Baltimore Riots Prompt Celebrity Reactions

— -- Celebrities are speaking out about the violence that erupted in Baltimore after the funeral of Freddie Gray Monday afternoon.

Gray, 25, died earlier this month from injuries he sustained after being arrested by police, officials said.

"The Wire" creator and former Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon was among those urging peace.

"The anger and the selfishness and the brutality of those claiming the right to violence in Freddie Gray's name needs to cease," he wrote in a blog post Monday evening.

"There was real power and potential in the peaceful protests that spoke in Mr. Gray's name initially, and there was real unity at his homegoing today. But this, now, in the streets, is an affront to that man's memory and a diminution of the absolute moral lesson that underlies his unnecessary death," he said.

He pleaded with protestors to go home. "If you can't seek redress and demand reform without a brick in your hand, you risk losing this moment for all of us in Baltimore," he wrote.

The city is under a state of emergency with about 500 National Guard troops assisting law enforcement. Numerous fires were reported overnight and Baltimore police reported people throwing cinder blocks at fire engines as firefighters worked to extinguish the flames. Fifteen police officers were also injured, six of them seriously, during Monday's violence.

For "Soul Food" star Nicole Ari Parker, the violence hits home.

Fellow Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony made an impassioned plea to the protestors in his hometown.

"Let's build our city up not tear it down," he wrote on Instagram. "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. 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."

Holly Robinson Peete, who earlier reached out to Parker, also tweeted:

Actor Jeffrey Wright was busy tweeting responses to the violence after first calling on leadership from the top.

OWN's Iyanla Vanzant also called for a deeper look into the issues.

Chris Rock quoted Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Kevin Hart was heartbroken over the violence.

As was Demi Lovato: