“The voice of pain and suffering in Baltimore will be heard today,” Black Lawyers for Justice co-founder and president Malik Shabazz reportedly said in an interview on Saturday. “The focus will be on Freddie Gray and how his back and spine were broken, and how the cover-up must end today.” With that spirit of justice in mind, thousands have taken to the streets in Baltimore to protest Gray's death — another tragedy in a staggeringly long line of institutionalized police brutality.
According to the New York Times, a notable number of the racially diverse protestors came from outside Baltimore to participate in the jam-the-streets style demonstrations — including many from Ferguson, MO; New York City; and Washington, D.C. As previously reported, Baltimore police have admitted that Gray's fatal injuries were very likely caused by a "rough ride" wherein the officers "hit the brakes and take sharp turns to injure suspects in the back of [police vans]." Though it's telling enough that "rough rides" are a common enough practice among police officers to warrant their own terminology, the details get even worse. In an obvious act of ignoring logical policy, Gray wasn't even buckled in for the "rough ride" and asked for medical attention several times.
In what amounts to a worthless slap on the wrist and a paid vacation, all involved officers have been suspended with pay. The funeral services for Freddie Gray — just 25 years old — will take place on Monday at New Shiloh Baptist Church in Baltimore.
