Update from Sun reporter John Fritze:

Rep. Elijah E. Cummings, a regular presence in West Baltimore during the April riots, said in an interview he rushed up from Washington after the mistrial was declared. An attorney, Cummings said he spent much of the evening trying to explain to residents that the trials are really just beginning.

"A lot of people ask for justice but they have to understand that justice is not necessarily fast," the Baltimore Democrat said. "Justice, however, is hopefully fair."

Cummings said he thought the apprehension many in the city expressed as the trial's conclusion neared will probably be the "new normal" for a while.

"This is the price we pay for justice," Cummings said of the lengthy legal drama ahead. "If you want justice you must understand that sometimes that calls for patience, but it also calls for respecting the process -- and the result."