Thousands Expected At Monday Funeral For 25-year-old Baltimore Man Who Died In Police Custody

[cubby]

I hear the Brady Bunch theme song?

I had to go back and check, but that's hilarious, I'll bet he's heard it every day of his life since grammar school. LOL

It's a Sunshine Day and everybody's smiling, sunshine day! LOL

 

[EchaSez]

Washington (CNN)The Justice Department announced Tuesday that it will not prosecute six Baltimore police officers in the 2015 death of Freddie Gray.

In a statement, the DOJ said it found "insufficient evidence to support federal criminal civil rights charges" against the officers.

"After an extensive review of this tragic event, conducted by career prosecutors and investigators, the Justice Department concluded that the evidence is insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Officer Caesar Goodson, Officer William Porter, Officer Garrett Miller, Officer Edward Nero, Lt. Brian Rice, or Sgt. Alicia White willfully violated Gray's civil rights," a DOJ statement said.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/09/12/politics/justice-department-freddie-gray/index.html

 

[Satanica]

According to the DOJ, "The officers made no admissions that would allow us to prove that any of the officers were actually aware that transporting Gray without a seat belt in back of a police wagon would create a substantial risk of serious harm. The department also cannot prove that the officers received training regarding substantial risks or harms associated with the transportation of un-seat-belted detainees. The department reviewed longstanding BPD policies for seat-belting that were in effect until just days before Gray's arrest, and those policies afforded officers the discretion to refrain from seat-belting detainees if the officers believed there were security risks involved."

Reps. Elijah Cummings, John Sarbanes and Dutch Ruppersberger and Sens. Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen said they were disappointed by the Justice Department's decision, but added: "We are not surprised."

"In light of this reported decision, we are once again calling on DOJ to actively support -- not undermine -- the consent decree and to provide Baltimore with all federal resources available to improve our police force. Doing anything less would be unconscionable," the lawmakers said in a joint statement.

Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, also reiterated the need for police reform.

"We know that spines do not break without cause, and the DOJ and BPD's credibility to make change a reality in Baltimore hinges not just on their ability to institute much needed reforms to police training, policies and practices, but also on their success in bringing to justice officers who abuse their power and take the lives of innocent residents," Ifill said in a statement.

 

[JackBurton]

Has his family gotten rich yet at least? Where's the fuckin lawsuit

 

[Satanica]

Has his family gotten rich yet at least? Where's the fuckin lawsuit

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/freddie-gray/bs-md-ci-boe-20150908-story.html

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake's decision to pay Freddie Gray's family a $6.4 million civil settlement drew praise and criticism Tuesday, with some Baltimore leaders saying the move will help heal the city and others calling it premature.

Former Mayor Kurt L. Schmoke said the settlement — expected to be approved Wednesday by the city's spending panel — was a "very positive development for the city."

"The mayor and her staff are trying to do all they can to heal the wounds in the community, and this is a step in the right direction," said Schmoke, president of the University of Baltimore. "This settlement will give some people in the community at least some sense of justice."

Del. Curt Anderson, a Baltimore Democrat, rejected the idea that the settlement could help bring peace to the city. Baltimore will be calm when there is "justice for Freddie Gray," he said. That means "trials, well reported, well attended, and decisions that were well reasoned as a result. I am not seeing any signs out there saying, 'Freddie Gray's family needs a payday.' I see signs that say, 'Justice for Freddie Gray.'"

Anderson said that he's not opposed to Gray's family being compensated, but that it's too early to know what amount is appropriate. "I am not sure how much time the city law department has had to look at the strengths and weaknesses of the case against the city when no case has even been filed," he said.
[....]
the city is accepting all civil liability in the April arrest and death of the 25-year-old Gray, who suffered a spinal injury while in police custody. The city does not acknowledge any wrongdoing by police, according to a statement from Rawlings-Blake.
[....]
"This settlement is being proposed solely because it is in the best interest of the city, and avoids costly and protracted litigation that would only make it more difficult for our city to heal and potentially cost taxpayers many millions more in damages."

The Gray settlement exceeds the combined total of more than 120 other lawsuits brought against Baltimore police for alleged brutality and misconduct since 2011. State law generally caps such payments, but local officials can authorize larger awards.
[....]

 

[JackBurton]

They deserved more. But that def puts a positive spin here. At least they got SOME manner of justice.

 

[Sugar Cookie]

All six officers who were charged in the arrest and death of Freddie Gray were back on duty on Thursday, reported The Baltimore Sun.

None, however, have returned to patrolling the streets of West Baltimore, where Gray, a 25-year-old black man, suffered a severe spinal cord injury while he was handcuffed and shackled but left unrestrained in the back of a police van in April 2015.

Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby brought criminal charges against the six officers ranging from misconduct in office to second-degree murder.

Three officers were acquitted, and Mosby dropped all remaining charges against the other three.

Five of the officers were then facing administrative charges within the department for allegedly violating department policies and neglecting their duties before they were dropped by Police Commissioner Kevin Davis.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5133659/Police-officers-charged-Freddie-Gray-death-work.html

I would have expected them to be fired for failing to follow procedures.