This week, more large demonstrations are planned in Baltimore, as protestors seek answers for how Freddie Gray died. Gray, who was black, was arrested by officers because they say he “fled unprovoked upon noticing police presence.” While in their custody, he suffered a crushed voice box and a severed spine, and died days later. A video taken shortly after the arrest appears to show officers dragging a screaming Gray while his lower body is limp. Despite this, police reported that he was arrested “without force or incident,” and have not said how the injuries were sustained.
This week, the city’s Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 issued a statement saying, “The images seen on television look and sound much like a lynch mob in that they are calling for the immediate imprisonment of these officers without them ever receiving the due process that is the constitutional right of every citizen.” The statements drew widespread criticism for comparing the largely African-American protests, which seek answers from police, to “lynch mobs.” Gray’s family attorney told CNN, “Police officers are never the subject of a lynch mob. It’s actually usually the other way around.” The Justice Department has opened an investigation to determine if Gray is the victim of a civil rights violation by police. The six officers involved in the arrest have been suspended with pay while Gray’s death is investigated …
