Carmelo Anthony, the New York Knicks star, headed down to Baltimore this week, where he led a group of protestors.

Carmelo Anthony In Baltimore

Anthony’s presence in Baltimore was first called attention to by reporter Richard Walker, who shared four pictures of the basketball star on Twitter. “@carmeloanthony of #BrooklynNets [sic] leads the march #Baltimore #FreddieGray,” Walker wrote.

Anthony was born in Brooklyn, but moved to Baltimore when he was 8 and grew up in the Maryland city. “This is my community. This is not just my community — it’s everybody’s community. It’s America’s community. So for me to come back here and be part of a community where I grew up at, and really get a chance to kind of talk to the people and get a feel for what’s going on … I had to come,” Anthony told CNN at the protest. “It was only right for me to come down here.”

“I’m one of them. When I come back home, it’s all love. Everything is cool. But I’m here for a different cause right now,” Anthony continued. “I’m supporting my community. I’m here to talk to the youth about, kind of, calming things down in the city here, man. We shouldn’t tear our city down. We’ve got to rebuild our city. We’re going to get the justice that we want. It’s going to take some time. So my message to everybody is just, calm down and be patient. I know that’s easier said than done right now, to be patient. But we have to be patient in order for us to get what we want.”

Earlier in the week, Anthony weighted in on the situation in Baltimore, stemming from the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray following an arrest by Baltimore police, on Instagram. “We all want Justice. And our city will get the answers we are looking for. My deepest sympathy goes out to the GRAY Family. To see my city in a State of Emergency is just shocking. We need to protect our city, not destroy it,” Anthony wrote. “What happens when we get the answers that we want, and the media attention is not there anymore? We go back to being the same ol Baltimore City again. If not yourself, then Think about the youth. How this will impact them. Let’s build our city up not tear it down.”

“Although, we want justice, let’s look at the real issues at hand. For example, When was the last school built in Baltimore? That’s just one example,” Anthony wrote. “I know my community is fed up. I’m all about fighting for what we believe in. The anger, the resentment, the neglect that our community feels right now, will not change over night. Continue, fighting for what you believe in. But remember, it takes no time to destroy something. But, it can take forever to build it back up. Peace7. #Thisonehitshome #BeMore #LetsNotFallForTheTrap “Please Understand What State Of Emergency Mean”(Destroy and Conquer) #StayMe7o.”

 

A photo posted by @carmeloanthony on Apr 27, 2015 at 8:16pm PDT