FollowFreddie Gray’s death was definitely not left unnoticed – Baltimore is still recovering from the violent riots and people could not express their anger and thirst for revenge more openly. The day has arrived for justice to be done, as Baltimore State Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby gave the news about filing charges against the six police officers who failed to give Freddie the medical attention needed after one of them had caused injuries to his spine and larynx during the arrest.
All six officers were arrested, causing great joy to those who were waiting impatiently to see what the outcomes of the case would be. They were released on bail on Friday night. One of the officers was charged with second degree murder. State Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby spoke harshly about the way in which black people are treated, even in today’s society and in spite of the human and civil rights anyone should have, which should prevent such abuse from happening to anyone living in the 21st century: “It’s been 78 days since Michael Brown was shot in the street by a police officer,” she said in October at 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.”
Thus, she decided that justice should not just be a mere spectator in the case of Freddie Gray’s death, that awoke such anger from the part of Baltimore citizens and left the city bleeding. She stated that action would be taken and that this should prompt a change regarding mistreatment based on race and color.
Her decision was not necessarily predictable and it shocked both those who received it with open arms and who classified this as a courageous act, and those who thought it was too hasty and who criticized her for trying to be the hero without taking into account the consequences. The former accused her of attempting of making such choices out of political reasons only, without thinking about all the aspects: “Think about how long it took in Ferguson to go through each and every piece,” a former homicide prosecutor in Baltimore, Ivan Bates, stated, talking about Michael Brown’s fatal shooting by another police officer, Darren Wilson, who was not charged. “It’s easy to charge. It’s hard to convict,” he added.
The reasons that led Baltimore State Attorney to take such drastic decisions might stem from a variety of situations. Among them, her own past experience with injustice against black people is not a thing to be neglected at all. When she was just a teenager, her cousin was shot to death in front of her house because he was confused with a drug dealer. She said that she had learned from her husband’s and her own experience what it was like to be harassed by police throughout the years and that this gave her a good sense of perspective. Moreover, dismissing political misconduct is on her own political agenda, so her point of view does not come as a surprise to anyone. Among the people who supported her during the elections there was a woman, Tawanda Jones, whose brother was killed during an encounter with the police.
Many officials applauded her decision and believe she set an example of a person of high moral values, who is determined to bring anyone guilty of such abuse to justice.
Freddie Gray was a 25-year-old African American man who died in police custody after a brutal arrest injured him severely. His medical exams revealed that his death was a homicide. His arrest was also reported to be illegal because the weapon he was carrying – a pocket knife, was legal, given its size. Had he survived the incident, he would have had all the rights to file charges against the six officers who were involved in his arrest. One of them was charged with first degree murder, while the others faced a variety of other charges.
Image Source: Washtimes
