Tag Archives: Baltimore

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‘Despicable’ Baltimore Corruption Scandal To End In Sentencing Of 16 Cops, Civilians

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(DCF) Federal investigators obtained the final two convictions related to an expansive corruption scandal inside the Baltimore Police Department Monday night, bringing the total to 16 convicted officers and civilians.

Six members of the city’s elite Gun Trace Task Force (GTTF) pleaded guilty to stealing from civilians and selling confiscated guns and drugs back onto the streets. They in turn testified against the remaining two members who claimed innocence. A five-man drug crew, a bail bondsman, and two other civilians have also been convicted, The Baltimore Sun reported. The corrupt officers have yet to be sentenced, but their actions have tainted as many as 850 cases and could result in overturned convictions.

“We recognize that this indictment and subsequent trial uncovered some of the most egregious and despicable acts ever perpetrated in law enforcement,” Acting-Commissioner Darryl De Sousa said Monday. “Let me make it clear: I have ZERO TOLERANCE for corruption.”

Former-Detective Maurice Ward, a GTTF member, testified in January that the group would routinely carry BB guns in their vehicles just in case they needed to plant one on a crime scene. Ward testified to other shocking acts of corruption by the GTTF as well.

City violence has skyrocketed amid the police scandals, with Baltimore suffering 343 murders in 2017, a record rate with the city’s shrinking population. Mayor Catherine Pugh cited the surge in violence when she fired former-Commissioner Kevin Davis and replaced him with De Sousa.

“Crime is now spilling out all over the city, and we’ve got to focus. I am charging De Sousa and his staff to get on top of it to reduce the numbers and to reduce them quickly,” Pugh, a Democrat, said at a news conference. “The fact is, we are not achieving the pace of progress that our residents have every right to expect in the weeks since we ended what was nearly a record year for homicides in the city of Baltimore.”

The eight officers face maximum sentences from 20 to 40 years in prison, while the five-man drug crew could be facing life in prison. The remaining civilians do not yet have scheduled sentences.

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This article was re-published with permission from the Daily Caller Foundation.

Police Accountability, Police State

Baltimore Ex-Cop Tweets Claims of Eye-Witnessed Police Misconduct

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On Wednesday, US Marine Corps veteran and former Baltimore police sergeant Michael A. Wood Jr. let loose on his Twitter account, detailing in a series of tweets examples of police corruption that he claims to have witnessed on the job during his 10-plus year career at the embattled Baltimore Police Department. Examples of some of the tweets can be seen below.

https://twitter.com/MichaelAWoodJr/status/613723501116190720

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According to New York Daily News, a Baltimore Police Department spokesman said that police are investigating Michael A. Wood Jr.’s allegations and background and pointed out the fact that Wood stopped short of providing names and other details outlining which officers participated in the misconduct incidents that he claims to have witnessed.

Wood told New York Daily News, “I have no desire to verify the allegations. If anyone wants to look into them, fine. But I’m not looking for retribution. My purpose is to admit these things and help make policies and training materials to prevent them in the future.” Wood says he plans to continue tweeting around 10 examples of police misconduct per day for the time being and added that it would be difficult for him to provide specific names and dates for all of his allegations due to the fact that the incidents happened on a daily basis.

Wood’s tweets continued on Thursday, and he promised to deliver another round of tweets on Friday aimed at exposing corruption at the command and administrative levels of the Baltimore Police Department.

https://twitter.com/MichaelAWoodJr/status/614078422449528832

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Wood explained, “It wasn’t until I got out of the police department and saw things from a different perspective and got educated that I realized the things that happened were so wrong.”

New York Daily News notes that former Baltimore police detective Joseph Crystal said, “Sgt Wood was probably one of the most intelligent guys I ever met in the department.” He continued, “I don’t know why he’s coming forward now, but I’m happy if it will bring him peace. I wish everyone spoke up when these things happened. If we speak up when we see abuse, we have a chance to fix it. But I understand why officers are reluctant.”

Joseph Crystal, who trained under Wood in 2009, resigned from the Baltimore Police Department in August of 2014 in response to intimidation from co-workers which he reportedly received after he “testified against [fellow officers] Sgt. Marinos Gialamas and Officer Anthony Williams, who have since been convicted for their involvement in beating a drug suspect and covering up the incident,” according to Truth in Media‘s Annabelle Bamforth.

In April of this year, civil unrest engulfed Baltimore after tensions between police and residents hit a boiling point following the officer-involved death of Freddie Gray in police custody.

Police Accountability, Police State

Freddie Gray Autopsy: Homicide By ‘High-Energy’ Impact

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Baltimore – The autopsy of Freddie Gray, the 25-year-old black man who died while in police custody in April, reveals that he suffered a “high-energy injury” to his neck and spine.

The Baltimore Sun obtained a copy of the autopsy results, and reported that the state medical examiner concluded Gray’s death was a homicide, rather than an accident, “because officers failed to follow safety procedures through acts of omission.”

Gray was arrested on April 12 in Baltimore after he made eye contact with a police officer, and then stared running in the opposite direction. He received the “high-energy injury” that left his spine 80 percent detached from his neck and put him in a coma during his time in police custody. After not receiving proper medical attention, Gray died on April 19.

The medical examiner compared Gray’s injury to a person diving headfirst into shallow water and noted that while Gray was loaded into the van on his stomach, and his wrists and ankles were shackled, he was not belted in, which put him “at risk for an unsupported fall during acceleration or deceleration of the van.”

The report concludes that Gray’s death was “not an unforeseen event,” and that when a “vulnerable individual was injured during operation of the vehicle,” the injury would likely be fatal “without prompt medical attention.”

The circumstances that led up to Gray’s death resulted in protests across the country, and six Baltimore officers faced criminal charges. State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced that Gray’s death had been ruled a homicide on May 1.

The “Baltimore Six” is comprised of Officer William G. Porter, Lieutenant Brian W. Rice, Officer Edward M. Nero, Officer Garrett E. Miller, Sergeant Alicia D. White and Officer Caesar R. Goodson, Jr.

Goodson, the officer who was driving the van Gray was transported in, faces the most severe charges, including misconduct in office, manslaughter by vehicle (criminal negligence), manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence), involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault and second-degree depraved-heart murder.

On May 21, Mosby announced that all six of the officers have been indicted by a grand jury in Baltimore. The officers responded by pleading “not guilty” to the charges, and a trial will be held in October. The Baltimore Sun noted that the case will be presided by Judge Barry G. Williams, “a former city prosecutor and civil rights litigator with a no-nonsense reputation.”

Civil Liberties, Election, Government Accountability, Government Corruption, Police Accountability, Police State, Politics, US

Rand Paul Uses Kalief Browder As An Example Of The Need For Criminal Justice Reform

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During a fundraiser in Baltimore County on Tuesday, GOP Presidential candidate and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul addressed current issues with criminal justice in the United States, and urged Maryland Republicans to think about why many African Americans mistrust the justice system.

Paul brought up the story of Kalief Browder, an African American who recently committed suicide, after spending three years in a jail at Riker’s Island, without trial. Browder was arrested in 2010, when he was 16, for allegedly stealing a backpack, and because he wasn’t able to make bail, he stayed at Riker’s until his case was dismissed.

“I’ve been telling this story for about a year and a half, two years now,” Paul said. “It makes me sad. I thought about not telling the story again. But I think this young man’s memory should help us to try to change things. He died this weekend. He committed suicide. His name was Kalief Browder. He was a 16-year-old teenager from the Bronx. He was arrested, accused of a crime, and sent to Rikers.”

The New York Times noted that during his time at Rikers, Browder suffered psychological trauma from spending nearly two of the three years in solitary confinement, and physical trauma as a result of several beatings, including one incident when Browder was “brutally assaulted by a guard.”

As Truth In Media previously reported, the Department of Justice released a report in Aug. 2014, which concluded that corrections officers at Riker’s Island “regularly violated the constitutional rights of teenage prisoners by consistently and swiftly resorting to violence in their handlings with them.”

“Are we going to let you be raped and murdered and pillaged before you’ve been convicted?” Paul asked. “He wasn’t even convicted! So when I see people angry and upset, I’m not here to excuse violence in the cities, but when I see people angry, I see where some of the anger is coming from.”

Paul said that although he can’t personally relate, looking at the odds young black men currently face in the US has helped him to understand the unrest and frustration felt by young men such as Browder.

“This young man, 16 years old,” Paul said. “Imagine how his classmates feel about American justice. Imagine how his parents feel. So the thing is until you walk in someone else’s shoes, I think we shouldn’t say that we can’t understand the anger of people.”

Paul also said that he holds the Democrats accountable for the current conditions, and he believes they have “utterly failed our inner cities, and utterly failed the poor.”

“A lot of these policies came from Bill Clinton,” Paul said. “In Ferguson, for every 100 black women, there are 60 black men. That’s because 40 are incarcerated. Am I saying they did nothing wrong and it’s all racism? No. What I am telling you is that white kids don’t get the same justice.”

For more news related to the 2016 Presidential election, click here.

Civil Liberties, Editor’s Pick, Featured, Government Accountability, Police Accountability, US

Breaking: “Baltimore Six” Indicted By Grand Jury In Freddie Gray Death

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Baltimore, MD- Each of the six officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray have been indicted by a grand jury in Baltimore.

State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby made the announcement on Thursday. The charges handed down to the “Baltimore Six” by the grand jury are similar to the charges filed by Mosby.

The officers are scheduled for arraignment on July 2nd.

Freddie Gray was arrested on April 12th after he made eye contact with officers and then ran away. Somehow during the process of being arrested, Gray’s spine became 80% detached from his neck. By the time he was taken to the hospital he had slipped into a coma. He died a week later.

Baltimore State’s Attorney Mosby has said Gray’s neck was broken because he was injured while being handcuffed, shackled and placed head-first into a police van. She says charges were brought against the officers in part because Gray’s pleas for medical attention were repeatedly ignored.

 

Featured, US

Watch: Two Baltimore City Jail Correctional Officers Caught On Video Looting A 7-11

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By Chuck Ross

Two correctional officers who work at the Baltimore City jail were suspended without pay Wednesday after video emerged showing them looting a 7-11 store during last month’s riots.

Tamika Cobb and Kendra Richard were charged with theft and two counts of burglary, according to a statement released by the Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS).

Investigators DPSCS and with the Intelligence and Investigative Division responded to a tip that the pair had joined in looting a closed 7-11 convenience store near downtown Baltimore on April 25. That was the first day of major unrest following the April 19 death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray.

Investigators viewed video from the store and identified Richard and Cobb leaving with merchandise. According to The Baltimore Sun, the video showed Richard and Cobb exiting the store with Slim Jims and Tostitos, respectively. Richard is seen wearing yellow sneakers while Cobb is wearing a dark jacket.

 

Caught Looting Baltimore
Kendra Richard and Tamika Cobb looting a Baltimore 7-11 (Youtube screengrab)

According to the statement, the women worked at a Division of Correction facility located in downtown Baltimore. They were placed on leave without pay since their charges include felonies.

“Our Intelligence and Investigative Division did an outstanding job, immediately following-up on this tip,” said Stephen Moyer, secretary of DPSCS. “We will not allow the vast majority of our employees who are honest and hardworking to be tainted by the actions of a few.”

This is not the first scandal to rock the Baltimore city jailhouse. In April 2013, a federal indictment was unsealed which revealed a massive conspiracy between correctional officers and inmates.

Twenty-four correctional officers have been convicted for various offenses related to their involvement with the notorious Black Guerilla Family gang. Many of the officers had sexual relations with the gang members and helped them smuggle drugs into the facility.

WATCH:

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Civil Liberties, Editor’s Pick, Featured, Government Accountability, Government Corruption, Police Accountability, Politics, US

Report: Thousands Of Suspects In Baltimore Arrests Required Medical Attention

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The mysterious death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who was denied medical attention and died from a severe spinal injury while in police custody, has led many to question how often suspects obtain injuries from their encounters with police officers, and how many of them receive proper medical care.

The Baltimore Sun reported that according to records obtained through a Maryland Public Information Act request, the Baltimore City Detention Center has “refused to admit nearly 2,600 detainees who were in police custody” between June 2012 and April 2015, with intake officers citing injuries such as “fractured bones, facial trauma and hypertension.”

While the records obtained by the Sun redacted the names of the detainees, the report used the story of Salahudeen Abdul-Aziz as an example of what many suspects endure. Abdul-Aziz was denied entry to Baltimore’s detention center after he was brought in by police with a broken nose, a fractured face and other injuries. He went to court, on the claim that he had been beaten by police and then arrested, and he was awarded $170,000 by a jury in 2011.

In Gray’s case, he was arrested on April 12, after he made eye contact with Baltimore Police Lieutenant Brian Rice, and then took off running. Rice, who had been suspended from the Baltimore Police Department and had his guns confiscated twice for mental health issues and for reported stalking, harassment and threats of violence, pursued Gray and arrested him, claiming that he was carrying an illegal knife.

Both a picture of the knife Gray was carrying, and an explanation behind the cause of the severe spinal injury that led to his death on April 19, have yet to be made public.

State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on May 1 that the knife Gray was carrying was legal, that Gray was arrested illegally, and his death was ultimately ruled a homicide. Six officers have been charged for Gray’s death and they were all released on bonds ranging from $250,000 to $350,000 the same day.

Gray, who was healthy prior to his arrest, is suspected to have severed his spine during the 45 minutes he spent in a police transport van, which made four stops on its way to the jail. According to Mosby, at least five of Gray’s requests for medical attention were not answered by officers.

The Baltimore Sun reported that after investigating over 100 lawsuits against Baltimore city police officers, where the city “paid more than $6 million in court judgments and settlements,” it found that “dozens of residents accused police of inflicting severe injuries during questionable arrests and disregarding appeals for medical attention.”

While some criminologists and law enforcement experts say that suspects often fake injuries to avoid being put in a jail cell, the Sun noted that they also say Gray’s death “shows that police lack adequate training to detect injuries.”

A. Dwight Pettit, an attorney who has sued many Baltimore officers over the last 40 years, told the Baltimore Sun the data proves that the officers don’t really care about their public.

“It goes to demonstrate the callous indifference the officers show when they are involved with the public,” said Pettit. “Why would they render medical care when they rendered many of the injuries on the people?”

On Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that she has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the city’s police force for the practices of excessive use of force and civil rights violations.

Civil Liberties, Government Accountability, Government Corruption, Police Accountability, Police State, Politics, US

Officer Who Pursued Freddie Gray Has History of Violence, Mental Health Issues

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Baltimore Police Lieutenant Brian Rice, the officer who initially pursued 25-year-old Freddie Gray after Gray “caught his eye” and then took off running, has been involved in previous incidents that resulted in his suspension and the confiscation of his guns, according to a recent report.

Gray, who was chased by Baltimore Police and then arrested for allegedly carrying an illegal knife on April 12, suffered a severe spinal injury and died in police custody on April 19.

State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on Friday that Gray was arrested illegally, and ruled his death a homicide. Six officers were charged, and then released on bonds ranging from $250,000 to $350,000 the same day.

Rice was one of the six officers charged in Gray’s death, and his charges include one count of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of second degree assault, two counts of misconduct while in office, and one count of false imprisonment.

The Baltimore Sun noted that Rice was hired by the Baltimore Police Department in 1997, was promoted to lieutenant in 2011, and reported an annual salary of about $88,000 in 2014.

In April 2012, Rice was “given an administrative suspension after being hospitalised for a mental health evaluation” when he threatened to shoot himself, and he was disciplined by the department when a temporary restraining order was filed against him by his ex-girlfriend’s husband, according to a report from The Guardian.

Andrew McAleer, the husband of Karyn McAleer, who is Rice’s ex-girlfriend and the mother of his young son, was granted a restraining order against Rice in Jan. 2013. To obtain the order, Andrew McAleer, who is a firefighter in Baltimore, filed a 10-page complaint citing a “pattern of intimidation and violence.”

The full document was first published by The Guardian, and in it, McAleer claims that he is filing an order against Rice for threats of violence, harassment, stalking, and trespassing.

[pull_quote_center]”Within the last 30 days, an event occurred initiated by Brian Rice that has caused me to have constant fear for my personal safety from Brian Rice,” wrote McAleer. “The January 19, 2013, incident and a pattern of harassment, stalking, trespassing, and serious threat of bodily harm by Brian Rice with a concealed Glock handgun that he is authorized to carry by Baltimore City Police Department are detailed in the plea for protection.”[/pull_quote_center]

McAleer described the incident on Jan. 19, 2013, as a final straw, after Rice’s patterns of harassment began in March 2012. He said that his wife, who is also a Baltimore police officer, was at work, and he was “conducting personal errands” while their children were home alone. McAleer said that when he returned home, he stepped out of his car and Rice’s Hyundai Sonata immediately pulled into the driveway.

According to McAleer’s complaint, the fact that Rice pulled up right after McAleer did, made McAleer fear that Rice was stalking him. McAleer said Rice got out of his car, started waving his arms and yelling something unintelligible, and then got back in his car and began to rev his engine, flash his headlights, and inch his car towards McAleer, before pulling out of the driveway.

The Guardian reported that Rice was suspended and his weapons, including his personal 9mm handgun, two rifles and two shotguns, were initially confiscated in April 2012, after an emergency call was made reporting that he had threatened to shoot himself, and that he was put on administrative suspension once again, with his guns confiscated, after McAleer was granted a week-long peace order.

Civil Liberties, Politics, US

Fox News’ Shepard Smith Apologizes for Erroneous Baltimore Shooting Report

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On Monday, fog-of-war reporting got the best of Fox News, as the cable TV news network erroneously reported that an African-American man had been shot on Monday while fleeing Baltimore police at the site of Freddie Gray’s arrest. In reality, the individual in question was not hurt and was arrested by police on gun charges after a handgun that he dropped discharged.

Baltimore Police Department Lieutenant Colonel Melvin Russell described the incident to CBS Baltimore as “a very short, brief foot pursuit. He pulled a handgun, or tries to pull it out. There’s a sound of a discharging, the sound of a weapon discharging. The police never discharged any weapons.” The man was reportedly arrested on gun charges and taken to the hospital in an ambulance out of an abundance of caution despite the fact that he was not injured when the gun discharged.

Inquisitr notes that Fox News‘ Mike Tobin originally said on-air that he witnessed a police officer shooting the man, “As he was running away, that officer drew his weapon and fired and struck the individual who was running away. It was a young, black male, and what we saw on the sidewalk, as the crime scene unfolded there, there was a revolver laying on the ground.” According to MSN, Tobin also said, “He ran right in front of us. I never saw the individual turn and do anything I would consider an aggressive act, but we did see the officer draw his weapon and I counted one gunshot.”

Reuters reported that around 100 people had gathered at the location in which the incident took place.

RT correspondent Manuel Rapalo also tweeted the erroneous report. But in Rapalo’s case he did not claim that on officer shot the suspect, only that someone was shot.  Rapalo tells Truth in Media, “Put yourself in my shoes, I see a guy running, hear a gun shot, the suspect’s hands are in the air and a police officer is standing behind him with his gun drawn.  That was when I took to Twitter. That was my mistake.”

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As soon as police confirmed that no one had been hurt, Fox News‘ Shepard Smith immediately apologized and corrected the report. Said Smith according to The Huffington Post, “Our duty as journalists is not to make mistakes. And when we make mistakes, we are duty-bound do correct them immediately and as clearly as possible. So I’m now in correction mode, and we apparently were wrong.”

The original, erroneous report can be seen in the below-embedded video player.

Civil Liberties, Featured, Government Accountability, Police Accountability, Police State, Politics, US

Baltimore Mayor Asks DOJ To Investigate City’s Police Force

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At a press conference on Wednesday, Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced that she has asked the Department of Justice to investigate the city’s police force for the practices of excessive use of force and civil rights violations.

Rawlings-Blake said that she sees this investigation as an “essential” part of the process to “reform serious patterns and practices of excessive force, biased policing, and other unconstitutional practices by law enforcement.”

[pull_quote_center]”Throughout my administration, we have taken a number of steps to change the culture and practices of the Baltimore Police Department,” Rawlings-Blake said. “Despite this progress, we all know that Baltimore continues to have a fractured relationship between the police and the community.”[/pull_quote_center]

This investigation will be in addition to the current investigation the FBI and DOJ are conducting, regarding civil rights violations in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died from a severe spinal injury, while in police custody.

Gray’s unexplained death on April 19 was followed by days of peaceful protests, before riots broke out on April 27 prompting Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan to declare a state of emergency, call in the National Guard, and enforce a 10 p.m. curfew.

The curfew was lifted on Sunday, following Baltimore State’s attorney Marilyn Mosby’s announcement on Friday that Gray’s death has been ruled a homicide, and that six officers will face charges.

Rawlings-Blake also said that officers in the Baltimore City Police Department will have body cameras by the end of the year.

“I believe we need the assistance of the Department of Justice and civil rights investigation to shore up that foundation that is weak in our city,” Rawlings-Blake said. “At the end of this process, I will hold those accountable, if change is not made.”

Rawlings-Blake’s announcement comes after a meeting with Attorney General Loretta Lynch, who visited the city of Baltimore on Tuesday.

The Associated Press noted that Lynch pledged to improve the city’s police department after meeting with Freddie Gray’s family.

“This is a flashpoint situation,” Lynch said. “We lost a young man’s life and it begins to represent so many things.“

Editor’s Pick, Featured, Police State, US

“This is NOT What Democracy Looks Like”- Sights and Sounds from Baltimore

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With our heavy coverage of Baltimore and the riots, protests, activists and policing, TruthinMedia.com along with the crews at RT America have been covering the unrest in Baltimore since the very beginning.

RT America photojournalists have complied these sights and sounds from protests in Baltimore and New York City which gives a clear look at to what protestors are demanding.

Civil Liberties, Featured, Government Accountability, Police Accountability, Police State, Politics, US

Baltimore Rioter Faces Higher Bail Than Cops Charged in Freddie Gray’s Death

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Allen Bullock, an 18-year-old who turned himself in to the Baltimore police after he smashed the window of a police car with a traffic cone during a riot that followed the death of Freddie Gray, now faces a higher bail than the six police officers who were charged in Gray’s death.

https://twitter.com/WesleyLowery/status/594253480346460160

The Guardian reported that Bullock was charged with “eight criminal counts, including rioting and malicious destruction of property,” after he turned himself in to the police, after being convinced by his parents that it was better to turn himself in, than to wait for the police to come find him.

“By turning himself in he also let me know he was growing as a man and he recognized what he did was wrong,” said Maurice Hawkins, Bullock’s step-father. “But they are making an example of him and it is not right.”

Bobbi Smallwood, Bullock’s mother, told The Guardian that she just wanted Bullock to do the right thing, and that while she does think he needs to be punished, she thinks the sum of half a million dollars is an excessive amount. “It is just so much money,” Smallwood said. “Who could afford to pay that?”

As previously reported, Baltimore State’s attorney Marilyn Mosby announced on Friday that Gray’s death has been ruled a homicide, and that six officers will face charges, including Officer William G. Porter, Lieutenant Brian W. Rice, Officer Edward M. Nero, Officer Garrett E. Miller, Sergeant Alicia D. White and Officer Caesar R. Goodson, Jr.

While Goodson faces the most severe charges, including misconduct in office, manslaughter by vehicle (criminal negligence), manslaughter by vehicle (gross negligence), involuntary manslaughter, second-degree assault and second-degree depraved-heart murder, his bail was set for $350,000, according to Vox. Goodson was the officer who drove the police van, and if convicted of second-degree murder, he could face up to 30 years in prison.

The Associated Press reported that all six officers charged in Gray’s death were released on Friday on bonds ranging from $250,000 to $350,000.

An Indiegogo campaign was started in honor of helping Bullock’s family raise the money to pay his bail. It describes Bullock’s actions by saying that he was “so angry at the lack of information that he broke the windows of a police cruiser,” and that after owning up to his actions, he turned himself into the local authorities. However, the page claims that the police “set at an astronomically high” bail at $500,000 as a way to “make an example” out of Bullock.

On Monday, the campaign for Bullock had raised $5,825 in 4 days, from 269 contributors, which is approximately one percent of the $500,000 goal. The campaign has 27 days left.

Activism, Civil Liberties, Education, Featured, Interviews, Police Accountability, Police State, Politics, US

Exclusive: Baltimore Teacher Discusses The Side Of The Protests MSM Ignored

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Meghann Harris, a teacher at the Baltimore Design School who teaches graphic design and architecture classes to middle and high school students, recently received a great deal of publicity for her Facebook statuses pertaining to the recent protests in Baltimore, Md., and the effect they were having on students.

In an exclusive interview with Truth in Media’s Rachel Blevins, Harris discussed the side of the story that the mainstream media has completely ignored, and she shared the ways her students have responded to the recent rioting and destruction, and turned it into an opportunity to restore their community.

Harris said the first protest she attended was on Saturday, in the western district of Baltimore. She said she was part of a group of people who started near the neighborhood Freddie Gray was from, and then continued down North Avenue, where they joined thousands of others, who marched with them down to City Hall.

[pull_quote_center]“The whole protest was really peaceful,” Harris said. “In fact, at the beginning of the protest, there were two people who got into a fight and the protesters stepped in and helped them to break it up immediately, on their own, without needing any intervention from police. It was amazing, and that was the only altercation we saw all day.”[/pull_quote_center]

While peaceful protests, such as the one Harris was a part of, were held for several days following the mysterious death of Freddie Gray on April 19, those protests garnered little attention from mainstream media. Harris said she saw very few cameramen marching with protesters, and that most stayed near City Hall, waiting for something to happen.

What did receive a great deal of attention were the riots that broke out after a flier circulated through local high schools promoting a planned “purge” of police near Baltimore’s Mondawmin Mall at 3 p.m. on Monday.

Harris took to her Facebook account to post a status about what she witnessed:

Meghann Harris Facebook

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The post has received nearly 2,000 shares, and was quoted by websites such as Upworthy and the Washington Post.

Harris tells Truth in Media that many students were trapped when their school buses were declared “out of service” and they were stranded in the area where the “purge” was scheduled to take place.

Harris said that she heard her students talking about the flier on Monday morning, and several of them voiced concerns about not being able to get home after school, because they lived in the area where the “purge” was supposed to occur.

After contacting their parents, Harris agreed to transport two of her students who were from the Mondawmin area. She said they left the school at about 2:55 p.m. and were in Mondawmin by 3:05 p.m.

“When we pulled up, we saw that all of the streets in the area had been blocked off, and it took us about 30 minutes just to turn the corner,” said Harris, who went on to explain that while they didn’t see a lot of students in the area rioting, as the flier had promised, they did see lines of police officers, fully armed in riot gear, marching in preparation.

[pull_quote_center]“We saw a line of what looked like 15 to 20 buses that had pulled up and said ‘not in service,’ and the passengers were being evacuated from the bus, into the area where the ‘purge’ was supposed to happen,” Harris said. “Once all of the buses were shut down, there was really no way for a lot of the people to get out of the area.”[/pull_quote_center]

In addition to overlooking the peaceful protests that were held in Baltimore before, during, and after the Monday night riots, the mainstream media has also overlooked the community’s efforts on Tuesday to cleanup and restore the city of Baltimore.

Harris tells Truth in Media that she has been overwhelmed by the willingness from both her fellow teachers and her students to jump in and clean up. She said that she received multiple messages from students on Monday night, asking what they could do to help on Tuesday.

As a result of the riots, Baltimore schools were shut down on Tuesday, and Harris said that several of the teachers from Baltimore Design School joined the school’s principal to pass out lunches to students in need. She said that she and another teacher joined with the organization Communities United to clean up businesses and residential areas.

[pull_quote_center]“There are a lot of really good things happening, and none of those things are getting media coverage,” Harris said. “The most awesome thing we saw on Tuesday was that there were so many people out cleaning and helping out that there actually wasn’t enough to clean – it got to the point where people began cleaning up litter in the neighborhood.”[/pull_quote_center]

Harris said that while a lot of negative media attention has been directed towards the youth of Baltimore, she has witnessed the opposite of what has made headlines. “I haven’t heard a single student say that they weren’t willing to jump in and help,” said Harris, who explained that on Tuesday, there were groups of students all along North Avenue helping in the cleanup efforts.

Harris tells Truth in Media that the national media coverage of Baltimore has also prompted many of her family and friends to reach out to her and to ask if she is safe. She attributed this to the fact that that most people don’t realize that the neighborhoods being affected by the riots are the poor black neighborhoods “the city has forgotten until now.”

While she is frustrated with the public’s perception of Baltimore, Harris said that she couldn’t blame people who don’t live in Baltimore for not understanding it. She explained that all the public is seeing are “crazy perspectives on video cameras that are waiting around all day.”

“On top of that, the media is not showing what is inciting some of these things,” Harris said. “If you go past a crowd of protesters at Canyon yards, and the sports fans are calling out the n-word to some of the protesters, or they’re calling the white protesters ‘n-word lovers,’ people are going to get upset. But nobody really wants to show any of those things. They just want to show the response. They’re trying to make it look like something that it’s not.”

Harris said that students in Baltimore have PTSD rates that are considered higher than some military service members. She attributed this to extreme poverty, living in areas of drugs and high crime, having parents that have to work multiple jobs to provide for their family, and living in a country with a welfare program that “encourages black mothers to be single, because they receive more government assistance than they would if they had a supportive father in the home.”

Harris tells Truth in Media that while the protesters are demanding justice for Freddie Gray, they are searching for an answer to the bigger problem that is plaguing both the city of Baltimore and the country as a whole.

“Freddie Gray is like the catalyst in the situation,” said Harris. She explained that while there are many Americans who are wondering “why all of the sudden are black people getting killed by cops,” this issue is nothing new for those living in poor black communities.

[pull_quote_center]“There are historic deep roots in this country that completely disenfranchise the black community and especially the black inner city youth,” Harris said. “Most of my students could tell me from day one, when I met them, that police brutality happens to black people in Baltimore city, and throughout the country.”[/pull_quote_center]

Activism, Civil Liberties, Police Accountability, US

NYC to Boston, Thousands Protest Across the Country in Solidarity with Baltimore

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Washington D.C.- Thousands of protesters took to the streets of New York City, Boston, Minneapolis, Washington D.C. and of course in Baltimore, Wednesday evening. Those coming out rallied in solidarity with the people of Baltimore and the family of Freddie Gray.

Ben Swann talks with Marina Portnaya live from the scene and gives updates on the arrests made by the NYPD as protestors stood in the streets in an act of civil disobedience.

One officer was injured during the demonstrations in New York City when a bottle struck him on the chin, the police said. In all, just over 100 people were arrested.

Some protesters stopped traffic on Houston Street in Lower Manhattan while others blocked the entrance to the Holland Tunnel. Another group marched uptown to Times Square and Hell’s Kitchen, where, later in the night, a police van filled with marchers who had been arrested sat idling in traffic.

On Thursday, some of the protest organizers criticized Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner William J. Bratton for what they called a heavy-handed response.

In Boston, hundreds marched through the streets chanting, “Being black is not a crime, same story every time,” and “every night and every day. Join the fight for Freddie Gray!” Students linked arms, and families peered curiously out of low income housing along Shawmut Avenue.

Government Accountability, Police Accountability, US

“You’re Making A Fool of Yourself!” Geraldo Battles Protesters Who Want Fox Out of Baltimore

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Baltimore, MD- Fox News’ Geraldo Rivera arrived in Baltimore just before the Tuesday night curfew went into effect, and shortly after he went live Geraldo was surrounded by protesters demanding that he leave.

Geraldo was attempting to interview Maryland state Sen. Catherine Pugh (D). He quickly found himself in the middle of a group of protesters who were angry about Fox News’ recent coverage.

“Stop it!” Rivera continued to yell at the protester. “You’re making a fool of yourself!”

“We don’t need your false coverage!” he said back.

Speaking to the senator, Rivera referred to the protesters as “vandals.” He went on to say that “…they look like they want trouble.”

Police State, Politics, US

Report: 2 People Shot After Demonstration Breaks Out In Ferguson

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KMOV.com

Ferguson, Mo. – According to reports, two people were shot late Tuesday night and early Wednesday morning during a demonstration that broke out in Ferguson, around the area where Michael Brown was shot and killed by then-police officer Darren Wilson on August 9, 2014.

KMOV, the CBS affiliate in St. Louis, reported that a man was shot in the leg Tuesday night, near the intersection of West Florissant Avenue and Canfield Drive. The man then ran to a nearby Chinese restaurant for help. According to reports, a second person was shot in the neck around 12:20 a.m. Wednesday on Canfield Drive, and was then taken to the hospital.

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that the man who was shot in the leg was among a group of about 50 protesters demonstrating on West Florissant near Canfield, and that while it was “unclear if the shooting was related to the protest,” police took a suspect into custody and recovered a gun.

KMOV reported that two suspects were arrested, and that in addition to other shots fired throughout the night, a Mobil on West Florissant was looted around 1:40 a.m. Wednesday, for the third time since August 2014, and five suspects connected to the looting were arrested.

The Post-Dispatch reported that protestors initially gathered on Tuesday night, chanting things such as “No justice, no peace” and “Hey, hey, ho, ho. These killer cops have got to go,” while police officers patrolling the scene told protesters they were “unlawfully assembled” and that arrests would be made and “chemical munitions” used against them, if they did not leave.

St. Louis Alderman Antonio French reported via his Twitter account that police were arriving in riot gear, and that demonstrators were throwing rocks at the SWAT vehicles as they arrived to the scene.

(The following video contains graphic language)

The Post-Dispatch reported that witnesses said they heard 15 gunshots around 11:50 p.m., and that although several of the protestors retreated after the gunfire, there was still a small crowd present around 1 a.m.

The demonstration in Ferguson comes at a time when protests are also breaking out in Baltimore, Md., following the unexplained death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who died on April 19 from a severe spinal injury, while in custody of the Baltimore police.

After days of peaceful protests, riots broke out on Monday, and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard.

The scene of demonstrators throwing rocks and other objects at police in Ferguson is reminiscent of the scene in Baltimore, where dozens of minors were seen throwing rocks at Baltimore SWAT officers on Monday, and at times, the officers were seen picking up the rocks and throwing them back.

 

Activism, Featured, Police Accountability, Police State, US, Videos

The Powerful Baltimore Protest on Monday That Media Ignored

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Baltimore, MD- It is the scene that most media is ignoring. While the wall-to-wall focus of national media on Baltimore is on the rioting and violent imagery, most media ignored the growing crowds calling for an end to the violence and demanding that young people stop burning buildings and looting stores. Over 100 clergy marched through the streets of Baltimore last night in an effort to end the violence, and they did it without riot shields and military vehicles.

As over 5,000 law enforcement officials are converging on Baltimore as well as another 5,000 National Guard troops, the nation continues to watch the city that exploded with violent riots on Monday. Images of a CVS looted and burning, buildings set ablaze, juveniles in the streets who have thrown rocks at police. These are the images that most of the nation will associate with Baltimore, and yet most media has all but ignored more than a week of peaceful protests demanding answers into the death of Freddie Gray.

The question that must be answered: how did Freddie Gray’s spinal cord become severed while in police custody? I had the chance to interview the attorney for the Gray family as the riots in Baltimore took place. Jason Downs points out the family of Gray has specifically called for no violence in the wake of Freddie’s death, and also points out that while media will turn their head to watch the violence, the Gray family continues to wait for answers.

Police Accountability, Police State, Politics, US, Videos

VIDEO: Baltimore Police Throw Rocks Back at Protesters after Being Bombarded With Rocks and Bricks

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Baltimore, MD- More than 1,000 police officers have been called into Baltimore to help contain the growing violent protests over the death of Freddie Gray. The Governor of Maryland has also activated the National Guard after protests today turned into a riot.

As of Monday evening at least 8 officers have been injured after a group of youth protesters began throwing bottles, rocks, bricks and other debris at police. The officers, most of whom were wearing riot gear including helmets and holding shields began closing off intersections around 3:00 pm.

In the video above you can see dozens of young people throwing rocks at police and at times, Baltimore SWAT Officers throwing rocks and bricks back at those youth.

The “purge” as it was called on a flyer was called for on Saturday. On the flyer, which was distributed to high school students called for the “purge” to begin around 3:00 pm EDT at a Baltimore mall and included a picture of protesters smashing the windshield of a police cruiser.

Armored vehicles were brought in to also help contain Monday’s rioting which included the burning of two police cruisers and the looting over several stores including a CVS.

 

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