The Maryland National Guard stayed with its to will stick to the same game-plan during Day Two of its mission to back up local authorities trying to restore order in Baltimore, including repeated enforcement of a 10 p.m. curfew on Wednesday night.
The 2,000 activated Guardsmen, operating under the command of Maryland State Police, kept watch over various parts of the city Tuesday and Wednesday.
Police did deployed smoke bombs and pepper balls to disperse a crowd of protesters defying the curfew at Pennsylvania Avenue and North Avenue on Tuesday night, but the night was quiet compared to Monday and the Guard did not directly confront any disturbances.
"Our force structure hasn't changed, our mission hasn't changed, our numbers haven't changed," Guard spokesman Maj. Rick Breitenfeldt, who said Wednesday this afternoon that the situation remained calm. "We'll be here as long as needed for the City of Baltimore to feel safe and secure."
The chaotic rioting, looting and arson that prompted the Guard's activation followed Monday's funeral for Freddie Gray, who died of a nearly severed spine sustained while in police custody; authorities have not elaborated on the events leading up to his death, which is under investigation.
Gray's death fed into anger over alleged police abuse of force – in September the Baltimore Sun reported that the department had settled or lost 100 cases involving abuse in four years to the tune of $5.7 million since 2011 – among other complaints in a largely impoverished city, fueling a combustible situation.
Monday's looting and fires destroyed several buildings and 144 cars also were damagedabsent Tuesday.
Riots resulted in more than 240 arrests and injured 20 officers on Monday nightthe night before. One officer was reported injured Tuesday before the curfew.
Baltimore police said Wednesday afternoon that 35 people had been arrested since curfew.
Schools re-opened Wednesday as residents were are "trying to get back to some sense of normalcy," Breitenfeldt said after the first Guard deployment to the city since the aftermath of the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968.
While not reactively responding to disturbances, a convoy of Humvees was deployed to the intersection at Pennsylvania and North after curfew. Police had already cleared demonstrators, some of whom threw bottled water and a few glass objects at a line of officers in riot gear.
With the curfew will remain in effect Wednesday tonight, and the Guard will remain ready to assist local authorities as needed.
"We are in almost the exact place as we were last night," said Breitenfeldt.
Inner Harbor will remain closed, he said, and Guard soldiers will continue to stand guard over critical infrastructure including hospitals and civic buildings.
Meanwhile a baseball game at Camden Yards was played with no fans allowed to attend, adding yet another oddity to an unusual week in the city. Appreciative that the violence has abated and the Guard's presence remained precautionary, Breitenfeldt said "the most fascinating thing right now is the baseball game."
Whole Foods ripped for feeding Guard
As the National Guard arrived Tuesday morning, social media posts from grocery store Whole Foods promoted the chain's donation of some sandwiches to Guard members. A photo showed grateful soldiers smiling and holding a bag with the company's logo.
But in a heavily-scrutinized situation featuring a lot of tension and anger over injustice, the gesture instead proved a source of controversy.
Social media lit into the post, largely noting that the Guard has a well-funded supply chain, while many Baltimore residents go hungry. The city's school district says 84 percent of public school kids qualify for free or reduced-price lunches. Schools were closed Tuesday, so many jumped on the retailer for misdirecting its generositylargesse.
Whole Foods responded in a statement to ABC News that it has "supported community organizations for many years to improve lives around the city." It also said it was providing food and water to children across the city by partnering with recreation centers and community organizations at the same time as it was helping responders.
