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BALTIMORE, MD – JUNE 23: People protest as Baltimore police officer Caesar Goodson Jr. arrives at the Circuit Court before the judge issues the verdict in his trial on June 23, 2016 in Baltimore, Maryland. Officer Goodson, the van driver in the Freddie Gray case, is facing multiple charges including second-degree murder. This is the third trial related to the death of Freddie Gray, who died while in police custody. (Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images) Photo by Mark Makela/Getty Images
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Another not guilty

verdict in the Freddie Gray case

Clinton Yates @clintonyates
Topics:
Freddie Gray Baltimore Black Lives Matter All Day

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    11:31 AMIt was considered the biggest one of them all.

    In the case of Caesar Goodson Jr., the Baltimore City police officer who was the van driver in the incident that eventually killed Freddie Gray Jr., Goodson was acquitted of second-degree, depraved-heart murder, among other charges Thursday. It’s also another blow to the reputation of Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby, who very publicly pledged to bring justice to those responsible for Gray’s demise. She reportedly shook her head repeatedly in the courtroom as the verdict in the Goodson case was read.

    “All six, murderers!” the protesters yelled outside of the courthouse Thursday morning. Goodson was the third officer charged in the case, and the third who has had no guilt assigned his way. The first officer’s trial ended in a hung jury, the second was acquitted. Most depressing, of course, is how incredibly unsurprising this result is.

    https://twitter.com/KimBrownTalks/status/745984580432330752

    Once again, this is how institutional injustice works. If you can spread the plausible deniability of intent across multiple people, and you have a dead man who can’t speak for himself against others, it’s difficult to prove anyone specifically is responsible. Six people saying, “It wasn’t me, I didn’t mean to do it,” when the actual tool of harm has an engine and four wheels becomes a tough burden in a courtroom to overcome. Apparently, Gray’s neck just broke itself.

    The next trial is set for July 5.

    Clinton Yates is a tastemaker at Andscape. He likes rap, rock, reggae, R&B and remixes — in that order.