Balitmore Police Under Fire For The Death Of An Unarmed Suspect!

Freddie Gray was injured after a confrontation with Baltimore Police. The city's mayor and police commissioner are trying to calm the controversy by demanding an investigation into this. Gray died of his injuries. The Department of Justice is looking into this.

These are not isolated incidents. This is a growing situation in which men of color are being killed by police. The perception of mistrust continues to grow. The Black and Latino communities have a strong mistrust of law enforcement. In the wake of five high profile shootings, one could think that this is not just isolated incidents by rogue cops. It's a systematic thought.

Most in law enforcement believe that Black men, Latino men, worshiping Muslims and illegal immigrants are naturally born criminals.

The agitators of the junk food media are quick to judge perception of Black men as criminals or victims of societal ills.

The Department of Justice is already investigating allegations of police brutality in the Baltimore Metropolitan Police.

Police are doing damage control after four officers handcuffed a man who was severely injured.

See if it wasn't for them pesky camera phones, the law can lie and say that the suspect put up a fight with officers. The not so good officers could plant evidence on an unarmed suspect and the law will release statements to the junk food media to paint the suspect as a no good criminal. The agitators will turn it into a political fray and the keyboard warriors will word vomit opinions that most commonly found to be extreme.

Freddie Gray, 25 according to the law was in an area that is known for drug activity.

Yada, yada, yada! I don't buy that excuse. Only a court order can tell a man not to be in an area.

Just because a cop sees you in a drug activity zone, doesn't mean they have the right to search you or apprehend you without probable cause. That means, a cop can't arrest you because you're exiting a house they're observing for alleged drug activity. If the officer stops and questions you, you have a right to remain silent and the only thing you are advocating is your name.

The young man who the law apprehended was a low level suspect. He was unarmed. But somehow, the officers had to restrain him. The man was injured at the neck (by a spinal fracture around his neck) and died over the weekend.

We here at Journal de la Reyna send our condolences to the family of Freddie Gray.

BlackLivesMatter protest in Baltimore.

Gray died a week after he suffered a broken vertabra after being arrested near Gilmor Homes in Sandtown-Winchester.

Police have not given a cause for Gray's injuries or specified why he was arrested, citing an investigation into the incident. Officials are expected to look into any criminal conduct by Gray and whether criminal charges against officers are warranted.

As a family attorney raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Gray's death, his stepfather, Richard Shipley, said relatives were too distraught to talk.

"He's gone," Shipley said. "What else is there to say?"

The Baltimore Sun reports that Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts demand an investigation to what happened. They are committed to providing the public with information about the circumstances of Gray's death.

"I understand the frustration of the community and I take very seriously my obligation of transparency," Rawlings-Blake said. "However we also have to balance that with our obligation to ensure a proper and thorough investigation is undertaken. Therefore we have to move forward in a responsible way to determine all the facts of this incident so that we can provide the community with answers."

More than 100 protesters have gathered for two days outside the Western District station, demanding answers about what happened to Gray.

William "Billy" Murphy Jr., a lawyer for Gray's family, contradicted a Police Department timeline of the arrest, which said medics were called to the Western District station 30 minutes after the police van carrying Gray left the scene. Murphy said he has information indicating Gray was at the police station for an hour before medics were called.

"What we know is that while in police custody for committing no crime — for which they had no justification for making the arrest except he was a black man running — his spine was virtually severed, 80 percent severed, in the neck area," Murphy said. He called Gray's injuries "catastrophic."

Murphy said Gray "lapsed into a coma, died, was resuscitated, stayed in a coma and on Monday, underwent extensive surgery at Shock Trauma. "He clung to life for seven days," he said.

The attorney also said that the city has a camera above where the arrest occurred and requested that the footage be released to the public.

"We believe the police are keeping the circumstances of Freddie's death secret until they develop a version of events that will absolve them of all responsibility," Murphy said. "However, his family and the citizens of Baltimore deserve to know the real truth; and we will not stop until we get justice for Freddie."

Four bicycle officers tried to stop Gray about 9 a.m. on April 12 in the 1600 block of W. North Ave. for an alleged violation that police have not disclosed. He ran, police said, and the officers caught him and restrained him on the ground while awaiting backup.

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake is the mayor of Baltimore. She promises a credible investigation.

According to the police timeline, he was conscious and speaking when he was loaded into a van to be taken to the district station. Medics were called to the station, and he was taken to an area hospital, police said.

From the video, I heard Freddie screaming in pain. I see officers drag him to the police van.

I see him with his head down in a way like his neck may have been broken. 

And you happen to notice picture of the cops lifting Freddie!  It looks like they got him from a brick fence. 

Did the cops slam him near the bricks and snap his neck?

Deputy Commissioner Jerry Rodriguez said police have interviewed community members and some officers involved in the incident. He declined to provide more details, citing the need to make sure the investigation is not compromised.

Explanation of what prompted the arrest, remains "a bit vague," according to Rodriguez. He said that officers in a high-crime area with drug problems suspected Gray was "immediately involved or had been recently involved in criminal activity."

From the earlier statement I stated, a cop can't judge a man by the area. He can't just stop a person because he sees him in an area that has drug activity. The judge can order a person to not be in an area. Not the police. You have a right to be in any area of your choosing. 

Rodriguez said police "have no physical, video or any other evidence of an altercation" that would result in Gray's injuries.

"The question is how and why, and more importantly if there is anything contributory from our agency, how can we prevent that?" he said. "We're not there yet but we will get there."

Police are assembling a task force to review the incident, expected to include personnel across a range of departments, including training and lab prep personnel, as well as teams from homicide investigators and force investigation, Batts said.

The police drag a screaming Freddie Gray to the van. It was caught on camera.

An independent board also will review the administrative case against the officers, after State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby decides whether or not to file criminal charges and that case concludes. A spokeswoman for Mosby could not be reached Sunday.

Rawlings-Blake spokesman Kevin Harris said he does not know yet who will serve on the independent review board, which officials referred to as a "blue-ribbon" panel.

Officers involved have been placed on administrative leave as a matter of department policy.

In a statement posted to Twitter, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge No. 3, Baltimore's police union, asked for "no rush to judgment until the investigation is complete and all the facts are known."

"We thank Mayor Rawlings-Blake and Commissioner Batts for their leadership and welcome a thorough and complete investigation into the death of Mr. Gray, as we also agree that all lives matter," the union said.

Gray's family has declined to meet with police so far, Batts said. Police intend to try again this week.

"I extend my deepest sympathies to his family. I have no words to offer that will ease the pain that has resulted," Batts said.

"All lives matter," he added, in a nod to the "Black Lives Matter" mantra shouted at protests across the country in response to recent police brutality incidents.

The Wire is a show that was based off the works of the Baltimore Metropolitan Police.

Each season of The Wire introduces a different institution in the city of Baltimore. In chronological order they are: the illegal drug trade, the seaport system, the city government and bureaucracy, the school system, and the print news media, while continuing on characters/plots from previous seasons. The large cast consists mainly of character actors who are little known for their other roles, as well as numerous guest and recurring appearances by real-life Baltimore and Maryland figures. Simon has said that despite its presentation as a crime drama, the show is "really about the American city, and about how we live together. It's about how institutions have an effect on individuals. Whether one is a cop, a longshoreman, a drug dealer, a politician, a judge or a lawyer, all are ultimately compromised and must contend with whatever institution to which they are committed."

Despite receiving only average ratings and never winning major television awards, The Wire has been described by many critics as one of the greatest TV dramas of all time.

The show is recognized for its realistic portrayal of urban life, its literary thematics, and its uncommonly deep exploration of social and political themes.