters coming from this area perhaps were motivated by the urge to break out of their poor situation, or even break down the institution that allowed this to happen.

Whether the riots were racially motivated or motivated by class, one issue has gotten closer to being solved. The six officers involved in Freddie Gray’s death have been accused of homicide. Protestors rejoiced at the justice brought to Gray. Although the officers paid bail, this issue does not end here. Police brutality and corruption remains a growing issue in America today, and hopefully this incident will again stand as a reason to fix the system.