STAR INFORMATION: Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby announces charges on six police officers over the death of Freddie Gray.

[Mobolaji Aluko]

_____________________________________________________________

THE CHARGES 

(CNN) Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby has announced that six police officers have been charged in the death of Freddie Gray.

One officer -- the driver of the police van -- has been charged with several counts, including second-degree depraved-heart murder. Another officer has been charged with several counts, including manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter.

Two other officers have been charged with several counts, including involuntary manslaughter. And two other officers are charged with several counts, including second-degree assault.

Here is a full list of charges, as released by the Office of the State's Attorney for Baltimore City.

Officer Garrett E. Miller

1) Assault/second degree (10 yrs.)

2) Assault/second degree (10 yrs,)

3) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment*)

4) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment* )

5) False imprisonment (8th Amendment* )

Sgt. Alicia D. White

1) Manslaughter (involuntary) (10 yrs.)

2) Assault/second degree (10 yrs.)

3) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment*)

Officer Caesar R. Goodson Jr.

1) Second degree depraved heart murder (30 yrs.)

2) Manslaughter (involuntary) (10 yrs.)

3) Assault/second degree (10 yrs.)

4) Manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence) (10 yrs.)

5) Manslaughter by vehicle (criminal negligence) (3 yrs.)

6) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment* )

Officer William G. Porter

1) Manslaughter (involuntary) (10 yrs.)

2) Assault/second degree (10 yrs.)

3) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment*)

Lt. Brian W. Rice

1) Manslaughter (involuntary) (10 yrs.)

2) Assault/second degree (10 yrs.)

3) Assault/second degree (10 yrs.)

4) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment*)

5) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment*)

6) False imprisonment (8th Amendment*)

Officer Edward  M. Nero

1) Assault/second degree (10 yrs.)

2) Assault/second degree (10 yrs.)

3) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment*)

4) Misconduct in office (8th Amendment* )

5) False imprisonment (8th Amendment*)

*Any sentence that does not constitute cruel & unusual punishment

______________________________________________________________

Marilyn Mosby

THE VIDEO

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bfrVsq9h8U8

Marilyn Mosby Charges 6 Baltimore Police Officers in Death of Freddie Gray

______________________________________________________________

READ THE TRANSCRIPT OF MARILYN J. MOSBY's STATEMENT ON FREDDIE GRAY

 

TIME Staff    

The Baltimore state's attorney announced charges against six police officers on Friday

Good morning. First and foremost I need to publicly express my sympathies for the family and loved ones of Freddie Gray. I had the opportunity to meet with Mr Gray’s family to discuss some of the details of the case and the procedural steps going forward. I assured his family that no one is above the law and that I would pursue justice on their behalf.

To the thousands of city residents, community organizers, faith leaders and political leaders that chose to march peacefully throughout Baltimore, I commend your courage to stand for justice. I also commend the brave men and women, both in uniform and out, who have stepped up Monday night to protect our communities from those who wish to destroy it.

As the city’s Chief Deputy Prosecutor I’ve been sworn to uphold justice and to treat every individual within the jurisdiction of Baltimore city equally and fairly under the law. I take this oath seriously and I want the public to know that my administration is committed to creating a fair and equitable justice system for all. No matter what your occupation, your age, your race, your color or your creed. It is my job to examine and investigate the evidence of each case and apply those facts to the elements of a crime, in order to make a determination as to whether individuals should be prosecuted. This is a tremendous responsibility, but one that I saw and accepted when the citizens of Baltimore city elected me as the state’s attorney, and it is precisely what I did in the case of Freddie Gray.

Once alerted about this incident on April 13, investigators from my police integrity unit were deployed to investigate the circumstances surrounding Mr. Gray’s apprehension. Over the course of our independent investigation, in the untimely death of Mr. Gray, my team worked around the clock; 12 and 14 hour days to canvas and interview dozens of witnesses; view numerous hours of video footage; repeatedly reviewed and listened to hours of police video tape statements; surveyed the route, reviewed voluminous medical records; and we leveraged the information made available by the police department, the community and family of Mr. Gray.

The findings of our comprehensive, thorough and independent investigation, coupled with the medical examiner’s determination that Mr. Gray’s death was a homicide that we received today, has led us to believe that we have probable cause to file criminal charges.

The statement of probable cause is as follows:

On April, 12 2015 between 8:45 and 9:15 a.m., near the corner of North Avenue and Mount Street. Lt. Rice of the Baltimore Police Department while on bike patrol with Officer Garrett Miller and Edward Nero made eye contact with Freddie Carlos Gray Jr.

Having made eye contact with Mr. Gray, Mr. Gray subsequently ran from Lt. Rice. Lt. Rice then dispatched over departmental radio that he was involved in a foot pursuit at which time bike patrol officers and Nero began to pursue Mr. Gray. Having come in contact with pursuing officers, Mr. Gray surrendered to Officers Miller and Nero in the vicinity in the 1700 block of Presbury Street.

Officer Miller and Nero then handcuffed Mr. Gray and moved him to a location a few feet away from his surrendering location Mr. Gray was then placed in a prone position with his arms handcuffed behind his back. It was at this time that Mr. Gray indicated he could not breath and requested an inhaler to no avail. Officer Miller and Nero then placed Mr. Gray in a seated position and substantially found a knife clipped to the inside of his pants pocket. The blade of the knife was folded into the handle. The knife was not a switchblade and is lawful under Maryland law. These officers then removed the knife and placed it on the sidewalk.

Mr. Gray was then placed back down on his stomach at which time Mr. Gray began to flail his legs and scream as Officer Miller placed Mr. Gray in a restraining technique known as a leg lace. While Officer Nero physically held him down against him will while a BPD wagon arrived to transport Mr. Gray.

Lt. Rice, Officer Miller and Officer Nero failed to establish probable cause for Mr. Gray’s arrest as no crime had been committed by Mr. Gray. Accordingly Lt. Rice Officer MIller and Office Nero illegally arrested Mr. Gray. Upon arrival of the transport wagon driven by Officer Caesar Goodson. Lt. Rice Officer Miller and Officer Nero loaded Mr. Gray into the wagon and at no point was he secured by a seatbelt while in the wagon contrary to a BPD general order. Lt. Rice then directed the BPD wagon to stop at Baker Street. At Baker Street, Lt. Rice, Officer Nero and Officer Miller removed Mr. Gray from the wagon, placed flexi-cuffs on his wrists, placed leg shackles on his ankles and completed required paperwork.

Officer Miller, Officer Nero and Lt. Rice then loaded Mr. Gray back into the wagon, placing him on his stomach, head first onto the floor of the wagon. Once again Mr. Gray was not secured by a seatbelt in the wagon contrary to a BPD general order.

Lt. Rice then directed Officer Goodson to transport Mr. Gray to the Central Booking & Intake Facility. Following transport from Baker Street, Mr. Gray suffered a severe and critical neck injury as a result of being handcuffed, shackled by his feet and unrestrained inside of the BPD wagon.

From Baker Street, Officer Goodson proceeded to the vicinity of Mosher Street and Fremont Avenue where he subsequently parked the wagon and proceeded to the back of the wagon to observe Mr. Gray. Despite stopping for the purpose of checking on Mr. Gray’s condition, at no point did he seek nor did he render any medical assistance for Mr. Gray. Officer Goodson returned to his driver’s seat and proceed toward the Central Booking & Intake facility with Mr. Gray still unsecured by a seatbelt contrary to a BPD general order.

Several blocks later, Officer Goodson called into dispatch that he needed to check on the status of his prisoner and requested additional units at Dolphin Street and Druid Hill Avenue. Officer William Porter arrived on the scene at Dolphin Street and Druid HIll Avenue. Both Officer Goodson and porter proceeded to the back of the wagon to check on the status of Mr. Gray’s condition. Mr. Gray at that time requested help and indicated that he could not breathe. Officer Porter asked Mr. Gray if he needed a medic at which time Mr. Gray indicated at least twice that he was in need of a medic. Officer Porter then physically assisted Mr. Gray from the floor of the van to the bench however despite Mr. Gray’s appeal for a medic, both officers assessed Mr. Gray’s condition and at no point did either of them restrain Mr. Gray per BPD general order nor did they render or request medical assistance.

While discussing the transportation of Mr. Gray for medical attention, a request for additional units was made for an arrest at the 1600 West North Avenue. Officer Porter left the vicinity of Druid Hill Avenue to assist in the arrest of another prisoner at North Avenue. Despite Mr. Gray’s obvious and recognized need for medical assistance, Officer Goodson in a grossly negligent manner chose to respond to the 1600 block of West North Avenue with Mr. Gray still unsecured by a seatbelt in the wagon without rendering to or summoning medical assistance for Mr. Gray.

Officer Goodson arrived at North Avenue to transport the individual arrested at the location of North Avenue and Pennsylvania Avenue at which time he was again met by Officer Nero, Miller and Porter. Once the wagon arrived, Officer Goodson walked to the back of the wagon and again opened the doors to the wagon to make observations of Mr. Gray.

Sgt. Alicia White, Officer Porter and Officer Goodson observed Mr. Gray unresponsive on the floor of the wagon. Sgt. White who is responsible for investigating two citizen complaints pertaining to Mr. Gray’s illegal arrest spoke to the back of Mr. Gray’s head. When he did not respond, she did nothing further despite the fact that she was advised that he needed a medic. She made no effort to look or assess or determine his condition.

Despite Mr. Gray’s seriously deteriorating medical condition, no medical assistance was rendered or summoned for Mr. Gray at that time by any officer.

After completing the North Avenue arrest and loading the additional prisoner into the opposite side of the wagon containing Mr. Gray, Officer Goodson then proceeded to the Western District Station where contrary to the BPD general order, he again failed to restrain Mr. Gray in the wagon for at least the fifth time.

At the Western District Police Station the defendant arrested at North Avenue was unloaded, escorted and secured inside of the police station prior to attending to Mr. Gray.

By the time Officer Zachary Novak and Sgt. White attempted to remove Mr. Gray from the wagon, Mr. Gray was no longer breathing at all. A medic was finally called to the scene where upon arrival, the medic determined Mr. Gray was now in cardiac arrest and was critically and severely injured.

Mr. Gray was rushed to the University of Maryland Shock Trauma where he underwent surgery. On April 19, 2015, Mr. Gray succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead. The manner of death deemed homicide by the Maryland Medical Examiner is believed to be the result of a fatal injury that occurred while Mr. Gray was unrestrained by a seatbelt in the custody of the Baltimore Police Department wagon.

All events occurred in Baltimore City State of Maryland. While each of these officers are presumed innocent until proven guilty, we have brought the following charges:

Officer Caesar Goodson is being charged with second-degree depraved heart murder, involuntary manslaughter, second-degree negligent assault, manslaughter by vehicle by means of gross negligence, manslaughter by vehicle by means of criminal negligence, misconduct in office by failure to secure prisoner, failure to render aid.

Officer William Porter is being charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault in the second degree, misconduct in office.

Lt. Brian Rice is being charged with involuntary manslaughter, assault in the second degree, assault in the second degree, misconduct in office and false imprisonment.

Officer Edward Nero is being charged with assault in the second degree intentional, assault in the second degree negligent, misconduct in office and false imprisonment.

Officer Garrett Miller is being charged with intentional assault in the second-degree, assault in the second-degree negligent, misconduct in office and false imprisonment.

Sgt. Alicia White is being charged with manslaughter, involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault, misconduct in office.

While I am committed to transparency, what I have revealed here today is now a matter of public record. However, the evidence we have collected and continue to collect cannot ethically be released to the public and I strongly condemn anyone in law enforcement with access to trial evidence who has leaked information prior resolution of this case. You are are only damaging our ability to conduct a fair and impartial process for all parties involved.

I hope that as we move forward with this case everyone will respect due process and refrain from doing anything that would jeopardize our ability to seek justice.

To the people of Baltimore and the demonstrators across America: I heard your call for ‘No justice, no peace.’ Your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of this young man.

To those that are angry, hurt or have their own experiences of injustice at the hands of police officers I urge you to channel that energy peacefully as we prosecute this case I have heard your calls for ‘No justice, no peace,’ however your peace is sincerely needed as I work to deliver justice on behalf of Freddie Gray.

To the rank and file officers of the Baltimore Police Department, please know that these accusations of these six officers are not an indictment on the entire force.

I come from five generations of law enforcement. My father was an officer, my mother was an officer, several of my aunts and uncles, my recently departed and beloved grandfather was one of the founding members of the first black police organization in Massachusetts. I can tell you that the actions of these officers will not and should not, in any way, damage the important working relationships between police and prosecutors as we continue to fight together to reduce crime in Baltimore. Thank you for your courage, committee and sacrifice for the betterment of the community.

Lastly, I’d like to thank my team for working around the clock since the day that we learned of this tragic incident. We have conducted a thorough and independent investigation of this case. This independent investigation was led by my deputy state attorneys, Janice Bledsoe and Michael Schatzow, my investigators Wayne Williams, Avon Mackle and the hardworking investigative team that were here and still are very much committed to pursuing justice.

I’d also like the Baltimore City Police department particularly Major Branford of the homicide unit and Rodney Hill of the Internal Affairs Division for providing us with a hard copy of the investigative material yesterday, information we already had. And lastly. I’d like to thank Baltimore City Sheriff’s Department in assisting with us as an independent law enforcement agency with police powers.

To the governor to this great state of Maryland, thank you for expediting the autopsy report which enabled us to do our job.

Last but certainly not least, to the youth of the city. I will seek justice on your behalf. This is a moment. This is your moment. Let’s insure we have peaceful and productive rallies that will develop structural and systemic changes for generations to come. You’re at the forefront of this cause and as young people, our time is now.

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NM APPENDIX

Here is an incomplete list of names of Black people killed by police in 2015 (R.I.P)

Freddie Carlos Gray Jr.

Walter Scott 50

Bernard Moore 62

Lavall Hall 25

Jonathan Ryan Paul 42

Jamie Croom 31

Terry Garnett Jr. 37

Monique Jenee Deckard 43

Tony Terrell Robinson Jr. 19

Tyrone Ryerson Lawrence 45

Naeschylus Vinzant 37

Andrew Anthony Williams 48

Dewayne Deshawn Ward Jr. 29

Ledarius Williams 23

Yvette Henderson 38

Edward Donnell Bright, Sr. 56

Thomas Allen Jr. 34

Charley Leundeu Keunang, “Africa” 43

Fednel Rhinvil 25

Shaquille C. Barrow 20

Kendre Omari Alston 16

Brandon Jones 18

Darrell “Hubbard” Gatewood 47

Cornelius J. Parker 28

Ian Sherrod 40

Jermonte Fletcher 33

Darin Hutchins 26

Glenn C. Lewis 37

Calvon A. Reid 39

Tiano Meton 25

Demaris Turner 29

Isaac Holmes 19

A’Donte Washington 16

Terry Price 41

Stanley Lamar Grant 38

Askari Roberts 35

Dewayne Carr 42

Terrance Moxley 29

Theodore Johnson 64

Cedrick Lamont Bishop 30

Anthony Hill 27

Terence D. Walke 21

Janisha Fonville 20

Phillip Watkins 23

Anthony Bess 49

Desmond Luster, Sr. 45

James Howard Allen 74

Natasha McKenna 37

Herbert Hill 26

Markell Atkins 36

Kavonda Earl Payton 39

Rodney Walker 23

Donte Sowell 27

Mario A. Jordan 34

Artago Damon Howard 36

Andre Larone Murphy Sr. 42

Marcus Ryan Golden 24

Brian Pickett 26

Hashim Hanif Ibn Abdul-Rasheed 41

Ronald Sneed 31

Leslie Sapp III 47

Matthew Ajibade 22

Here is an incomplete list of names of Black people killed by police in 2014 (R.I.P)

Kevin Davis, 44

Eric Tyrone Forbes, 28

Jerame C. Reid, 36

David Andre Scott, 28

Quentin Smith, 23

Terrence Gilbert, 25

Carlton Wayne Smith, 20

Gregory Marcus Gray, 33

Antonio Martin, 18

Tyrone Davis, 43

Xavier McDonald, 16

Brandon Tate-Brown, 26

Dennis Grisgby, 35

Michael D. Sulton, 23

Thurrell Jowers, 22

Travis Faison, 24

Calvin Peters, 49

Christopher Bernard Doss, 41

Jerry Nowlin, 39

William Mark Jones, 50

Rumain Brisbon, 34

Lincoln Price, 24

Eric Ricks, 30

Leonardo Marquette Little, 33

Tamir E. Rice, 12

Akai Gurley, 28

Myron De’Shawn May, 39

Keara Crowder, 29

Tanisha N. Anderson, 37

Darnell Dayron Stafford, 31

David Yearby, 27

Aura Rosser, 40

Carlos Davenport, 51

Cinque DJahspora, 20

Rauphael Thomas, 29

Christopher M. Anderson, 27

Charles Emmett Logan, 68

John T. Wilson, III, 22

Christopher Mason McCray, 17

Kaldrick Donald, 24

Zale Thompson, 32

Terrell Lucas, 22

Ronnie D. McNary, 44

Adam Ardett Madison, 28

Balantine Mbegbu, 65

Elisha Glass, 20

Qusean Whitten, 18

Vonderrit Myers Jr., 18

O’Shaine Evans, 26

Latandra Ellington, 36

Aljarreau Cross, 29

Iretha Lilly, 37

Lashano J. Gilbert, 31

Miguel Benton, 19

Eugene Williams, 38

Tracy A. Wade, 39

Javonta Darden, 20

Marlon S. Woodstock, 38

Oliver Jarrod Gregoire, 26

Nolan Anderson, 50

Cameron Tillman, 14

John Jolly Jr., 28

Charles Smith, 29

Michael Willis Jr., 42

Briant Paula, 26

Kashad Ashford, 23

Carrey Brown, 26

Ceasar Adams, 36

Ricky Deangelo Hinkle, 47

Elijah Jackson, 33

Darrien Nathaniel Hunt, 22

Shawn Brown, 20

Alphonse Edward Perkins, 50

Naim Owens, 22

Kendrick Brown, 35

Eugene N. Turner III, 28

Ronald Singleton, 45

Jeremy Lewis, 33

Vernicia Woodward, 26

Cortez Washington, 32

Steven Lashone Douglas, 29

Desean Pittman, 20

Roshad McIntosh, 18

Anthony Lamar Brown, 39

Arvel Douglas Williams, 30

Darius Cole-Garrit, 21

Kajieme Powell, 25

David Ellis, 29

Luther Lathron Walker, 38

Andre Maurice Jones, 37

Frederick R. Miller, 38

Michelle Cusseaux, 50

Dante Parker, 36

Corey Levert Tanner, 24

Ezell Ford, 25

Robert Baltimore, 34

Dustin Keith Glover, 27

Eddie Davis, 67

Michael Brown, Jr., 18

Michael Laray Dozer, 26

John Crawford III, 22

Daniel Row, 37

Jacorey Calhoun, 23

Anthony Callaway, 27

Patrick Small, 27

Harrison Carter, 29

Vamond Arqui Elmore, 37

Donovan Bayton, 54

Charles Leon Johnson, II, 29

Briatay McDuffie, 19

Jonathan L. Williams, 25

Eric Garner, 43

Dominique Charon Lewis, 23

Michael Reams, 47

Lawrence Campbell, 27

Kenny Clinton Walker, 23

Tyshawn Hancock, 37

Charles Goodridge, 53

Cedric Stanley, 35

Ennis Labaux, 37

Warren Robinson, 16

Christopher Jones, 30

Icarus Randolph, 26

Jacqueline Nichols, 64

Jerry Dwight Brown, 41

Nyocomus Garnett, 35

Rodney Hodge, 33

Paul Ray Kemp Jr., 40

Dennis Hicks, 29

Samuel Johnson, 45

Lavon King, 20

Antoine Dominique Hunter, 24

Samuel Shields, 49

Juan May, 45

Denzell Curnell, 19

Ismael Sadiq, 30

Devaron Ricardo Wilburn, 21

John Schneider, 24

Jason Harrison, 38

Frank Rhodes, 61

Roylee Vell Dixon, 48

Broderick Johnson, 21

David Latham, 35

Lonnie Flemming, 31

Steven Thompson, 26

Thomas Dewitt Johnson, 28

Frank McQueen, 34

Sandy Jamel McCall, 33

Quintico Goolsby, 36

Dominique Franklin, Jr., 23

George V. King, 19

James Renee White Jr., 21

Devante Kyshon Hinds, 21

Pearlie Golden, 93

Jerome Dexter Christmas, 44

Armand Martin, 50

Dontre H. Hamilton, 31

Joe Huff, 86

Emmanuel Wooten

Matthew Walker, 55

Daniel Christoph Yealu, 29

Adrian Williams, 29

Gregory Towns, 24

Jameel Kareem Ofurum Harrison, 34

Zikarious Jaquan Flint, 20

Raason Shaw, 20

DeAndre Lloyd Starks, 27

Douglas Cooper, 18

Winfield Carlton Fisher III, 32

Deosaran Maharaj, 51

Daniel Martin, 47

Emerson Clayton Jr., 21

Rebecca Lynn Oliver, 24

Treon “Tree” Johnson, 27

Gabriella Monique Nevarez, 22

Marquise Jones, 23

Kenneth Christopher Lucas, 38

Keith Atkinson, 31

Yvette Smith, 45

D’Andre Berghardt Jr., 20

Stephon Averyhart, 27

Anthony Bartley, 21

Earnest Satterwhite, Sr., 68

Anneson Joseph, 28

Alton Reaves, 31

McKenzie Cochran, 25

Cornelius Turner, 19

Eldrin Loren Smart, 31

Henry Jackson, 19

Jordan Baker, 26

Gregory Vaughn Hill Jr., 30

Paul Smith, 58

Jeffrey Ragland, 50

Kendall Alexander, 34

You are surprised? Well the list is incomplete.....the concern is that at any moment, a loved one, particularly our male children or grandchildren, can be a victim........

We have to organize, not agonize....

Bolaji Aluko

________________________

[Ikhide]

So, THREE of the six Baltimore police officers charged are black. SMH. There is racism, yes, but there is a conversation to be had about the behavior of many black people in uniform AND authority towards their fellow blacks. Many people would tell you things about black cops that would curl your ears. I avoid Prince George's County and DC cops. Actually, anywhere outside my Montgonery County and my anxieties are on high alert... America...

We need to respect, love and nurture ourselves more. We need to accept our share of responsibility. Go to public schools in DC and in jurisdictions with minority kids. It is a straight pipeline to prison, with many black adults supervising the destruction of the future of black youngsters. Our black public intellectuals have become rock stars and they make all the right noises from Martha's Vineyard, Cornell West, Gates, Obama, etc. 

When was the last time Obama went to South East to sit on a black person's porch, to listen to a bunch of youngsters on the streets just talk. He should keep his lectures. Nonsense. 

Where is the outrage? In New York, the cost per inmate is $168,000 but the cost per pupil is $20,000. Imagine the ROI if those numbers were reversed. Our leaders do not respect us. If the problems in the black neighborhoods were in white neighborhoods, we would be talking about prevention, not incarceration. Shame on us!

- Ikhide

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[Mobolaji Aluko]

Ikhide:

The color of the police officers now accused of judicial criminal is irrelevant.  My position always has been that when man's inhumanity to man crosses:

(1)  color lines:  it is called "racism"; 

(2)  gender lines:  it is called "sexism" (or misogyny and misandry)

(3)  ethnic or tribal lines:  it is called tribalism or ethnicism

Ditto for crossing sexual prefrence lines or religious lines.

These charges appear to be slam dunk against these officers. ...or are they not?

We shall see...

And there you have it.

Bolaji Aluko

[Segun Ogungbemi]

The police is systematically waging war against African Americans and killing them with impunity. It is morally and legally unacceptable. There must be justice to stop this horrendous and senseless killings of Black people in the US.  

Prof. Segun Ogungbemi

Officer Garrett Miller is being charged with intentional assault in the second-degree, assault in the second-degree negligent, misconduct in office and false imp imprisonment.

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[kwame zulu shabazz]

Here in Jackson, the capitol of Mississippi, the police department (and the city) is majority black. The Jackson police have a reputation of being more humane than their counterparts in the surrounding, majority white cities. That said, policing in America was/is an instrument of white power. There is a national Black police association that has occasionally taken a stance on racist policing, but police, at the end of the day, enforce "the law." They aren't trained to question basic assumptions about the law. At the local level, a police cadet must accept the status quo or he/she will have a short-lived career, so challenging the system from within is hard to imagine.

I agree with brother Ikhide that Obama and black elites could do MUCH more to improve the plight of the black "underclass." Cornel West, to his credit, has lended his voice to many protests efforts.

kzs

[Anunoby, Ogugua]

“The Jackson police have a reputation of being more humane than their counterparts in the surrounding, majority white cities.”

 

kzs

 

Police officers are public servants employed and contractually remunerated by tax payers. I do not know that anyone expects police officers to act humanely in the discharge of their duties. Everyone expects them to carry out their duties correctly and properly- in line with the law. Police work is neither charity nor mercy work even for volunteer police officers.

In far too many cases of allegations of police brutality including those in which lives  of victims were lost, advocates and supporters of the police (AaSP) rush to state that the police officers involved did nothing wrong. The case  made usually is that the police officers followed their Police Department’s (PD) guidelines and regulations (g and r). Should they if the g and r break the law? That question is usually not asked or answered. If there is no presumption of guilt of police officers before guilt is formally proven, why do police officers not give the same benefit to their victims who in some cases lose their lives as a result of police officers’ rush to arbitrary and hasty judgment and execution of that judgment?

Quite oftentimes, one hears some AaSP argue that 99.9? percent of police officers are good. This may be true but where are the good ones? Why do they never speak out against police brutality? When will they stand up and be counted? The most sincere and effective criticism is most likely self-criticism- criticism from within. The police need self-criticism. The experience with them is that external criticism of them, however deserved and objective, causes them to feel maligned and threatened following which they get into the self-defense mode. Is criticism of the police and other public servants not part of the public’s duty of holding them accountable for their actions? The police have great powers and we know what was George Orwell famously said about what power- constitutional power does to people who possess it.

Everyone I know understands that every community needs her PD. No community needs a PD that routinely disregards the constitutional rights of some citizens and gets away with it, leaving tax payers in the community to pay court awarded monetary compensation to victims of police misuse of their powers, in their abuse of fellow citizens’ constitutional rights.  

 

oa

Marilyn Mosby

[kwame zulu shabazz]

Peace to you, OA.

I concur. I have lived in every ghetto of Los Angeles--Compton, Watts, South Central. My formative years were spent in Inglewood. I don't know of anyone in those communities who likes or trust police officers whatever their color. I certainly don't.You took a single sentence from my post out of context (or perhaps I was unclear). I was simply stating the local perception, as I understand it, of the police department in majority black Jackson, Mississippi as compared to the surrounding majority white cities. I noted in my previous post that the purpose of policing is to protect white power so I certainly don't share the view of some Americans (including the young black female State's Attorney of Baltimore, Marilyn Mosby) that most cops are good cops. To the contrary, in my assessment, policing is a fundamentally racist, anti-black institution. That history, according to some scholars, stretches back to post-antebellum slave patrols as is documented by Charshee McIntyre in her important work "Criminalizing a Race."

kzs

...

[kwame zulu shabazz]

Point of clarification: "Good" or "bad" cops can potentially be a distraction if it veers us away from getting at the deeply rooted structural racism that defines and informs policing and most other institutions in the USA.

kzs

On Monday, May 4, 2015 at 10:17:59 AM UTC-5, Anunoby, Ogugua wrote:

...

[kwame zulu shabazz]

Edit: antebellum (not post-antebellum).

On Monday, May 4, 2015 at 10:17:59 AM UTC-5, Anunoby, Ogugua wrote:

...

[Anunoby, Ogugua]

Thank you kzs

 

All I tried to do was make the important philosophical point that police officers do not do their job as a favor to the communities they are sworn under contract, to serve. They are under oath to serve their communities diligently, dutifully, responsibly, and in line with the law. Police officers are not expected to be good, humane people, any more than other public servants are. They are expected to be faithful to the their oaths of office- including protect, not oppress any of those they serve. It helps of course that they may go the extra mile if need be but they do not have to as long as they serve in compliance with the law and their oaths of office- including respecting the constitutional rights of those they serve. It is sometimes forgotten that every police officer in the country is a volunteer.  

One may only imagine why for example, any responsible police department or police officer would resist the installation and use of cameras to record their activities, if their employers want them to and are willing to pay for the cameras? Should they not be the ones asking for the cameras to enhance the public’s faith and trust in them? Is there an thing to hide about their activities? Peace to you too.

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[kwame zulu shabazz]

Brother OA,

Noted. I think you sum up a philosophical perspective on policing nicely. But I would resist conflating that with what people expect from police. You could make the case that in the white enclaves of America (or Black individuals like presidential candidate Ben Carson) there is an expectation that the police will as you put it "be faithful to their oaths of office." But I don't think Black and brown people in US ghettos share that view. Our expectations are not based on lofty rhetoric. Rather our sentiments are guided by concrete experiences with police officers which are frequently negative. For many of us the police are just another gang. Hence we do what we can to avoid them.

kzs

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