Another humid, sunny day in the low 90s. Just a little cooler tomorrow.
In yesterday’s highly-anticipated hearing, Judge Barry Williams denied pre-trial motions to dismiss charges against the officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray, or to recuse Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby from the case.
Williams was less-than-amused with the public finger-pointing between the defense and prosecutors, saying “the unnecessary name-calling and over-the-top rhetoric to which this court has been required to wade in order to get to the heart of the legal issues in this case is remarkable.”
Judge Williams also denied a motion from prosecutors to try the officers in groups – so the six officers will face individual trials. The trials will likely be held consecutively, which could change how attorneys shape their cases based on what works in each trial. Next Thursday, another hearing will determine whether the trials are held in Baltimore or moved to another jurisdiction.
A small demonstration outside the courthouse yesterday morning was closely tracked by police (and a gaggle of local and national media). Tensions escalated when the group marched to the Inner Harbor, briefly snarling traffic and getting a pushy response from police. In a heated moment, activist Kwame Rose was pinned to the ground and arrested for blocking the flow of traffic along Pratt Street (there’s video of the arrest, but not the moments leading up to it – Rose says he was struck by a passing vehicle, police claim he kicked an officer during arrest). Rose was released early this morning.
A triple shooting Tuesday night in the Walbrook neighborhood of west Baltimore killed a 17-year-old boy and injured two other teens (16 and 18). On Wednesday, at least three more people were shot, including a double shooting of two teens (17 and 19) in Allendale, west Baltimore.
Former police commissioner Anthony Batts says that Baltimore Police “took a knee” after April’s unrest, believing that neither Batts nor the public supported them. Speaking candidly on a panel about policing issues, Batts suggested that officers stopped doing their jobs to fight reform efforts
Batts was fired by Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake back in early July, amid a spike in violent crimes, a plunge in arrests, and a report from the local police union suggesting that Batts’ leadership team endangered officers during unrest.
Plank Industries, TEDCO, Steve Case’s Revolution Ventures, NEA and other investors will participate in a Venture Pitch Day event at Betamore on September 26th. The event is a prelude to the Beta City startup showcase held on October 1st at City Garage, Kevin Plank’s new ‘innovation space’ in Port Covington.