Naval Academy midshipmen, caught in Baltimore protests, direct families to safety
"You're in the military and a midshipmen — you should be in the front"
Tim Prudente, tprudente@capgaznews.com
published: 6:50 p.m. EDT, April 27, 2015
A patio chair smashed the sandwich shop window.
Glass fell around Midshipman Brad Kadlubowski, seated before a window, at the Subway shop in Baltimore.
Inside, a father steered his wife and two children to the back of the shop on Saturday. His son has asthma; the father worried about tear gas.
Another chair smashed another window.
Everyone to the back, the midshipmen instructed.
Families and Naval Academy midshipmen had come for dinner before Saturday's Orioles game. Protests over the death of Freddie Gray began peacefully that day, but ended with confrontation. By Monday, the day of Gray's funeral, protests escalated with violence. At least seven officers were injured Monday afternoon and the Orioles game was postponed.
Some midshipmen didn't know about the ongoing protests when they arrived Saturday in Baltimore.
"I didn't realize it would be so close to Camden Yards," said Midshipman Madisen Grinnell, 18, of Sacramento, Calif., on Monday.
She and nine other midshipmen found themselves caught in the protests.
These midshipmen directed families to the back of the Subway. Then they lined up, in front of families, as protesters passed outside, some throwing rocks. Women and children gathered farthest from the windows, except for Grinnell, the only female there from the Naval Academy.
"You're in the military and a midshipmen — you should be in the front," she insisted.
Kadlubowski, of Colorado Springs, Colo., was uninjured when glass fell around him. He escorted the store manager to the door.
"I made sure he could lock the door without problem," Kadlubowski said.
About 20 civilians sheltered, in the back of the Subway, while protesters passed. Some protesters waved their middle fingers, said Midshipman Erik Sabelstrom, 19, of Colorado Springs, Colo.
"It was kind of intimidating," he said.
Within minutes, the protesters passed. No one was injured in the Subway shop. A trash can outside was set on fire. And the midshipmen left in a hurry for the safety of the stadium.
First, they removed their jackets and caps and shoulder boards, fearing they may be mistaken and targeted for police officers. Baltimore Police have said they believe gangs are targeting officers.
On Saturday, protesters smashed windows of police cars, blocked traffic and shouted "killers" at officers dressed in riot gear.
The 25-year-old Gray sustained spinal cord injuries while in police custody after his arrest April 12 in West Baltimore.
On Monday, academy officials received an email from a grateful father in the Subway shop.
"The plebes were the last to seek safety and only did so after they made sure all others were safely away from the windows," wrote Robert Oshinsky of Montgomery County. "My wife and children were scared but I believe a little less so as a result of the actions."
Oshinsky huddled over his family in the back of the restaurant.
"This might have been two minutes, but it felt like an eternity," he said. "(Midshipmen) helped make a very scary situation less scary."
The midshipmen left the baseball game early and returned without incident to the Naval Academy.
"I don't think it occurred to any of us that we were doing anything special," Sabelstrom said.
http://www.capitalgazette.com/news/ph-ac-cn-riots-0428-20150427,0,5977193.story
