Attorneys argue today over whether to move the Freddie Gray Case out of Baltimore. Circuit Judge Barry Williams is presiding over the hearing.
From WEAA News: Judge Denies Change of Venue Motion in Freddie Gray Case
A circuit court judge has ruled that the trials for six officers accused in the April death of Freddie Gray will remain in Baltimore.
Reading his decision from the bench after hearing oral arguments on Sept. 10, Judge Barry Williams said that, "The court does not find . . . that there exists a presumption of prejudice" with respect to the venue of Baltimore City. Williams explained that the court cannot assume prejudice has tainted theoretical jurors, but must judge prejudice during the jury selection process, known as voir dire, when both sides have the opportunity to question potential jurors.
Attorney Ivan Bates, representing Sgt. Alicia White and arguing on behalf of all six defendants, said that, "We cannot receive a fair trial [in Baltimore City]" because of intense, and at times unflattering, media attention, among other arguments. Williams responded to this suggestion as he announced his decision, saying, "Citizens of Baltimore are not monolithic. They think for themselves."
Rawlings-Blake discusses the Gray Settlement Deal on Maryland's News Now
"The Mayor says the city entered into a settlement with the family of Freddie Gray now to avoid future trials and anxious moments like what the city is seeing today. She believes that once people understand why the city did this now they will see the benefit. When asked if she would like the trials moved out of Baltimore, the mayor said she doesn't have a dog in that fight but the city is prepared no matter what the judge decides.
The Mayor also believes that FOP President Gene Ryan is misleading his membership by his comments and that if any of the officers involved feel damaged, they could opt out of the settlement."
Listen below:
Listen to the complete interview at WBAL Radio
Baltimore Pastor Arrested For Blocking Traffic During Protest March
A Baltimore pastor is charged with attempting to incite a riot during a downtown protest march.
Police say that during a protest outside last week's pre-trial hearings in the Freddie Gray case, Rev. Westley West held up traffic on East Pratt Street, appearing to be agitated and hostile. West, of Faith Empowered Ministries, is charged with malicious destruction of property, disorderly conduct, disturbance of the peace, false imprisonment and failure to obey. West was taken to Central Booking after police served an arrest warrant last night.
In video footage from the police Foxtrot helicopter, West is holding a megaphone and stopping a red pickup truck on East Pratt St.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=155&v=k9k9Lj-gbgM
From The Baltimore Sun: 14 Arrested In Baltimore Face Federal Gun Charges
"Police and prosecutors announced federal charges Thursday against 14 Baltimore men arrested with illegal guns in separate cases and another accused of stealing prescription drugs from the CVS pharmacy that was looted and burned in the April riots.
U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein said the federal charges, and their maximum 10-year sentences, should "send a deterrent message" to would-be gun-toting criminals in the city. Authorities recovered a sawed-off shotgun with no serial number, a rifle and several handguns, according to court records.
The announcement came in a joint news conference with city police and prosecutors and other federal partners."
From the AFRO American: Baltimore Native Brings Play to New York City Stage
"Baltimore native Mai Sennaar has been busy. On September 5, after over a year of rewrites and revisions, her new play will come to life for audiences in New York City. The Fall of the Kings is set in the 1940’s and tells the story of an African-American heiress, her Cuban husband and a fight over money and family.
It’s the 23-year-old’s second play. Sennaar said she came to playwriting in a roundabout way. Kings evolved out of short story she wrote about an African American ballerina and a soldier who fall in love. She began working on the story when she was a student at Howard Community College in Columbia. She transferred to New York University, where she studied at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. There, it developed into a play.
“I guess I just really love words,” she said. “Plays are a more challenging medium, because there is so much more to coordinate. Each facet of writing gives me something different, a different kind of challenge.”
