Baltimore, MD – Yesterday, Baltimore Police arrested 65 peaceful protesters including legal observers, bystanders, and 10 children. After their arrest, more than 30 people spent more than seven hours trapped inside police vans with their hands painfully cuffed behind them in violation of police procedure and international human rights standards. One protester passed out and vomited inside the wagon.

     “The targeted arrests of peaceful protestors and Legal Observers is a shameful tactic that demonstrates that the Baltimore Police Department’s goal was not to uphold the law, but to silence dissent. Any person who favors freedom should be outraged by these arrests and the treatment protesters received,” said Jenny Egan, Baltimore Action Legal Team.

Baltimore, MD - As our entire city is aware, Judge Williams declared a mistrial in the matter of the State of Maryland v. William Porter because 12 jurors could not agree on a unanimous decision on any of the four charges Mr. Porter faced. Baltimore Action Legal Team (BALT) is saddened by the news, but hopeful that Freddie Gray will receive justice. To be clear, anything less than a guilty verdict for all officers involved is not justice.

In response to the mistrial, BALT held a panel discussion on Wednesday night to dissect what happened in the Porter trial. BALT is committed to increasing the awareness of injustices rooted in structural racism and economic inequality. Unfortunately, the law in this case is not as clear as it needs to be.  As attorneys, we understand the complex nature of this case. Mr. Porter was not charged with committing an act. In fact, he was charged for failing to act.  Aside from the obvious legal questions raised by this case (and the many others like it), there is a much broader discussion BALT can’t ignore – we must not simply decry the unfair results of an unjust system – we must explore ways we can create a better system.