POLICE BRUTALITY CASES: WALTER SCOTT MURDER & MORE

[Duchess]

I got your back sistah!

[HairOfTheDog]

Dear Gunnar,

You were right.

You and everyone else who suspected that the fatal injury was suffered in the van were right.

Those who suspected that Gray was severely injured before being put in the van were also right.

HOTD

[Duchess]

One officer, Caesar R. Goodson Jr. was charged with second-degree murder, manslaughter, assault and misconduct in office.

Lt. Brian W. Rice was charged with manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and false imprisonment.

Officer William G. Porter and Sgt. Alicia D. White were each charged with manslaughter, assault and misconduct in office.

Officers Edward M. Nero and Garrett E. Miller were charged with assault, misconduct in office and false imprisonment.

I was worried, Hot D. I didn't feel confident about this at all.

[Midwest Spy]

Poor Philly fans will have you to blame.

You're not blackmailing me, pal.

I got your back sistah!

This will be first ever attempt at blackmailing.

I'm kinda looking forward to it.

[Duchess]

I'm blown away that they didn't even have cause for arrest. It's not illegal to run from cops. His knife wasn't a switchblade like they wanted us to believe. They fuckin' lied.

[HairOfTheDog]

I was worried, Hot D. I didn't feel confident about this at all.

I think a lot of people are floored that charges were announced and brought today, myself included. I figured Mosby would look for an indictment by Grand Jury, rather than handing it down out of the State Attorney's office.

Now, let's see if the charges can be proven in court and convictions secured. I think it's gonna be a big challenge, especially proving the murder and manslaughter charges.

It'll probably be 9 months or more before the cases go to trial if the officers don't plead out (if this moves at the same pace as most cases).

[Maggot]

Give the people what they want.

It's about equality, not giving them what they want.

Lets call the "looters" "undocumented shoppers"

[JsMom]

Give the people what they want.

It's about equality, not giving them what they want.

Lets call the "looters" "undocumented shoppers"

I'm talking about law abiding black people in general, not the looters. Christ!

[ZEROSPHERES]

Give the people what they want.

It's about equality, not giving them what they want.

Lets call the "looters" "undocumented shoppers"

Maggot, That's too funny I can just see the Mayor of Baltimore stop herself in mid sentence as she begins to say "Thugs" and corrects it to "undocumented shoppers"

[ZEROSPHERES]

[Blindgreed1]

Dear Gunnar,

You were right.

You and everyone else who suspected that the fatal injury was suffered in the van were right.

Those who suspected that Gray was severely injured before being put in the van were also right.

HOTD

*gets down on one knee and holds his fist high and very slowly brings it down* YUUUUUUSSSSS!!!! *marks his calendar*

[Jimbone]

None of this is good for Baltimore. It's going to get worse there, not better.

I'm a bit bothered by the comment made about hearing the protestors. Justice is supposed to be blind, it's not supposed to listen to the mob. Seems like an unnecessary nod to the rabble, and a risk to the integrity of the process.

Otherwise, she made a good appearance... will help in the short term to keep a lid on things (hopefully).

[Blindgreed1]

None of this is good for Baltimore. It's going to get worse there, not better.

I'm a bit bothered by the comment made about hearing the protestors. Justice is supposed to be blind, it's not supposed to listen to the mob. Seems like an unnecessary nod to the rabble, and a risk to the integrity of the process.

Otherwise, she made a good appearance... will help in the short term to keep a lid on things (hopefully).

It's not a justice system. It's a legal system. The sooner people wrap their heads around that the better.

[HairOfTheDog]

These are the six BPD officers indicted in the homicide of Freddie Gray.


TOP ROW: Caesar Goodson (driver); Garrett Miller; Edward Nero
BOTTOM ROW: William Porter; Alicia White; and Brian Rice

Miller and Nero were the arresting officers.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

well I am glad they got a handle on this one quickly. I knew that whatever happened to him happened in the van. The video of his arrest just didn't show the kind of violence it would have taken to break his neck.

[HairOfTheDog]

The BPD Union head has published an open letter asking for State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby to recuse herself due to conflict of interest. Mosby's husband is a councilman whose territory includes the area where Freddie Gray was arrested. Also, the Gray family attorney donated $5,000 to Mosby's campaign when she was running for the office.


^ Marilyn Mosby says there's no conflict of interest; she'll prosecute anybody who breaks the law in her jurisdiction. At 35, she's the youngest top attorney in any major US city.

Though she didn't reveal detailed evidence at today's press conference, it's obvious to me that Mosby's investigation led her to believe that Freddie Gray was given an intentional "rough ride". The driving officer was the only one slapped with a murder charge and he reportedly did not interact directly with Freddie Gray.

Mosby praised good cops at the press conference. She also commented about the unacceptability of police leaks; I got the sense she was referring to BPD's internal report suggesting that Freddie Gray injured himself (which we now know conflicts with the Medical Examiner's report).

The open letter from the BPD Union contends that the six officers did nothing wrong. Ref: http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/marylan...story.html

[Duchess]

The open letter from the BPD Union contends that the six officers did nothing wrong.

Even after everything that has gone down there are still those saying the police did nothing wrong. That's incredible. This is a huge problem.

The BPD Union's attorney has stated "no officer injured Mr. Gray, no officer caused harm to Mr. Gray and they are truly saddened by his death". I laugh and roll my eyes at the same time.

[Duchess]

well I am glad they got a handle on this one quickly. I knew that whatever happened to him happened in the van. The video of his arrest just didn't show the kind of violence it would have taken to break his neck.

Something happened to that man during the initial confrontation. I know you and some of the others don't agree with that but I'm standing by my comment.

[HairOfTheDog]

well I am glad they got a handle on this one quickly. I knew that whatever happened to him happened in the van. The video of his arrest just didn't show the kind of violence it would have taken to break his neck.

Something happened to that man during the initial confrontation. I know you and some of the others don't agree with that but I'm standing by my comment.

I had CNN on for a bit late yesterday afternoon. There were a couple of top doctors on the panel; both of them thought that Marilyn Mosby boxed herself in by saying that the catastrophic spinal injury was incurred inside the van.

I don't think she did that though. I think Mosby has hard evidence that the police van was deliberately driven in a manner designed to rough up Freddie Gray. I think she knows from the ME's final report that the final and fatal injury was incurred during that ride and that's what she's gonna focus on - what she can prove.

Intentionally driving the van in a manner designed to injure passengers supports the Murder 2 charge against the driver; the driver who has still hasn't given police a statement. I bet the driver knew immediately upon seeing Gray's condition at the last stop that he was in deep shit, lawyered up, and refused to be interviewed. That's what I suspect.

The fact that the other cops checked on Freddie Gray at 4 different stops, denied him medical attention, and put him back in danger, supports the involuntary manslaughter charges. If any one of them had belted Freddie Gray at the start, he would still be alive. If any one of them had called for a medic and got him out of that van early on, he would still be alive. If either of those policies has been followed before the fatal head injury (which probably knocked him unconscious, IMO), Freddie Gray would still be alive.

Though the mayor and the BPD Commissioner acknowledged that Gray was injured and in need of a medic before he was ever hoisted into the van and medical professionals agree, the ME found that the fatal injury occurred in the van. We don't know what happened to Gray before the witness video of Gray's apprehension started rolling and I don't think we (or Mosby) can ever truly know. She's focusing on the "knowns", what she believes that she can prove.

I got the sense that Mosby, whose parents and many other family members are police officers, was truly incensed by BPD leaking a report that tried to make Freddie Gray appear responsible for his own death. BPD would like people to believe that the officers broke policy by not putting the seat belt on, but that Freddie Gray died due to his own actions. Just like Cleveland police suggested that Tamir Rice was responsible for his own death (and then retracted). Just like North Charleston police suggested Walter Scott was responsible for his own death (and then retracted when video surfaced).

Police shouldn't be relied upon to objectively investigate themselves, for obvious and proven reasons. I'm relieved that the Baltimore State's Attorney knew better than to rely on the police investigation of itself to determine if charges were warranted in the death of Freddie Gray. She had an independent investigation underway even before Freddie Gray died, separate from the police investigation. That was smart.

Those are my opinions.

[Blindgreed1]

well I am glad they got a handle on this one quickly. I knew that whatever happened to him happened in the van. The video of his arrest just didn't show the kind of violence it would have taken to break his neck.

Something happened to that man during the initial confrontation. I know you and some of the others don't agree with that but I'm standing by my comment.