police violence
-
1 Mother Had Enough of Being Afraid for Her Sons, so She Did Something About It
Last August, as I picked up a strawberry birthday cake and Batman-themed decorations for my son’s seventh birthday party, I began to cry. It was a familiar scenario. I cry on all of my two sons’ birthdays. They are 7 and 4. Mine are not tears of joy but, rather, tears of fear. Fear for…
-
Who’s Responsible for Showing ‘Reckless Disregard’ for Freddie Gray’s Life?
In closing arguments Thursday in the trial of Baltimore Police Lt. Brian Rice relating to the death of Freddie Gray in April 2015, the prosecution argued that Rice showed a reckless disregard for Gray’s life by throwing him into the transport wagon facedown, shackled and handcuffed onto a dirty, corrugated floor, and that as a commanding officer, Rice held…
-
‘This Was Their Best Shot’: Baltimore Reacts to Another Not Guilty Verdict in Freddie Gray's Death
As Judge Barry Williams read the last not guilty verdict about the seven charges Baltimore Police Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. faced regarding the death of Freddie Gray, members of Goodson’s family, sitting in the courtroom’s center aisle, wept and hugged one another. Officer Edward Nero, who was acquitted a few weeks ago in Gray’s death, cried…
-
Testimony: Freddie Gray’s Neck Felt ‘Crumbly, Like a Box of Rocks,’ After Van Ride
“What the f—k did you guys do?” That’s what paramedic Angelique Herbert yelled at Officers William Porter, Caesar Goodson Jr. and Zach Novak when she saw what condition Freddie Gray was in after he rode in their police van over a year ago. Herbert was among 21 witnesses who testified in the trial of Goodson…
-
Testimony: ‘Docile,’ ‘Lethargic’ Freddie Gray Couldn’t Have Injured Himself
Three strong witnesses for the prosecution during the trial of Baltimore Police Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. this week painted a distinct picture of the circumstances around Freddie Gray’s April 2015 death. They said that Gray was noncombative, that he couldn’t have injured himself and that his preventable death was a homicide. Goodson, 46, was the…
-
Prosecutor: Freddie Gray Was Victim of ‘Rough Ride’
During opening statements Thursday in the trial of Baltimore Officer Caesar Goodson Jr. over the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray while in police custody, Chief Deputy State’s Attorney Michael Shatzow alleged that Gray was the victim of a “rough ride.” It was the first time that the practice of a rough ride has been…
-
If NYC Top Cop Bill Bratton Wants to Discuss ‘Thugs,’ He Should Start With the NYPD
New York City Police Commissioner Bill Bratton, one of the architects of New York’s racist stop-and-frisk policy, has weighed in on the fatal shooting that took place at a hip-hop concert at Manhattan’s Irving Plaza Wednesday night, and his statement was as prejudiced and hypocritical as one would expect from New York City’s top cop.…