USA-POLICE/BALTIMORE-REACTION Baltimore residents react to charges against officers in Gray's death

Record ID: 134892

  • Title: USA-POLICE/BALTIMORE-REACTION Baltimore residents react to charges against officers in Gray's death
  • Date: 1st May 2015
  • Summary: BALTIMORE, MARYLAND, UNITED STATES (APRIL 30, 2015) (LIVE U QUALITY) (REUTERS) PEOPLE CELEBRATING IN STREET
  • Embargoed: 16th May 2015 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Topics: General
  • Reuters ID: LVAC4GJ8T0K816M0T3ZEKGL6N8N7
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: NOTE: VIDEO IS PART LIVEU QUALITY
    Baltimore residents cheered and honked car horns on Friday (May 1) after six police officers were charged, including one with murder, in the death of a black man who was arrested and suffered a fatal neck injury while riding in a moving police van.
    Prosecutor Marilyn Mosby said Freddie Gray, who died a week after his April 12 arrest, was in handcuffs and shackles but otherwise was not restrained inside the van. The officers failed to provide medical attention to Gray even though he asked for help on at least two occasions.
    The death of 25-year-old Gray has become the latest flashpoint in a national outcry over the treatment of African-Americans and other minority groups by U.S. law enforcement.
    Desmond Taylor was among the crowd watching Mosby make the announcement. He called the decision to charge the officers a warning for police officers who engage in misconduct.
    "We can see now not only when police do wrong, they'll be charged for it. So don't get mad at the cops. Don't say all cops are bad. It is crooked cops out there, but we have a state's attorney who is going to put those crooked cops behind bars. So this is a message to every cop that's doing things wrong," Taylor said.
    After a night of rioting in Baltimore on Monday (April 27) following Gray's funeral, protests spread to other major cities in a reprise of demonstrations set off by police killings last year of unarmed black men in Ferguson, Missouri, New York and elsewhere.
    Another man at the news conference said Freddie Gray's experience was emblematic of the entire black community.
    "I think of Freddie Gray's justice lately, but all of you have a responsibility to stop ignoring all the injustices that goes on in the black, African-American community today from our government. It's not a black-white thing. It's a government-black thing. This is how they treat us on a daily basis in cities everywhere throughout the country. You can see it now. You saw Walter Scott get shot in the back. You seen it. You saw Eric Garner get choked out. You see it. You seen Trayvon Martin get shot. This is the black experience. This is what we go through," the man said.
    Six Baltimore police officers who were involved in arresting Gray were charged with crimes ranging from second-degree murder to manslaughter to assault and misconduct in office. Only one, Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr., the driver of the police vehicle, was charged with second-degree murder.
    The charge carries a maximum penalty of 30 years imprisonment and the other offenses carry prison terms of between three years to 10 years.
    Congressman Elijah Cummings, a Maryland Democrat who has participated in peaceful marches with community leaders this week, called the protests a valuable experience for the city's youth, saying he's heard from many about the frustrations they've encountered.
    Our children -- they went out there and protested for the most part peacefully, but they had to protest in order to get here. This creates a faith in them. I had a young man who said to me just last night -- a 16-year-old -- he said, 'Congressman, I love you, but I feel like I'm in a casket, crawling and clawing to get out,'" Cummings said.
    The decision to bring charges and the speed at which Mosby made the announcement was greeted with jubilation on the streets of Baltimore, where angry young people looted, burned cars and clashed with police only four nights ago.
    "We need all our moms, all our grandmoms, to stop in different places today to help keep our young people positive, to let them know that there's a process, we need to respect the process and allow the process to take place so justice can go the right way. Anything rushed can be wrong," Reverend Pamela Coleman said.
    More demonstrations have been planned in cities coast to coast for the weekend, although the Baltimore prosecutor's announcement will likely change the tone of rallies. In Ferguson and New York last year, grand juries decided against charging officers who were involved in the deaths of two unarmed black men. The news triggered rioting in the St. Louis suburb and days of protest marches in New York and other cities.
    Representatives of Gray's family were not immediately available for comment.
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