Oh joy…
Via Boston Globe:
BALTIMORE — A massive march planned for Saturday to protest the death of a man in police custody is now being billed as a ‘‘victory rally’’ after Baltimore’s top prosecutor filed criminal charges against the six officers involved in the man’s arrest.
The thousands of marchers who are expected to hit the streets this weekend will now do so to celebrate the decision by State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby to charge the officers with felonies ranging from assault to murder, and encourage continued peaceful demonstrations.
Freddie Gray’s death from spinal injuries a week after his April 12 arrest provoked riots on the streets of West Baltimore on Monday and quickly became a rallying cry against police brutality and social inequality in the city. Mosby’s announcement on Friday triggered celebrations on those same streets.
Mosby said that after reviewing the results of a police investigation turned over to her just one day before, she had concluded Gray’s arrest was illegal and unjustified. She said his neck was broken because he was handcuffed, shackled and placed head-first into a police van, where his pleas for medical attention were repeatedly ignored as he bounced around inside a small metal compartment in the vehicle.
The family lawyer, Billy Murphy, said the charges are ‘‘a first step but not the last,’’ adding that Baltimore now has an opportunity to set an example for cities across the nation grappling with police brutality.
‘‘The overwhelming number of people who have protested over the days didn’t know Freddie personally, but the people of Philadelphia, New York, Cincinnati, and in numerous cities and towns are expressing their outrage that there are too many Freddie Grays,’’ Murphy said. ‘‘If Freddie Gray is not to die in vain, we must seize this opportunity to reform police departments throughout this country, so there are no more days and times like this.’’