Washington, DC – The National Black Church Initiative (NBCI), a faith-based coalition of 34,000 churches comprised of 15 denominations and 15.7 million African Americans, understands the deep political ties and relationships that exist within law enforcement and the judiciary at every level of this system. The dropping of the remaining charges on Officer Garrett E. Miller, Officer William G. Porter and Sergeant Alicia D. White fits a pattern among law enforcement that when given evidence, that the push goes to the accused despite the historic hatred portrayed by the police toward the African American community, not only in Baltimore but across the nation. The three who were acquitted, Officer Caesar R. Goodson, Jr, Officer Edward M. Nero and Lt. Brian W. Rice were judged according to the theory just put forward. The police are not only given a badge and a gun, but according to the Supreme Court they have a legal shield to do whatever they choose, to whomever they choose – regardless of unethical and illegal behavior demonstrated on their part – as long as they do not get caught.
Even if they get caught they have a trump card.
In addition, to this legal protection the Judges who sat to oversee the evidence that the Police Department and the State Attorneys as well as the US Attorney brings to them has in itself another trump card in the legal system. A Judge who is more concerned with his friendships and his relationships with the police and the Prosecutor’s Office rather than an ethical application of the law.
Jude Williams, who will be considered a strict constructionist in legal terms, and who has crafted a very careful career around this country’s notions of Civil Rights, having served in several capacities with the US Department of Justice, was randomly or systematically chosen to oversee these cases. And who can question Judge Barry Williams given that distinguished judicial background? The answer is no one. Not even his friend Billy Murphy who was Freddie Gray’s family attorney. Attorney Murphy’s opinion is based upon his friendship with Judge Williams and his professional relationship. The legal community in any jurisdiction is small between judges, prosecutors, lawyers, police officers and other law enforcement entities. It is difficult, nearly impossible to upset this sacred judicial community by going against the prevailing legal wind.
Rev. Anthony Evans, President of the National Black Church Initiative, “is calling on all people of goodwill in Baltimore to assemble in a peaceful nonviolent way this evening and express your dismay of a system that legally allows the killing of Black people at will, at any time. If there is no justice there can be no peace — No justice, no peace. No Justice, no peace.”
Our dear sister Marilyn Mosby sought to challenge this community that had shielded themselves against criticism or influence from either the press or the Church will be taught a lesson because of both her sex and her youth, not her intelligence. Not her ethical barometer – that one should never challenge the unclad legal structure of Maryland that systematically jails the poor, ignores their humanity, and seeks to kill them at will.
They left it up to Judge Williams to build a legal judgement and framework, so that they may kill Black people at will, despite their character or lack thereof. This is the opinion of the Black Church. In a headline that reads ‘No-nonsense judge smashes state’s case in Officer Goodson trial’, the reporter Dan Rodricks went on to state, “Dismantled is a good and precise word to describe what Judge Williams did with the State’s case against Police Officer Caesar Goodson in the death of Freddie Gray. Dismantled is a professional sounding word, it’s even a polite word. Destroy is a better word, more accurately describes what the Judge did to the State’s case.”
The Church will not let them get away with it. Everyone, from the Judge, to the Mayor, to the City Council, to the press, to the rich and anyone who is connected to this legal unethical killing machine called the Legal System is guilty according to the Word of God and should be denied communion and the covering of Christ’s love until they repent. They probably will not because they truly believe that they have done nothing wrong. But Freddie Gray is still dead and there is no one to account for it according to the fairness of the system. Freddie Gray’s life means something, he was a human being and a Child of God and someone has to pay for his death.
Judge Williams, who is Black, just like President Obama who is Black, allow and defends a legal system to exist to kill their own people even though they are in a position to change the sociology and the legality of that system. Judge Williams wants to be considered a hero in our community, wants to be considered part of the Talented 10, wants to be considered a success story, but in the opinion of the Church he is a part of the evil machine that exists that allows the killings of the innocent Black children of God at will and at random. What happens to Judge Williams, who is the defender of the system, who stand as the example of the rule of law, when he and his wife decide to celebrate in the wee hours of the morning and they have had something to drink, and they are pulled over by a racist white cop who hates Black people? Will that cop know that it was Judge Williams and his legal opinion who kept the blue shield intact? Only time will tell if he survives. But Freddie Gray did not.
President Obama is very clear, his Justice Department has not and will not convict any of the murderous white racist cops who have brutally annihilated Black people during his presidency.
The Church does not have to respect the legal system and especially when it is tainted, corrupted and infiltrated with evil. How can we respect a system that is killing us and perpetuating genocide?
