Believe It Or Not, Murder Is Against The Law

After waiting over two weeks to finally divulge why they arrested Freddie Gray, the six police officers in Baltimore, Maryland, who ended up killing him, have been charged with various crimes, ranging from false imprisonment to second degree murder. One of the officers finally explained that Gray was arrested for "making eye contact" with a police officer, and since that is not a crime, it was determined that police had no probable cause to arrest Gray in the first place. Imagine that!

Marilyn Mosby, the state's attorney in Baltimore, acted immediately when she received the report from the medical examiner, stating that the cause of death was homicide. The fact that the homicide was committed by a police officer was not important, and with no provocation of any kind, it should not be important. She decided that accountability is important, however; and is insisting that the six officers answer in court for their conduct. This is very significant, because nationwide, police tend to get away with false arrest, perjury, intimidation of witnesses, violence of all kinds, and murder on a regular basis. The advent of cell phone cameras and video has finally had an effect on the accountability of police officers.

There are those who are not in favor of this sudden non-selective application of the law. After all, police officers, particularly white police officers arresting black defendants, have enjoyed privilege and carte` blanch to behave as violently as they please since the Revolutionary War. How can a cop adjust to the sudden demand for justice and fair practice? And it WILL be an adjustment, too, just like being subject to impromptu professional and amateur photography is proving to be an adjustment for police officers. But here's the thing: it should not be an adjustment. There should not even be a discussion about it, or a court case. Police officers should never do anything in the line of duty that they would not want seen on camera by everyone on the internet, and police officers should never falsely arrest or imprison anyone and they should certainly never commit murder.

Many thanks to Marilyn Mosby for setting a new precedent of accountability in this country for law enforcement. It makes yours truly very proud of her connections to the East Coast. She is a brave and brilliant attorney.