PD Editorial: Justice a casualty in Baltimore

Baltimore police haven’t explained how Freddie Gray suffered a fatal spinal injury.

Indeed, the arrest report says Gray was arrested without incident after he “fled unprovoked after noticing police presence.” None of the officers involved mentioned any use of force. Yet cellphone videos shows Gray being dragged into a van, seemingly limp and screaming in pain.

Another young black man killed by police under suspicious circumstances.

It’s no wonder that people are angry.

But that’s no justification for rioting.

What played out on Baltimore’s streets after Gray’s funeral Monday - cars burning, stores looted and set ablaze, hooligans throwing rocks at police officers, at least 19 of whom were injured - wasn’t about justice. It was opportunism, violence for the sake of violence.

The response from police was predictable and justified - more officers on the street, assisted by heavily armed National Guard troops and an overnight curfew for the rest of the week. “Criminal activity will not be tolerated,” Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan said Tuesday.

Rioting is contrary to the wishes of Gray’s family and, if street violence continues, it can only undermine legitimate calls for accountability and reinforce stereotypes that obstruct efforts to ease tensions between law enforcement officers and much of the public they serve.

Many people cheered video of an angry mother dragging her son away from the riot, Baltimore’s worst since the 1960s. In another hopeful sign, scores of residents came out Tuesday to help clean up the mess.

“This is my town, my city,” one man told the Baltimore Sun as he swept up debris outside a shopping mall targeted by looters. “I couldn’t sleep last night looking at this. Freddie, our blessed soul, wouldn’t want this. Two wrongs don’t make a right.”

Baltimore authorities responded promptly and publicly to Gray’s death.

Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake didn’t duck behind ongoing investigations or potential litigation to avoid controversy. She appealed for peace, while forthrightly expressing her anger. Police Commissioner Anthony W. Batts said “the community’s voices need to be heard, and the most important thing is that we need to listen.”

The six officers involved in the arrest were placed on leave, police officials acknowledged that Gray should have received prompt medical attention, and they promised to deliver an initial report to prosecutors by Friday. A separate federal civil rights investigation also is ongoing.

That’s just how this case should unfold.

Moreover, the quick decisions to pursue criminal charges following recent police shootings in North Charleston, S.C. and Tulsa, Okla., suggest that officer-involved shootings are getting closer scrutiny from prosecutors.

Meanwhile, consent decrees in Seattle, Albuquerque and several other cities promise more judicious use-of-force standards, something that also may be part of the work of Sonoma County’s Community and Law Enforcement Task Force.

Until Monday, street demonstrations stemming from Gray’s death were mostly peaceful, and Baltimore police wisely avoided the display of military-style force that may have fueled hostilities after last summer’s shooting in Ferguson, Mo.

Gray’s death must be explained. If he was a crime victim, the perpetrators should be prosecuted. But throwing rocks and burning stores won’t uncover facts or expedite justice. It only divides a community that desperately needs unity.