Leid Stories – 01.12.16

Justice on Hold: Maryland Court Delays Cop’s Trial in Freddie Gray Case
“Attorney at War” Alton H. Maddox Jr., dissects yesterday’s ruling by Maryland’s Court of Special Appeals postponing the trial of a Baltimore police officer charged in the death of Freddie Gray. Officer Caesar J. Goodson Jr., the driver of a police transport van in which Freddie Gray suffered neck and spinal-cord injuries that killed him on April 19, 2015, was scheduled to go on trial yesterday. But the appeals court halted the trial, saying it needed time to review the hearing judge’s decision to allow prosecutors to call as a witness against Goodson fellow officer William Porter. Porter, the first of six officers indicted in Freddie Gray’s death, was the first to go on trial; a mistrial was declared when the jury could not reach a verdict. Maddox had predicted the outcome of Porter’s trial. He explains the “legal back door” that the prosecutors’ failing legal strategy has left open in this controversial case.

Leid Stories – 01.11.16

In Ferguson, Detroit and Baltimore, the Ongoing Battle for Justice
Leid Stories focuses on three developing stories with something in common: a quest for justice. The American Civil Liberties Union of Missouri today files a lawsuit against the Ferguson-Florissant School District’s at-large electoral system, saying it dilutes the voting strength of African Americans in the district and violates federal law. In Detroit, about 60 public schools are closed today, the result of a sickout by teachers over pay, working conditions and substandard support for the state’s largest school district.

Leid Stories – 12.17.15

Mistrial in Freddie Gray Case in Baltimore; Chicago Cop Faces Murder Charges in 16-Shot Killing
Leid Stories returns to its series on killer cops with major updates on two cases—the death last April of Freddie Gray, 25, a week after suffering severe spinal injuries while being transported to a Baltimore police stationhouse after a contentious arrest, and the killing of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald on Oct. 20 last year by Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke.
A Baltimore judge declared a mistrial yesterday in the case against Officer William Porter, one of six officers charged in Gray’s death and the first to be tried, after a jury said it was hopelessly deadlocked in deciding four charges against him. In Chicago, Officer Van Dyke yesterday formally was charged with six counts of murder
“The People’s Attorney General” Alton H. Maddox Jr., who had predicted that Porter would walk because of tactical and legal errors by the prosecutor, discusses legal problems with both cases.

Bringing the Crisis to a Head in Baltimore – Glen Ford

“The only thing that can work to fundamentally change the system for Black people – whether in the 21st century or the Sixties – is mass organization for popular empowerment.” It’s been nine months since the Black youth of Ferguson, Missouri, set history in motion with their demand for justice for Michael Brown, yet the “movement” has maintained its momentum while …

You Will Be Surprised Who the Outside Agitators Really Are in Baltimore – Max Blumenthal

On Monday, the country watched as a band of outside agitators descended on the streets of Baltimore, attacked locals with blunt force, intimidated innocent bystanders, and even threw rocks [3] at native residents. Every day, these gun-toting rogues come from as far as New Jersey and Pennsylvania to intimidate the good people of Baltimore, forcing communities to cower under the threat of violence. …