BALTIMORE — Orioles Park at Camden Yards was empty Wednesday afternoon, but it wasn’t silent or inactive. At least not outside the locked gates.
The streets, plazas,bars and restaurants around the Orioles’ downtown ballpark weren't nearly as busy as they would be for a normal weekday afternoon game. But at the same time, the area was not nearly as deserted as a city on lockdown would be expected to be. There weren’t many cars but plenty of pedestrians, many passing the ballpark on the way to the Inner Harbor — where there were plenty of police and National Guard on the first day after the first overnight curfew.
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There were no police in sight in and around Camden Yards, though — just people walking through and posing in the Eutaw Street plaza where the franchise’s retired numbers and the Babe Ruth statue sit. At least it was that way until about 15 minutes before the first pitch against the White Sox: then, fans began gathering behind the centerfield fence on Camden Street to look through and catch whatever glimpse of the game they could.
There were about 50 of them by the game’s start, and they watched and yelled as much as fans would have had the public been allowed inside — even shouting “O!” at the traditional point during the national anthem.
“My friend invited me down here to see the game and support the team and cheer for them, to help Baltimore out, get it back on track and bring it peace,’’ said Willis Brown, wearing an Orioles cap and t-shirt.
Brown lives in the Sandtown area of west Baltimore, near the locations of this week’s worst unrest, and where Freddie Gray, the man whose death in police custody sparked the original protests, was from.
“You can see North Avenue from there,’’ said Brown, who attends Orioles games regularly.
Brendan Hurson (David Steele/SN)
Brendan Hurson, also a Baltimore resident, also was decked out in Orioles gear and ready to watch through the fence — and he was determined to keep the events of the week in perspective even while enjoying the diversion of the game he was shut out of.
Hurson carried a poster that read “Don’t Forget Freddie Gray,’’ with the O’s logo taking the place of the letters “O.”
“The focus has to be on this,’’ Hurson said of his sign. “The reason this game is not happening (in front of fans) is because this man was killed. That’s what we have to go back to. The conversation goes back to the riots, but it started with this, and I want people to remember that.’’
Hurson wishes, though, that the gates would have been opened as normal, noting that at roughly the same time, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra was giving a free concert in front of Meyerhoff Hall, not far from the site of the rioting. Plus, he added, local and out-of-town police and the National Guard were blocks away at the harbor.
“They're all right over there,’’ he said, waving his hand in that direction, “they can come over here. I know they're on a mission, but I don’t see why we can’t watch baseball.’’
At least one group’s plans were changed by the unrest … but just their plans to see a game. A visit by employees of the New York City government were in the plaza taking photos of the retired numbers. They arrived as scheduled for their trip on Monday. “We thought, ugh, great timing,’’ joked Alycia Elsiger — but there never was a serious thought of going back home.
Said Scott Hughes, “We’re from New York.’’