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1. Gray was CLEARLY injured before he was placed in the back of the police van.
2. It took the police nearly 38 minutes to get him to the police station, but it's only a two-minute drive away.
3. The Baltimore police's leak to the Washington Post that Gray injured himself in the van and that another suspect heard him doing it is not supported by the facts.
a. On April 29, the Baltimore police claimed in documents leaked to the Washington Post that a second suspect who was arrested heard Freddie Gray deliberately banging up against the walls of the van, but here is where we've caught them in a lie:
b. Gray did not have ANY injuries, cuts, scrapes, bumps conducive with someone forcefully breaking his own vertebrae, voice box, and severing his own spine.
The important thing to remember is the police didn't do it.
And if they did do it, it was an accident because of his pre-existing injury.
And if he didn't have a pre-existing injury, then he inflicted it on himself.
And if he didn't inflict it on himself, that he was a criminal and as such gets no sympathy.
And if he wasn't a criminal, that he should have known better than to run from the cops.
And if he didn't run from the cops, this is an isolated incident that in no way is indicative of a pattern of behavior among police.
And if this is indicative of a pattern of behavior among the police, that pattern is in no way related to policy.
And if it related to policy, race wasn't a factor in creating that policy.
And if race was a factor in creating that policy, it can only be rectified by blacks holding themselves to a higher standard than everyone else.
Quoted for truth
Seeing how these folks latch onto these wild speculations and misinformation, not even think to question that the police force may be leaking falsehoods, to completely disregard any patterns of police brutality is just so, so sad.
(UPDATE) The Baltimore Police just admitted on Thursday, after security camera footage was released from a private business, that the van made at least two more stops that were not reported or included in their original timeline.
So Gray arrived at the police station a full 40 minutes after they arrested him. When they arrived at the station, he was unconscious and unresponsive.
Probable cause from a Baltimore police officer has always been a tenuous thing. It’s a tenuous thing anywhere, but in Baltimore, in these high crime, heavily policed areas, it was even worse. When I came on, there were jokes about, “You know what probable cause is on Edmondson Avenue? You roll by in your radio car and the guy looks at you for two seconds too long.” Probable cause was whatever you thought you could safely lie about when you got into district court
Then at some point when cocaine hit and the city lost control of a lot of corners and the violence was ratcheted up, there was a real panic on the part of the government. And they basically decided that even that loose idea of what the Fourth Amendment was supposed to mean on a street level, even that was too much. Now all bets were off. Now you didn't even need probable cause. The city council actually passed an ordinance that declared a certain amount of real estate to be drug-free zones. They literally declared maybe a quarter to a third of inner city Baltimore off-limits to its residents, and said that if you were loitering in those areas you were subject to arrest and search. Think about that for a moment: It was a permission for the police to become truly random and arbitrary and to clear streets any way they damn well wanted.
And the city willingly and legally gave itself over to that, beginning with the drug-free zones and with the misuse of what are known on the street in the previous generation as ‘humbles.’ A humble is a cheap, inconsequential arrest that nonetheless gives the guy a night or two in jail before he sees a court commissioner. You can arrest people on “failure to obey,” it’s a humble. Loitering is a humble. These things were used by police officers going back to the ‘60s in Baltimore. It’s the ultimate recourse for a cop who doesn't like somebody who's looking at him the wrong way. And yet, back in the day, there was, I think, more of a code to it. If you were on a corner, you knew certain things would catch you a humble. The code was really ornate, and I’m not suggesting in any way that the code was always justifiable in any sense, but there was a code.
For example, you look at the people that Baltimore was beating down in that list in THAT STORY THE SUN PUBLISHED LAST YEAR about municipal payouts for police brutality, and it shows no discernable or coherent pattern. There's no code at all, it’s just, what side of the bed did I get up on this morning and who looked at me first? And that is a function of people failing to learn how to police. When you are beating on 15-year-old kids and elderly retirees – and you aren’t even managing to put even plausible misdemeanor charges on some arrestees, you’ve lost all professional ethos.
Originally, early in his tenure, O’Malley brought Ed Norris in as commissioner and Ed knew his business. …
But that wasn’t enough. O’Malley needed to show crime reduction stats that were not only improbable, but unsustainable without manipulation. … Eventually, Norris got fed up with the interference from City Hall and walked, and then more malleable police commissioners followed, until indeed, the crime rate fell dramatically. On paper.
How? There were two initiatives. First, the department began sweeping the streets of the inner city, taking bodies on ridiculous humbles, mass arrests, sending thousands of people to city jail, hundreds every night, thousands in a month. They actually had police supervisors stationed with printed forms at the city jail – forms that said, essentially, you can go home now if you sign away any liability the city has for false arrest, or you can not sign the form and spend the weekend in jail until you see a court commissioner. And tens of thousands of people signed that form.
Martin O’Malley’s logic was pretty basic: If we clear the streets, they’ll stop shooting at each other. We’ll lower the murder rate because there will be no one on the corners.
The city eventually got sued by the ACLU and had to settle, but O’Malley defends the wholesale denigration of black civil rights to this day. Never mind what it did to your jury pool: now every single person of color in Baltimore knows the police will lie — and that's your jury pool for when you really need them for when you have, say, a felony murder case. But what it taught the police department was that they could go a step beyond the manufactured probable cause, … Now, the mass arrests made clear, we can lock up anybody, we don't have to figure out who's committing crimes, we don't have to investigate anything, we just gather all the bodies — everybody goes to jail.
But no, they were just dragging the sidewalks, hunting stats, and these inner-city neighborhoods — which were indeed drug-saturated because that's the only industry left — become just hunting grounds. They weren’t protecting anything. They weren’t serving anyone. They were collecting bodies, treating corner folk and citizens alike as an Israeli patrol would treat the West Bank, or as the Afrikaners would have treated Soweto back in the day. They’re an army of occupation. And once it’s that, then everybody’s the enemy. The police aren’t looking to make friends, or informants, or learning how to write clean warrants or how to testify in court without perjuring themselves unnecessarily. There's no incentive to get better as investigators, as cops. There’s no reason to solve crime. In the years they were behaving this way, locking up the entire world, the clearance rate for murder dove by 30 percent. The clearance rate for aggravated assault — every felony arrest rate – took a significant hit. Think about that. If crime is going down, and crime is going down, and if we have less murders than ever before and we have more homicide detectives assigned, and better evidentiary technologies to employ how is the clearance rate for homicide now 48 percent when it used to be 70 percent, or 75 percent?
And tellingly, when his successor as mayor allows a new police commissioner to finally de-emphasize street sweeps and mass arrests and instead focus on gun crime, that’s when the murder rate really dives. That’s when violence really goes down. When a drug arrest or a street sweep is suddenly not the standard for police work, when violence itself is directly addressed, that’s when Baltimore makes some progress.
if a Baltimore State’s Attorney told all his assistant state’s attorneys today, from this moment on, we are not signing overtime slips for court pay for possession, for simple loitering in a drug-free zone, for loitering, for failure to obey, we’re not signing slips for that: Nobody gets paid for that bullshit, go out and do real police work. If that were to happen, then all at once, the standards for what constitutes a worthy arrest in Baltimore would significantly improve. Take away the actual incentive to do bad or useless police work, which is what the drug war has become.
This young brother is my new hero. He straight schooled Geraldo on national TV!
You want to report that we're thugs and we're breaking shit down. You got these two black dudes protecting you (talking about Geraldo's bodyguards) from all these black folks. We're the ones that need protection! Report for us! You're working for Fox News. Adam Jackson just went on Sean Hannity....(Geraldo tries to get away) Why are you running away? Talk to me. Just talk to me. Listen, a black man can raise his voice and you don't have to be intimidated. (Geraldo mumbles something) Because I want you and Fox News to get out of Baltimore City. Because you are not here reporting about the boarded up homes and the homeless people on the MLK. You're not reporting about the poverty levels up and down North Avenue. Two years ago, when the 300 man march and we marched (street names), you weren't here. You're here for the black riots! You're not here for the death of Freddie Gray.
This is not for YouTube. I want the white media out of Baltimore City until you’re here to report the real story.
See what I mean? The sad part is there are plenty of people who will believe this nonsense.
OAW
Because people aren't known to do the "Slip & Slide" so they can sue others... It is plausible.
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
This young brother is my new hero. He straight schooled Geraldo on national TV!
Schooled? Geraldo was scared, you could see it, and it wasn't just because that man was being hostile (talking about running Fox News out of Baltimore), it was because he was surrounded by protesters who had already shown they can and will harm others to suit their agenda. You have a very ****ed up sense of empathy if you didn't notice that.
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
What we think of as hostility is normal. The latino side of my family will practically scream at each other, white people who hear it think they're about to throw down, but to them it's just regular (if a bit heated) conversation. Being surrounded by an angry mob, however, scared the shit out of him and he was obviously too intimidated to respond.
Apparently being terrified into silence, while cornered, is being "schooled".
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
From the few articles I've read I can't tell if its standard procedure, standard procedure during a state of emergency, shady shit, or full-blown abuse of power, but there's been commentary on how long people arrested are being held, how long its taking to charge them, and how high their bail is being set.
The death of Freddie Gray has been ruled a homicide caused by severe trauma.
State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced this morning that her office has also found probable cause to pursue criminal charges in connection to the case.
Gray, 25, was taken into police custody in Baltimore on April 12 and sustained a spinal injury during that time that required medical attention. He went into a coma several days later and died a week after his apprehension.
Police have never said why they took him into custody in the first place, noting only that he ran from officers, and they have not publicly explained how Gray received the spinal injury.
Just watched the Baltimore DA's press conference. Quite unlike STL County DA Bob McCulloch ... who has never once in his entire career prosecuted a police officer for the death of an unarmed black person ... Baltimore DA Marilyn Mosby did not hide behind the Grand Jury process in order to get the "officer" off. She filed charges based upon probable cause and kept it moving. They are still cops so an actual conviction is another matter ... but wheels of justice are at least beginning to turn.
Baltimore DA Marilyn Mosby did not hide behind the Grand Jury process in order to get the "officer" off. She filed charges based upon probable cause and kept it moving.
The Baltimore police officers union says the six officers charged in the Freddie Gray case aren't responsible for his death.
…
"As tragic as this situation is, none of the officers involved are responsible for the death of Mr. Gray," Ryan wrote. "To the contrary, at all times, each of the officers diligently balanced their obligations to protect Mr. Gray and discharge their duties to protect the public."
Perhaps. But I think it has more to do with actually being willing to hold police accountable for wrongdoing. In STL Bob McCulloch just won't do that. He never has in a career that has spanned decades. And here is the really interesting part. Marilyn Mosby is also from a family of cops like McCulloch. Both parents are 5-0. Aunts and uncles are 5-0. Grandfather was 5-0. So they can't come at her with some sort of "anti-police bias" allegation. So instead, the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police have sent her a letter encouraging her to appoint a special prosecutor because they feel she has a "conflict of interest" because she's married to the City Councilman for the district where Freddie Gray was killed. But the police unions certainly didn't want that in STL with the Darren Wilson case because they knew McCulloch would steer the process in their favor. Imagine that.
Depraved-heart murder, also known as depraved-indifference murder, is an American legal term for an action that demonstrates a "callous disregard for human life" and results in death.
I'm sorry, the point of my response was to predict what the more vitriolic, racist, or ratings mongers will likely point out as some kind of fact that undermines her credibility.
Gotcha. I didn't pickup on the sarcasm in that one! In all likelihood that'll be the true motivation behind it but as I said before they will have to ostensibly say it's about something else. Like this ....
I'm not an expert, but are unions obligated to defend their members no matter what? I get the feeling they are.
That is pretty much their raison d'être. And in other news ...
Kevin Moore, the man who filmed Freddie Gray's brutal arrest, has now himself been arrested following "harassment and intimidation" from Baltimore police.
Moore was arrested at gunpoint last night along with two other members of Cop Watch, agroup dedicated to filming and documenting police work.
His video of Gray's arrest was shot shortly before the man suffered spinal injuries while in police custody that led to his death.
Moore claims that despite having co-operated with two detectives in the Baltimore Police Department’s Office of Internal Oversight and given them the video, police posted his photo and told the public that he was "wanted for questioning", asking people to identify him.
"What is so important that you have to plaster my picture over the Internet? I've already spoken," Moore said, suggesting that they posted it simply to intimidate him.
Moore was asleep in his home on the morning of 12 April, when his uncle yelled to him: "The police are tazing Freddie."
He ran out into the street and instantly started filming on his cell phone as Gray "screamed for his life", one officer putting his knee on his neck as the other bent his legs backwards.
"They had him folded up like he was a crab or a piece of origami. He was all bent up," Moore said.
At the time of writing it seems Moore has been released but his colleagues, Chad Jackson and Tony White, have not, with Cop Watch asking for help from lawyers.
If this Maryland State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has any interest in politics I see a very bright future ahead of her. She definitely knows how to strike the right tone ...
Originally Posted by State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby
To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for "No justice, No peace!" Your peace is sincerely needed, as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man. To those that are angry, hurt or have their own experiences of injustice at the hands of police officers, I urge you to channel the energy peacefully as we prosecute this case. I have heard your calls for "no justice, no peace"; however, your peace is sincerely needed, as I work to deliver justice on behalf of Freddie Gray.
To the rank-and-file officers of the Baltimore City Police Department, please know that these accusations of these six officers are not an indictment on the entire force. I come from five generations of law enforcement. My father was an officer. My mother was an officer, several of my aunts and uncles. My recently departed and beloved grandfather was one of the founding members of the first black police organization in Massachusetts. I can tell you that the actions of these officers will not and should not, in any way, damage the important working relationships between police and prosecutors as we continue to fight together to reduce crime in Baltimore. Thank you for your courage, commitment and sacrifice for the betterment of our communities.
Originally Posted by State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby
Last, but certainly not least, to the youth of this city, I will seek justice on your behalf. This is a moment. This is your moment. Let’s ensure that we have peaceful and productive rallies that will develop structural and systemic changes for generations to come. You’re at the forefront of this cause. And as young people, our time is now.
Perhaps. But I think it has more to do with actually being willing to hold police accountable for wrongdoing. In STL Bob McCulloch just won't do that. He never has in a career that has spanned decades. And here is the really interesting part. Marilyn Mosby is also from a family of cops like McCulloch. Both parents are 5-0. Aunts and uncles are 5-0. Grandfather was 5-0. So they can't come at her with some sort of "anti-police bias" allegation. So instead, the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police have sent her a letter encouraging her to appoint a special prosecutor because they feel she has a "conflict of interest" because she's married to the City Councilman for the district where Freddie Gray was killed. But the police unions certainly didn't want that in STL with the Darren Wilson case because they knew McCulloch would steer the process in their favor. Imagine that.
At the same time, Mosby's political life is complicated. She has ties to the Gray family's attorney, William H. "Billy" Murphy Jr.; he donated $5,000 to her campaign and served on her transition committee.
Just so there is no confusion on what this case is actually all about .....
Originally Posted by State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby
The statement of probable cause is as follows: On April 12, 2015, between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m., near the corner of North Avenue and Mount Street, Lieutenant Brian Rice of the Baltimore Police Department, while on bike patrol with Officers Garrett Miller and Edward Nero, made eye contact with Mr. Freddie Carlos Gray Jr. Having made eye contact with Mr. Gray, Mr. Gray subsequently ran from Lieutenant Rice. Lieutenant Rice then dispatched over departmental radio that he was involved in a foot pursuit, at which time bike patrol officers and Nero—Officers Miller and Nero also began to pursue Mr. Gray.
Having come in contact with the pursuing officers, Mr. Gray surrendered to Officers Miller and Nero in the vicinity in the 1700 block of Presbury Street.Officers Miller and Nero then handcuffed Mr. Gray and moved him to a location a few feet away from his surrendering location. Mr. Gray was then placed in a prone position with his arms handcuffed behind his back. It was at this time that Mr. Gray indicated that he could not breathe, and requested an inhaler, to no avail.
Officers Miller and Nero then placed Mr. Gray in a seated position and subsequently found a knife clipped to the inside of his pants pocket. The blade of the knife was folded into the handle. The knife was not a switchblade and is lawful under Maryland law. These officers subsequently removed the knife and placed it on the sidewalk.
Mr. Gray was then placed back down on his stomach, at which time Mr. Gray began to flail his legs and scream as Officer Miller placed Mr. Gray in a restraining technique known as a leg lace, while Officer Nero physically held him down against his will until a BPD wagon arrived to transport Mr. Gray.
Lieutenant Rice, Officer Miller and Officer Nero failed to establish probable cause for Mr. Gray’s arrest, as no crime had been committed by Mr. Gray. Accordingly, Lieutenant Rice, Officer Miller and Officer Nero illegally arrested Mr. Gray.
Upon arrival of the transport wagon, driven by Officer Caesar Goodson, Lieutenant Rice, Officer Nero and Officer Miller loaded Mr. Gray into the wagon, and at no point was he secured by a seatbelt while in the wagon, contrary to a BPD general order. Lieutenant Rice then directed BPD wagon to stop at Baker Street. At Baker Street, Lieutenant Rice, Officer Nero and Officer Miller removed Mr. Gray from the wagon, placed flex-cuffs on his wrists, placed leg shackles on his ankles, and completed required paperwork. Officer Miller, Officer Nero and Lieutenant Rice then loaded Mr. Gray back into the wagon, placing him on his stomach, head first, onto the floor of the wagon. Once again, Mr. Gray was not secured by a seatbelt in the wagon, contrary to a BPD general order.
Lieutenant Rice then directed Officer Goodson to transport Mr. Gray to the Central Booking & Intake Facility. Following transport from Baker Street, Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the BPD wagon. From Baker Street, Officer Goodson proceeded to the vicinity of Mosher Street and Fremont Avenue, where he subsequently parked the wagon and proceeded to the back of the wagon in order to observe Mr. Gray. Despite stopping for the purpose of checking on Mr. Gray’s condition, at no point did he seek nor did he render any medical assistance for Mr. Gray. Officer Goodson returned to his driver’s seat and proceeded toward the Central Booking & Intake Facility with Mr. Gray still unsecured by a seatbelt, contrary to a BPD general order.
Several blocks later, Officer Goodson called into dispatch that he needed to check on the status of his prisoner, and requested additional units at Dolphin Street and Druid Hill Avenue. Officer William Porter arrived on the scene near Dolphin Street and Druid Hill Avenue. Both Officer Goodson and Officer Porter proceeded to the back of the wagon to check on the status of Mr. Gray’s condition. Mr. Gray at that time requested help and indicated that he could not breathe. Officer Porter asked Mr. Gray if he needed a medic, at which time Mr. Gray indicated at least twice that he was in need of a medic. Officer Porter then physically assisted Mr. Gray from the floor of the van to the bench; however, despite Mr. Gray’s appeal for a medic, both officers assessed Mr. Gray’s condition, and at no point did either of them restrain Mr. Gray per BPD general order, nor did they render or request medical assistance.
While discussing the transportation of Mr. Gray for medical attention, a request for additional units was made for an arrest at the 1600 West North Avenue. Officer Porter left the vicinity of Dolphin Street and Druid Hill Avenue to assist in the arrest of another prisoner at North Avenue. Despite Mr. Gray’s obvious and recognized need for medical assistance, Officer Goodson, in a grossly negligent manner, chose to respond to the 1600 block of West North Avenue with Mr. Gray still unsecured by a seatbelt in the wagon, without rendering to or summonsing medical assistance for Mr. Gray.
Officer Goodson arrived at North Avenue to transport the individual arrested at the location of North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue, at which time he was again met by Officer Nero, Miller, Porter and Lieutenant Rice. Once the wagon arrived, Officer Goodson walked to the back of the wagon and again opened the doors to the wagon to make observations of Mr. Gray. Sergeant Alicia White, Officer Porter and Officer Goodson observed Mr. Gray unresponsive on the floor of the wagon. Sergeant White, who was responsible for investigating two citizen complaints pertaining to Mr. Gray’s illegal arrest, spoke to the back of Mr. Gray’s head. When he did not respond, she did nothing further, despite the fact that she was advised that he needed a medic. She made no effort to look or assess or determine his condition. Despite Mr. Gray’s seriously deteriorating medical condition, no medical assistance was rendered or summonsed for Mr. Gray at that time by any officer.
After completing the North Avenue arrest and loading the additional prisoner into the opposite side of the wagon containing Mr. Gray, Officer Goodson then proceeded to the Western District police station, where, contrary to the BPD general order, he again failed to restrain Mr. Gray in the wagon for at least the fifth time. At the Western District police station, the defendant arrested at North Avenue was unloaded, escorted and secured inside of the police station prior to attending to Mr. Gray.
By the time Officer Zachary Novak, Sergeant White and an unknown officer attempted to remove Mr. Gray from the wagon, Mr. Gray was no longer breathing at all. A medic was finally called to the scene, where, upon arrival, the medic determined that Mr. Gray was now in cardiac arrest and was critically and severely injured.
Mr. Gray was rushed to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma, where he underwent surgery. On April 19, 2015, Mr. Gray succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The manner of death, deemed a homicide by the Maryland State Medical Examiner, is believed to be the result of a fatal injury that occurred while Mr. Gray was unrestrained by a seatbelt in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department wagon. All events occurred in Baltimore City, state of Maryland.
While each of these officers are presumed innocent until proven guilty, we have brought the following charges:
Officer Caesar Goodson is being charged with second-degree depraved-heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, second-degree negligent assault, manslaughter by vehicle by means of gross negligence, manslaughter by vehicle by means of criminal negligence, misconduct in office for failure to secure a prisoner, failure to render aid.
Officer William Porter is being charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault in the second degree, misconduct in office.
Lieutenant Brian Rice is being charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault in the second degree, assault in the second degree, misconduct in office, false imprisonment.
Officer Edward Nero is being charged with assault in the second degree, intentional; assault in the second degree, negligent; misconduct in office; false imprisonment.
Officer Garrett Miller is being charged with intentional assault in the second degree; assault in the second degree, negligent; misconduct in office; and false imprisonment.
Sergeant Alicia White is being charged with manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office.
Officer Goodson is facing the most serious charge of "2nd Degree Depraved Heard Murder". The other officers are facing lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter, assault, misconduct, and/or false imprisonment. At the end of the day, we are looking at an intentional "rough ride" designed to intentionally injure Freddie Gray AT WORST... or a criminal disregard for human life AT BEST. Because he damned sure didn't break his own spine.
And this from second prisoner in the van who is denying the "Freddie Gray was intentionally trying to harm himself" leak from the other day ...
New statements from the Baltimore man who was imprisoned with Freddie Gray in a police van on the night of Gray’s death contradict authorities’ account of the night in question, a local television reporter told MSNBC host Chris Hayes on Thursday.
“The key thing to take away is, he did not see Mr. Gray, he couldn’t have seen Mr. Gray,” WBAL-TV’s Jayne Miller said of Donta Allen, who was listed as a source in a police document indicating that Gray purposefully injured himself on the night in question. “I asked him, ‘Did you hear [Gray] say anything?’ He didn’t hear him say anything.”
An affadavit for a search warrant stated that, according to Allen, Gray was “banging against the walls” of the van on April 12. Gray died a week after being taken into custody.
Hayes broadcast the entirety of Miller’s interview with Allen, during which he denies giving police any information, and accused authorities of using him as a scapegoat for their failure to provide Gray with medical assistance.
“They waited 30 to 35 minutes to get [Gray] some medical attention because they want to cover their ass,” Allen told Miller. “So now, since they can’t cover their ass on that, they’re trying to use me to cover their ass.”
Miller told Hayes that when police did eventually seek treatment for Gray, paramedics thought they were being dispatched to take care of a broken arm, instead of having to bring him back from not having a pulse when he arrived at the police department’s western district headquarters.
“That’s a really significant difference because time is of the essence with this kind of injury,” saying it was similar to the spinal injury that paralyzed actor Christopher Reeve. She said her station believes Gray was injured during the first 10 to 15 minutes after being placed in the van.
It would appear the initial 3 officers who arrested Freddie Gray were white. The other 3 officers were black ... including the driver of the police van facing the most serious charges. Not at all surprised given the demographics of the Baltimore PD. But more importantly ... because when dealing with 5-0 the operative color is BLUE.
They are all cops so that's still an uphill battle anyway you slice it. The biggest question IMO is if any of them will turn on another and cut a deal?
The biggest question IMO is if any of them will turn on another and cut a deal?
I was really hoping this would happen beforehand. Still, I'm curious what the reaction would be if one did so. Would he get called out by cops on national TV?
That's altogether possible. The police decried the Baltimore based "Stop Snitchin'" DVD when it came out ... but the reality is that the "no snitching" code is even more ingrained among police officers than it is on the streets.
A Fox News crew said they witnessed the shooting. The Baltimore PD said there was a shooting. Then the Baltimore PD said the suspect's weapon discharged when it was dropped on the ground but no one was shot. Witnesses say he had no weapon and was screaming in pain from being shot. Fox News then changed their headline to reflect the Baltimore PD's statement. The same police department that spent a good week leaking information designed to convince the public that Freddie Gray broke his own neck.
I think to say the situation is "fluid" is quite the understatement.
Video shot live on the scene. Witnesses say he was shot in the back. Seems to be a bullet hole in the back of his shirt. Witnesses being maced as well. We shall see ....
It might turn out that the Baltimore PD is telling the truth about this incident, but I think this should make it pretty clear why the witnesses on the scene aren't simply taking the their word that this young man wasn't shot.
Relatives of a 12-year-old boy who was killed by police asked Monday for their lawsuit against two officers to not be delayed and questioned why the criminal investigation remains pending more than five months after the shooting.
The police officers who confronted Tamir have asked a judge to delay the family's federal civil rights lawsuit until the investigation is complete and potentially works its way through the courts. They said that would let them give their side of the story later without worrying it might be used against them in the criminal case.
A prime example of why the media rather euphemistically says there is "a lack of trust between minority communities and law enforcement". ...
A Colorado Springs man who was filming a recent traffic stop until he was put in handcuffs by police has joined the ranks of a growing number of Americans who say they feel the need to record encounters with law enforcement.
Ryan Brown's video, taken March 25 when he and his brother, Benjamin, were pulled over in Colorado Springs, is part of an internal affairs investigation at the Colorado Springs Police Department. Police aren't commenting on the investigation or the traffic stop.
The video has gotten more than 30,000 views on YouTube, and is among dozens of recordings of interactions with police. The issue of such videos, and videos taken by police dash and body cameras, has come to the forefront of public debate in the wake of high-profile police shootings and other incidents in recent months. Organizations such as the American Civil Liberties Union encourage such recordings - in fact, it is developing an app that would automatically upload citizen videos so they cannot be erased.
In the March incident, Officer David Nelson, who pulled the Browns over on South Carefree Circle, didn't answer repeated questions heard in Ryan Brown's video to explain why they were being pulled over. The video shows Benjamin Brown in handcuffs, being patted down by Nelson before Officer Allison Detwiler opens Ryan Brown's passenger-side door.
"Now I'm being perceived as a threat because we're being pulled over for absolutely no reason," Ryan Brown says in the video.
Nelson reaches over and unbuckles Ryan Brown's seatbelt and pulls his arm until he is out of the vehicle, with the apparent assistance of Detwiler.
When Brown, 31, is out of the car, Detwiler asks him to turn around, and Nelson appears to push him to the ground, pushing his face into the grass. The video stops abruptly and Brown claims the officers turned off the camera.
A bill being considered this year in the Colorado House would make law enforcement agencies liable for civil damages up to $15,000 plus attorney fees for failing to obtain consent or a warrant before seizing a recording.
The Browns were ticketed that day for municipal offenses - Benjamin Brown for compulsory insurance and obstruction of view, which Ryan Brown said was for a cracked windshield, and Ryan Brown for resisting and interference with a public official. They were placed in separate police cars for what Ryan Brown estimates was 30 to 40 minutes.
"It seemed like forever," he said.
Benjamin Brown said he was scared for his brother's safety as he sat handcuffed in a police vehicle, watching police wrestle him to the ground at gunpoint.
"I was scared that the officer was going to pull the trigger," he said.
The case is concerning to Mark Silverstein, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado.
"This looks to me like a case of racial profiling, a case of police investigating what African Americans call 'driving while black,'" Silverstein said after viewing the video and reading the police report.
He couldn't come up with a legitimate reason for police to handcuff Benjamin Brown, who was driving, nor could he see grounds for them to search him.
"The police report reads as though they believe they are automatically entitled to search both driver and passenger for weapons, but the Fourth Amendment case law says that police need to have facts that amount to reasonable suspicion that the person is armed before police can conduct the pat-down search for weapons, one that they conducted on the driver and the one they wanted to conduct on the passenger," Silverstein said.
He added that he did not see evidence of reasonable suspicion in either the video or the police report.
The ACLU encourages people to record their interactions with police. It has developed mobile applications that allow people to record video that's automatically uploaded to a local ACLU chapter, preventing law enforcement from erasing evidence. An app has not been developed for the Colorado chapter.
The Browns say the officers did not explain to them why they had been pulled over, which appears to be against the Colorado Springs Police Department's own policies.
Cops pulled two black guys over. Refused to identify themselves. Refused to say why he pulled them over. Brought the driver out and handcuffed him. Then searched him. Pulled the passenger out and forced him face down in the ground. Held him at gunpoint. Searched him as well. Detained them both for 30-40 minutes. And after all that unnecessary drama what was the driver "charged" with? Proof of insurance and a freaking cracked windshield ... AKA we really had no reason to pull you over but we have to charge with with something after all this extra on our part. And the passenger? "Resisting and interference with a public official". Which anyone with two eyes can see is utter and complete BS! Is there anyone still out there deluding themselves into thinking that Driving While Black (DWB) isn't real?
I barely saw anything mentioning this last night. Other than he was taken to the hospital as a 'precautionary measure'.
The suspect's own gun went off while being pursued, at least that what was said on HLN this morning.
"I have a dream, that my four little children will one day live in a
nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin,
but by the content of their character." - M.L.King Jr
I must say that I am shocked. Not sure if this is attributable to the video evidence or if the sustained attention to this issue in general is finally starting to change hearts and minds.
The decision by Baltimore City State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to charge six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray, including one with second-degree murder, caught many by surprise when it was announced on Friday, as some legal experts say it will be difficult to win convictions in the racially charged case. But a majority of Americans say Mosby’s decision was the right one.
According to a newly released survey from the Pew Research Center, 65 percent support the decision to bring criminal charges against the officers, while just 16 percent disagree. (Eighteen percent of those polled did not offer an opinion, according to Pew.)
And a majority of both blacks and whites agree with the state’s attorney, the poll found. Nearly 8 in 10 African-Americans (78 percent) agree with the decision to charge the officers, while just 7 percent disagree, according to Pew. Among whites, 60 percent support Mosby’s decision, while 21 percent do not.
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