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Cops in Freddie Gray's death: Could politics tangle prosecutor's case? (+video)
Christian Science Monitor ^ | 5-2-2015 | Patrik Jonsson

Posted on 05/03/2015 7:31:46 AM PDT by Citizen Zed

State prosecutor Marilyn Mosby bears a heavy burden in prosecuting six Baltimore police officers for the death of Freddie Gray. The activist sweep of her announcement could complicate the task.

A questionable arrest, a moment of lost humanity, and actions of a "depraved heart" – those ideas are at the center of the legal case against six Baltimore police officers whose actions on April 12, the state alleges, led to the “homicide” of Freddie Gray, whose death roiled Baltimore and intensified anti-police brutality protests nationwide.

“To the youth of this city, I will seek justice on your behalf," Baltimore state prosecutor Marilyn Mosby said as she announced a litany of serious criminal charges just days after parts of Baltimore flared in riots. "This is a moment. This is your moment."

Ms. Mosby’s strong stand bucks a recent trend where prosecutors and grand juries have largely slow-walked investigations and declined to prosecute officers involved in highly controversial shootings where unarmed black men die. The rhetoric also raises questions about her impartiality, as the police union has already asked her to step aside due to "conflicts of interest."

But if critics see Mosby’s actions as responding to the will of the mob, many legal commentators instead see a professional adjudicator doing what’s exceedingly difficult to do in America: Holding police officers to the same legal standards as citizens.

“It’s at least uncomfortable to have the state attorney bring charges against members of the police department in her jurisdiction, mainly because the state attorney can’t do their job unless the police do their job, and they have to work together,” says David Gray, a law professor at the University of Maryland. “But when you talk about political pressure – that cuts both ways.”

(Excerpt) Read more at m.csmonitor.com ...


TOPICS: Chit/Chat
KEYWORDS: baltimore; blackkk; elijahcummings; maryland
Video shows 3 black cops and 3 white cops charged. Interesting.
1 posted on 05/03/2015 7:31:46 AM PDT by Citizen Zed
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To: Citizen Zed

Has she Nifonged herself? We shall see.


2 posted on 05/03/2015 7:36:44 AM PDT by bigbob (The best way to get a bad law repealed is to enforce it strictly. Abraham Lincoln)
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To: Citizen Zed

Actually, they have only been arrested. She filed a probable cause affidavit with the court. They still have to be indicted by a grand jury.

I wonder how many celebrating the arrests know this.


3 posted on 05/03/2015 7:38:00 AM PDT by joshua c (Please dont feed the liberals)
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To: Citizen Zed

The only guy of the six that might deserve some type of punishment is the driver of the truck (he’s a minority guy). Once some judge determines that they can’t have the case in Baltimore....it’ll flip the whole thing over. Moving out past Rockville means totally different minority jury players (heavy Latino presence and potentially half the folks being white). If you ask me...this is a loser of a case for any prosecution team to handle....especially if all six want separate trials and possibly different locations in the state.


4 posted on 05/03/2015 7:39:32 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: Citizen Zed

Politics get in the way? Gee.

I don’t get the impression that what’s going on in Baltimore is political at all.


5 posted on 05/03/2015 7:42:13 AM PDT by stanne
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To: pepsionice

Most likely the case will go to a court house in the state’s capital.


6 posted on 05/03/2015 7:46:17 AM PDT by Biggirl ("One Lord, one faith, one baptism" - Ephesians 4:5)
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To: Citizen Zed
More like: Could truth and facts tangle prosecutor's care?
7 posted on 05/03/2015 7:59:42 AM PDT by Senator_Blutarski
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To: Biggirl

I’ll bet none of the cases occur within the city limits of Baltimore. And the further west you get...the more likely that Latino jury members will sit on the jury, with a possible different outcome on each individual case.


8 posted on 05/03/2015 8:00:34 AM PDT by pepsionice
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To: Citizen Zed

Expect lots more riots when the whole case falls apart...


9 posted on 05/03/2015 8:02:39 AM PDT by 2banana (My common ground with terrorists - they want to die for islam and we want to kill them)
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To: Citizen Zed

“To the youth of this city, I will seek justice on your behalf,”

The state is not supposed to take sides in a criminal trial. It’s supposed to seek justice for all, including the accused.

I find it odd that autopsy results haven’t been released. Surely that’s the most critical evidence that we’re going to see.


10 posted on 05/03/2015 8:08:01 AM PDT by Sherman Logan
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To: Citizen Zed

I watched some of Mosby’s Speech and she was having a very hard time controlling the head swaying ,finger waving inner Geraldine


11 posted on 05/03/2015 8:12:10 AM PDT by molson209 (Blank)
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To: bigbob

Mosby as Humungus in Mad Max Beyond the Thunderdome.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2gVXd7FzhQ


12 posted on 05/03/2015 9:57:38 AM PDT by GilGil
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To: bigbob

The only hope here is for a change of venue, preferably to another state. Mosby and R-B already have carpenters building the gallows for the execution, to be followed by a fair trial.


13 posted on 05/03/2015 12:14:42 PM PDT by DPMD
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