Glad that these rotten cops are being charged with Freddie Greys death.

[Roberta75]

BALTIMORE [[AP) -- A Baltimore judge on Wednesday refused to dismiss charges against six police officers in connection with the death of a black man who had been seriously injured while in custody. The judge also refused to remove the prosecutor in the case that sparked riots in Baltimore last spring.
During a pretrial hearing, Circuit Court Judge Barry Williams denied a defense motion for the charges to be dropped against the officers in the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray, who endured a severe spinal cord injury while in police custody on April 12 and died a week later. Gray's death sparked protests, rioting and unrest that lasted for days.
Defense attorneys had sought to drop the charges - which range from second-degree assault to second-degree murder - because of prosecutorial misconduct on the part of State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby. Williams, however, said that while Mosby's public comments regarding initial statements made by the officers to investigators were "troubling," they are not likely to prejudice a jury.

Click through to see photos of the officers and reaction in Baltimore:

PHOTO GALLERY | 1 of 33 IMAGES

This photo provided by the Baltimore Police Department on Friday, May 1, 2015 shows, top row from left, Caesar R. Goodson Jr., Garrett E. Miller and Edward M. Nero, and bottom row from left, William G. Porter, Brian W. Rice and Alicia D. White, the six police officers charged with felonies ranging from assault to murder in the death of Freddie Gray. [[Baltimore Police Department via AP)



Andrew Graham, an attorney representing Officer Caesar Goodson, had unsuccessfully argued that Mosby's comments after filing charges against the officers were "reckless and unprofessional," and violated the rules of conduct. He likened Mosby's comments on the case to a "pep rally calling for payback."
Williams also ruled against another defense motion, one that sought to have Mosby removed from the case due to what the defense contended were conflicts of interest.
He called the assertion that Mosby's judgment was impacted by the fact that her husband Nick Mosby is a councilman in a district that experienced a disproportionate amount of violence "troubling and condescending."
"Being married to a councilman is not a reason for recusal," he said.
Williams added that allegations of prosecutorial misconduct must be addressed by the Attorney Grievance Commission.
Williams will hear arguments about whether the officers should be tried together or separately when court resumes later Wednesday.
Officers Edward Nero, Garrett Miller, William Porter and Goodson, as well as Lt. Brian Rice and Sgt. Alicia White, face charges in Gray's death. They did not attend the hearing.
All the officers face second-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office charges. Rice, Porter and White also face manslaughter charges, and Goodson faces an additional charge of second-degree murder.
Dozens of protesters made their way to the Inner Harbor before the pretrial hearing began. Dozens of officers responded and cleared protesters from the streets to keep traffic moving at the end of the morning rush hour.
Police spokesman T.J. Smith said Wednesday afternoon that charges were being filed against a person who was arrested for blocking a road and ignoring warnings to get back on the sidewalk.
The man arrested was identified by witnesses as Kwame Rose, a well-known local activist.
Rose said he was hit by a car and needed medical attention, though some witnesses said he was not struck. Police eventually took Rose away in an ambulance.
Separately, interim Baltimore Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said a police officer was kicked in the face by a protester during an incident at Inner Harbor.
Davis told WBAL Radio Wednesday that the protester "kicked a police officer in the face, and that's unacceptable."

[RobertZ]

Yes, indeed. Ms. Roberta. Separate trials as well. And Ms. Mosley stood up for what was right.

[Jerry Oz]

They're worried about juries being prejudiced. I've heard prosecutors and police spokesmen tell the media unequivocally that suspects were guilty when their arrests and indictments are announced. "We caught the man who did this horrible crime and he won't be free to do it ever again." As if he was already tried. But they're concerned that their guys are going to be presumed guilty the same way that they sway potential juries with their own rhetoric.

[marv2]

They're worried about juries being prejudiced. I've heard prosecutors and police spokesmen tell the media unequivocally that suspects were guilty when their arrests and indictments are announced. "We caught the man who did this horrible crime and he won't be free to do it ever again." As if he was already tried. But they're concerned that their guys are going to be presumed guilty the same way that they sway potential juries with their own rhetoric.

Jerry, do you now how ironic all this shit is? 60 years ago [[August 28, 1955) this past week. Emmitt Till was murdered in a most gruesome way by a couple of angry white men who would later walk free and laugh about what they did to that little nigger! I am not the age of those kids that went to the streets to protest and stand up for Freddy Gray......
I am your age. I just old enough to remember the horrors Black Americans faced in the last century and young enough to be red hot mad over this latest wave of atrocities in the new century!

[marv2]

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/31/op...s-killing.html

[marv2]

I hope they do the right thing and find each and everyone of those cops guilty of murder. I would be most pleased if they would finally arrest Daniel Pantaleo!!!

[Jerry Oz]

There's still strange fruit in those trees, Marv. Thanks to the Donald Trumps, Jeb Bushes, Ted Cruzes, and Rand Pauls of the world, that orchard is growing into a rain forest. I was born after Emmitt Till's death but my mother told me about it when I was about his age. It has haunted me ever since, just like the deaths of the four little girls at church in Birmingham. How sad that we took two steps forward after the deaths of Dr. King and Brother Minister Shabazz but have taken three big leaps back thanks to their hatred for President Obama.

[marv2]

There's still strange fruit in those trees, Marv. Thanks to the Donald Trumps, Jeb Bushes, Ted Cruzes, and Rand Pauls of the world, that orchard is growing into a rain forest. I was born after Emmitt Till's death but my mother told me about it when I was about his age. It has haunted me ever since, just like the deaths of the four little girls at church in Birmingham. How sad that we took two steps forward after the deaths of Dr. King and Brother Minister Shabazz but have taken three big leaps back thanks to their hatred for President Obama.

I also was born after the Emmitt Till Murder, but I learned of it by the time I was 5-6 years old. My mother was in Chicago when they brought the body there for viewing. So many she knew went to the wake, she could not hold up to go herself. I saw the pictures in an old Jet Magazine we had in the house. I had nightmares a few times about it. The strange fruit is falling every day somewhere in America and the those shaking the tree are much closer to you than these well known politicians!

[Jerry Oz]

You are right! If you ask, you will learn that many of the worst cops toward Black people are Black. They're predators on a power trip and their blueness is more dear to them than their blackness. Police officers should reside in the communities they patrol and part of their job should be to get out of their cars and to meet the people who live in their beat.