May 5, 2015
Baltimore, America Now Awaiting Justice
By Hazel Trice Edney
Now that six police officers have been arrested in the death of Freddie Gray. The community must wait for the course of justice to see whether they will be convicted and punished. PHOTO: Roxanne Fulton/Trice Edney News Wire
(TriceEdneyWire.com) - As the smoke clears in the city of Baltimore leaving more than 200 burned out or destroyed businesses, a mourning family, and a still skeptical community struggling to maintain new hope for justice, President Barack Obama has weighed in vowing, “We can't leave entire sectors of our economy or entire communities behind.”
Speaking to a private Democratic National Committee gathering in New York City, President Obama indicated that – though he hasn’t visited Baltimore since the destructive uprising in response to the death of Freddie Gray at the hands of police - the city and cities like it are on his mind.
“What’s been brought to, once again, America’s attention over the last several months is that there are still folks left behind from recovery. There are communities that are still locked out of opportunity,” Obama said. “And part of our task over the next two years, next five years, 10, 20 years is making sure that the basic ideal upon which this country was founded is realized; that there’s not a child in America who, if they’re willing to work hard, can't make it.”
He concluded, “And whether we see the news in Ferguson, or New York, or Baltimore, what we know is that's still not the case.”
The story of Freddie Gray, yet another Black male dead at the hands of police, is now known around the country. Millions await to see whether justice will prevail as six police officers have now been charged in his death due to injuries sustained while in police custody.
State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby, at 35, now has the eyes of the nation. She has charged the six officers with events leading to Gray’s death. All six police officers have been arrested and now await justice. Mosby contends:
- The officers had no probable cause to arrest Gray in the first place.
- The endangered him by placing him in the police wagon unsecured; yet shackled by his hands and feet face down.
- They denied him medical assistance although he was obviously in pain and requesting help.
Upon the May 1 announcement of the charges, the streets, which only a few days earlier were crowded with angry looters and protesters turned into streets packed with celebrants marching by the thousands with hope to see justice prevail. It’s been a long haul. The U. S. Department of Justice, led by new Attorney General Loretta Lynch, is also considering whether to file civil rights charges against the police department. She was scheduled to visit Baltimore on Tuesday to continue that discovery process.
“We’ve got to reevaluate how there’s been a shield around police officers, but no protection for citizens,” Baltimore Pastor Jamal Bryant said in an interview. By this time next year, Bryant says, “It is my hope that there will not be one presidential candidate where we don’t talk about the Black prison pipeline, a year from now we will have raised a new generation of young politicians who are not just protestors but shaping the policies.”
President Obama, in New York, went on to announce enhancements for “My Brothers Keeper”, his signature program to address socio-economic issues pertaining to Black and Latino males.
“The private sector and corporate community came together, initially have raised $80 million, and are going to keep on going, for us to provide mentorship programs and apprenticeship programs, and to work with cities and communities all across the country that are focused on this issue,” Obama said. “I intend to get as much done in the next 22 months as possible.”