EXTRA: Is Baltimore cop fate likely to see a repeat of itself in Chicago?

It was with some self-interest that I learned of the Monday outcome in court of the Baltimore police officer who was in charge of the scene that resulted in the death of Freddie Gray.

 

RICE: An acquitted cop

For it has me wondering what the chances are we’ll see a repeat of some kind in Chicago when the time comes eventually that one of our city’s police officers goes on trial for criminal charges related to the shooting death of a 16-year-old black male.

I’LL BE THE first to admit one major difference – the police lieutenant in Baltimore faced charges of involuntary manslaughter, reckless endangerment and misconduct while prosecutors in Cook County, Ill., have gone so far as to seek charges of murder against Jason Van Dyke.

He’s the Chicago cop whom prosecutors say fired those 17 shots that killed Laquan McDonald. Of course, that video we’ve all seen of the incident only shows an off-screen gunman firing shot after shot into the boy, while smoke eventually emanated from the body from the repeated gunfire.

There are those who are convinced we saw something nothing short of cold-blooded murder in that video.

Then again, I’m sure there are those who are convinced the case against police in Gray’s death was equally cut-and-dried – only to have two cops already acquitted and the lieutenant in charge now also cleared, with a fourth cop facing a new trial because a jury couldn’t reach any verdict.

WHAT HAPPENS IF a year or two from now, when Van Dyke goes on trial, something comes up and something less than a “guilty” verdict arises? What will the sense of outrage be?

For that matter, what kind of outrage would a “guilty” verdict produce from those individuals in our society who are determined to believe that police can do no wrong?

As it is, defense attorneys have hinted the video we have seen (and which can be found on the Internet if one looks hard enough) gives a distorted view of the incident because it does not include audio.

The video that shows several minutes of police rushing to the scene before encountering McDonald supposedly does not include all the information that police dispatchers were providing to the officers about the potential threat that Laquan presented.

 

VAN DYKE: Could we see Chicago encore?

I DON’T KNOW if such information would have really made any difference. Perhaps. Or perhaps not? But I’m aware enough that circumstances could arise that could result in acquittal. I don’t consider any criminal case to be open and shut – no matter what some want to believe.

Take Gray’s case. He died from a broken neck suffered while being jostled about in the back of a squadrol – where he was shackled, but not restrained with a seat belt.

Defense attorneys for the lieutenant contend he wasn’t aware of regulations requiring the seat belt, and that he was forced to make a judgment call to rush him into the squadrol because of the hostile environment developing at the scene of the arrest.

Some are bound to see a great injustice taking place in Baltimore. Just as I’m sure they would be equally outraged by anything short of a guilty verdict and a maximum prison sentence for Van Dyke.

BUT THERE ARE no certainties when it comes to the judicial system.

If anything, the courts are only as reliable as the individuals we rely upon to make decisions.

That is a truth we can consider no matter where in the country a court ruling is made. We can only hope that rational minds prevail, but we must be prepared for the reality that absolutes don’t exist – except in the minds of those people who’ve already made them up in advance!

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EXTRA: Will ‘Baltimore’ come to Chi?

A part of me is starting to wonder if the Chicago White Sox are a bad omen.

I still recall the team’s whereabouts on Sept. 11, 2001 – they were the professional baseball team in New York City on that day when two jets crashed into the World Trade Center, triggering many bad memories for our nation.

NOW, IT WAS the White Sox who were in Baltimore this week when rioting motivated by people pissed off by the death of a young black man while in police custody is giving the nation many violent images on our televisions.

The rioting was considered so out-of-control that Monday’s White Sox/Baltimore Orioles game was cancelled. Some of the violent outbursts were a mere three miles from the Orioles’ ballpark, and many of the roads leading to the stadium had restricted access.

The last thing anybody wanted to see happen was some sports fan get yanked out of their car by the violent protesters while trying to get to Camden Yards! As of this writing, it is not clear when, or where, those ballgames will be made up.

Yes, my bringing the White Sox’ presence into this circumstance is an attempt to inject a touch of humor to what is an overly-serious situation. Although the serious part of all this is perhaps how fortunate we in Chicago ought to feel that we haven’t had similar incidents occur here.

BECAUSE THE UNEASY sentiments that exist between law enforcement types and black people are not confined to Baltimore. Nor Ferguson, Mo., or New York or any other one city.

You know it’s just a matter of time before the tensions heat up enough that we get an incident that causes certain people to react in ways similar to what is taking place now in Baltimore.

Let’s be honest! We should feel fortunate that the death of Rekia Boyd did not create such an outburst.

She is the woman who was shot to death by a Chicago police officer – one who recently was acquitted of the criminal charges he faced, and now has police Superintendent Garry McCarthy going about on Monday saying that officer should never have faced a criminal indictment.

EVEN THOUGH SOME people are interpreting the comments made by the judge who tossed out the criminal charges as saying they were the wrong charges and perhaps should have been even harsher.

As though this particular cop got off on a technicality and NOT some claim of innocence, as I’m sure the police would want to believe. Just an officer doing his job – one that is tough enough that I’m sure many in our society would be incapable of handling it.

Just a couple of people handling things a little less rationally in Chicago, and it could be our city with the images of a gas mask-clad man slashing the hose of a firefighting crew that was trying to keep a CVS pharmacy from burning to the ground.

It could be the death of Freddie Gray (who suffered a spinal cord injury while in police custody and whose funeral seems to be the motivation for Monday’s violent outbursts) isn’t all that different in spirit than that of Boyd – or many of the others whose ill treatment at the hands of police has caused public outrage.

AND YES, I realize in writing that sentence there are some people who are determined to believe the police some noble creature who are dealing with people who hardly deserve to be called human.

Although I find their thought process to be as ridiculous as the face-covered boy in Baltimore who told CNN how people aren’t going to calm down until some sort of “justice!!!” is handed down.

We have a serious problem in our society that way too many people don’t want to have to acknowledge. That, ultimately, is the real problem.

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