The wait continues for justice for Freddie Gray. A mistrial was declared Wednesday in the case of Officer William G. Porter as jurors deliberated three days only to continue to be deadlocked:
At trial, prosecutors accused Porter not of brutality but indifference, saying he “callously” failed to take simple steps required by Police Department rules — securing Gray with a seat belt and getting him medical attention when he asked — that could have saved his life.
During closing arguments, Deputy Chief State’s Attorney Janice Bledsoe held up a seat belt and clicked it for jurors.
“That’s all it would have taken,” she said.
Porter is the first of six officers to be tried for Gray’s death while in police custody.
Team Blackness also discussed W. Kamau Bell’s call for white people to come and get your boy Trump, Rutgers University cancels a black feminism class, and a look at little diversity there is in tech.
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catclub
The defense got a win when they had the trials of the officers separated. If they are all tried together, and Freddie Gray is dead, then somebody is likely to be held accountable.
But with all the cases separated, each jury can decide their defendant did not do quite enough to merit
a guilty verdict.
Mnemosyne
Honestly, this is probably the link in the entire horrific chain that frustrates me most — juries seem to be incapable of holding police officers to ANY level of accountability. Police officers literally can do no wrong, ever, in any way.
Has anyone here ever met a completely perfect person who has never made a single mistake, no matter how small? Yeah, me neither, but I guess I haven’t met enough cops.
PurpleGirl
Seventeen years ago, 4 NYC police officers shot and killed Amadou Diallo. They fired 41 bullets, 19 bullets hit him. Their trial was moved to Albany from the Bronx. I bring this up because today, the only officer still with the NYPD was promoted to sargeant. I heard the story on a newscast in a cab (riding home this afternoon). The “reporter” only mentioned the 19 bullets; didn’t say the 19 bullets hit Diallo and didn’t mention the total of 41 shots. Just putting this out there.
Jack Mehoff
Meanwhile in the real world, cops wasting drug dealers is considered to be justice. Good riddance.
Nethead Jay
@PurpleGirl: Bruce Springsteen wrote a song about that case, called American Skin (41 shots). I’ve heard it several times live and it is at the same time beautiful and truly chilling, IMO one of his best. And as a bonus it sent the NY police union into enough of a rage that they sent out a very stupid statement. Here it is on Youtube: American Skin (41 Shots)