Rawlings-Blake offers support to Baton Rouge mayor

BALTIMORE —The mayor of Baltimore offered help Wednesday to the mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, where a police officer fatally shot a man

Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake faced protests and unrest a year ago in the wake of the police in-custody death of Freddie Gray. Rawlings-Blake knows the challenge of dealing with the backlash of a controversial death at the hands of police.

Her handling of the demonstrations and unrest in Baltimore last April made her the target of intense criticism, and might have cost her her political career.

A mayoral spokesman said Rawlings-Blake offered support to Baton Rouge Mayor Kip Holden: "Mayor Rawlings-Blake reached out to Mayor Holden in Baton Rouge this morning to offer her support and to tell him that she is thinking of his city during this very difficult time. She has a strong history of being supportive of other mayors during difficult situations during her tenure as mayor and as the leader of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, most recently standing with mayors across the country as they supported Mayor Buddy Dyer in Orlando following the massacre at Pulse nightclub."

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