Freddie Gray - Pepper
Media Type |
audio
Podknife tags |
History
Society & Culture
USA
Categories Via RSS |
News
News Commentary
Politics
Publication Date |
Apr 20, 2019
Episode Duration |
01:12:39
On April 12, 2015, Freddie Carlos Gray, Jr., a 25-year-old black man, was arrested by the Baltimore Police Department for possessing what the police alleged was an illegal knife under Baltimore law. While being transported in a police van, Gray fell into a coma and was taken to a trauma center. Gray died on April 19, 2015; his death was ascribed to injuries to his spinal cord On April 21, 2015, pending an investigation of the incident, six Baltimore police officers were suspended with pay. The circumstances of the injuries were initially unclear; eyewitness accounts suggested that the officers involved used unnecessary force against Gray during the arrest—a claim denied by all officers involved. Commissioner Anthony W. Batts reported that, contrary to department policy,[6] the officers did not secure him inside the van while driving to the police station; this policy had been put into effect six days prior to Gray's arrest, following review of other transport-related injuries sustained during police custody in the city, and elsewhere in the country during the preceding years. The medical investigation found that Gray had sustained the injuries while in transport. The medical examiner's office concluded that Gray's death could not be ruled an accident, and was instead a homicide, because officers failed to follow safety procedures "through acts of omission." On May 1, 2015, the Baltimore City State's Attorney, Marilyn Mosby, announced her office had filed charges against six police officers after the medical examiner's report ruled Gray's death a homicide. The prosecutors stated that they had probable cause to file criminal charges against the six police officers who were believed to be involved in his death. The officer driving the van was charged with second-degree "depraved-heart" murder for his indifference to the considerable risk that Gray might be killed, and others were charged with crimes ranging from manslaughter to illegal arrest. On May 21, a grand jury indicted the officers on most of the original charges filed by Mosby with the exception of the charges of illegal imprisonment and false arrest, and added charges of reckless endangerment to all the officers involved. Gray's hospitalization and subsequent death resulted in an ongoing series of protests. On April 25, 2015, a major protest in downtown Baltimore turned violent, resulting in 34 arrests and injuries to 15 police officers After Gray's funeral on April 27, civil disorder intensified with looting and burning of local businesses and a CVS drug store, culminating with a state of emergency declaration by Governor Larry Hogan, Maryland National Guard deployment to Baltimore, and the establishment of a curfew. On May 3, the National Guard started withdrawing from Baltimore, and the night curfew on the city was lifted. In September 2015, it was decided that there would be separate trials for the accused. The trial against Officer William Porter ended in mistrial. Officers Nero, Goodson, and Rice were found not guilty at trial. The remaining charges against the officers were dropped on July 27, 2016. On September 12, 2017, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it would not bring federal charges against the six Baltimore police officers involved in the arrest and in-custody death of Freddie Gray. However, it was announced on October 5, 2017 that non-criminal, internal disciplinary trials for the officers will be prosecuted by a three person-panel chaired by someone from another Maryland police agency, likely Prince George's County, and that outside lawyer and former chair of the Baltimore City School Board Neil Duke will serve on the panel as well. Funeral service for Freddie Gray part 1 https://youtu.be/NRo7bjBqYdg Jay Wyse - A Song For Freddie Gray https://youtu.be/7L3MwKGWsno

This episode currently has no reviews.

Submit Review
This episode could use a review!

This episode could use a review! Have anything to say about it? Share your thoughts using the button below.

Submit Review