May 4, 2015
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Last Friday, Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged 1 police officer with murder and 5 others with lesser crimes in the death of Gray, a young black man who suffered a critical neck injury while in the back of a police van. Her announcement came just hours after the Maryland state medical examiner ruled the death a homicide and a day after police provided her office with findings of its internal investigation into Gray’s April 12th arrest.
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| Marilyn Mosby |
“To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America, I heard your call for ‘no justice, no peace,'” Mosby said during a news conference. “Your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man.”
Caesar R. Goodson Jr., a black officer who drove the police van, was charged with second-degree murder and faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison. Sgt. Alicia D. White, Officer William G. Porter and Lt. Brian Rice all face involuntary manslaughter. Officer Edward M. Nero and Officer Garrett E. Miller face lesser charges, including manslaughter, assault and misconduct in office, which carries potential prison terms of 3 to 10 years.. The officers, including a total of 3 blacks and 3 whites, 5 men and 1 woman, posted bond following their arrest and were released from custody.
Once news broke that the 6 police officers had been arrested, thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Baltimore in celebration, expressing their belief that it was likely their [mostly peaceful] protests during the past week that prompted Mosby’s decision.
“It was the people, it was the people out in the streets that made this happen,” said Rev. Osagyefo Sekou, a civil rights activist.
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Although her swift decision was highly received in the black community, it riled police officers and the police union.
“We are disappointed in the apparent rush to judgment given the fact the investigation into this matter has not been concluded,” said Gene Ryan, president of the Baltimore Fraternal Order of Police.
Still, Mosby, a 35-year-old African American woman who has only been in the position since January and whose family includes generations of law enforcement officers, stood firm in her decision. Her previous words regarding police brutality are a clear indication that she will not waver.
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| Freddie Gray |
“It’s been 78 days since Michael Brown was shot in the street by a police officer,” Ms. Mosby said last October at her alma mater, Tuskegee University in Alabama. “It’s been 101 days since Eric Garner was choked to death in New York by a police officer, and 54 days since the New York City medical examiner ruled that incident a homicide. Neither has resulted in an indictment.”
Although charges against the police officers brought instant relief to the city’s 620,000 mostly African-American residents, community leaders have cautioned that they need to see justice served not only in Baltimore, but in other poor communities where young black men are regularly targeted by police.
Has justice been served in Mosby’s decision to bring charges against the 6 police officers? Or is it possible her decision could send the wrong message that violent protests (such as the ones seen last week in Baltimore) have the power to get results?
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