Dozens of businesses damaged during riots sue city, officials

[Suzanimal]

BALTIMORE —
Dozens of businesses damaged in the riots of April 2015 are suing Baltimore City and city officials.

The complaint alleged that the city wasn't fully prepared for the violence, despite the warning signs, and that officials didn't do enough to stop the rioters once they started.

The complaint is 700 pages long with 60 plaintiffs, who are all business owners in Baltimore who suffered damage during the riots. The defendants are the city of Baltimore, the mayor and City Council, the Baltimore Police Department, former Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, former Police Commissioner Anthony Batts and the state of Maryland.

The lawyer for the plaintiffs wrote, "The city and other defendants failed them when they adopted a policy of restraint and issued stand-down orders, caring more about the public perception that they feared would result with increased police presence than preventing what were clearly preventable riots."

Court documents outlined the warning officials had in the days leading up to the riots with escalating protests following the death of Freddie Gray. The complaint stated the city and Rawlings-Blake "were more concerned about the public perception that it feared would result with increased police presence and potential business interruptions."

It also details a "stand-down" order Batts gave to police, citing a Fraternal Order of Police report that said, "Officers were ordered to allow the protesters room to destroy and allow the destruction of property so that the rioters would appear to be the aggressors."

Once the rioting started in earnest, the documents stated, the city should have acted more quickly to bring in more resources, and the state should not have waited for the city to ask for help to send it in.

During the worst of the rioting on April 27, 2015, documents stated, "Even in locations where BCPD officers were present, business owners helplessly watched their stores being looted and destroyed as BCPD officers also simply watched and/or turned away, and let the destruction of property continue."

The lawsuit is seeking compensation for damages, but no specific dollar amount was mentioned.

....

http://www.wbaltv.com/article/dozens...cials/10209021

[bunklocoempire]

The right of enjoying an unaccountable "service" you cannot opt out of, shall not be infringed.

[phill4paul]

This is how you check rioters with the intent of causing your business harm.

[Brian4Liberty]

http://www.wbaltv.com/article/dozens...cials/10209021

Hope they win the lawsuit. Don't insurance companies refuse to pay if damage is caused by riots? In that case, it could be argued that it becomes the cities/county/state responsibility if they fail to act in the face of vandals and looters.

This is how you check rioters with the intent of causing your business harm.

Yep, a show of defense is usually all it takes to discourage looters.

Of course as occurred in Los Angeles and New Orleans, the brilliant authorities will send the Police to disarm defenders, while looters are free to do as they want.

[shakey1]

Hope they win the lawsuit. Don't insurance companies refuse to pay if damage is caused by riots? In that case, it could be argued that it becomes the cities/county/state responsibility if they fail to act in the face of vandals and looters.



Yep, a show of defense is usually all it takes to discourage looters.

Of course as occurred in Los Angeles and New Orleans, the brilliant authorities will send the Police to disarm defenders, while looters are free to do as they want.

This country is so ass-backwards.

[Danke]

BALTIMORE (AP) — A disciplinary panel unanimously found a Baltimore police van driver not guilty Tuesday of all administrative charges related to his role in transporting Freddie Gray, the black man whose a fatal injury during the ride sparked riots in the city.
The three-member board found that Officer Caesar Goodson, also a black man, did not violate any department policies outlined in 21 charges against him the day Gray was fatally injured in police custody. Goodson smiled and appeared relieved after the verdicts were read. His lawyers hugged and patted each other on the back with loud thumps.
"This is a vindication of this officer and what was done that day," Sean Malone, one of Goodson's lawyers, said outside the University of Baltimore, where the proceeding was held. "This is a tragic accident that happened, and we're sorry for the loss of Mr. Gray, but we're glad that our client is not going to be the face of this incident."
Goodson has remained employed with the department and will keep his job on the force.
Department lawyer Neil Duke had argued that Goodson should have been fired for failing to follow policy by not buckling Gray into a seatbelt, failing to get him medical attention and lying about the chain of events following Gray's arrest in April 2015.
Gray died a week later of a spinal cord injury he suffered during the van ride, prompting civil unrest among people expressing outrage at the treatment of African-Americans by police in Baltimore's inner city. None of the six officers charged criminally for their roles in Gray's arrest were convicted. Three of the officers are black and three are white. In reforms made as a result of Gray's death, state lawmakers opened police disciplinary hearings to the public, hoping to improve transparency when departments seek to hold officers accountable.
Lawrence Grandpre, research director for Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, said advocacy groups like his have led the push to open such hearings for years, so this was progress. But Grandpre said civilian legal experts should be on such disciplinary review boards. This one was comprised of two Baltimore police officers and an outside chairwoman, Maj. Rosa Guixens, of Prince George's County.
"As long as we have this dynamic at play, the playing field is going to be skewed toward cops not being held accountable," said Grandpre, who observed the hearing.
The city of Baltimore reached a $6.4 million settlement with Gray's parents to avoid litigation, but Police Commissioner Kevin Davis said his department remains committed to broader reforms, including this administrative process, with hearings pending for two more officers involved in Gray's arrest.
"Freddie Gray died in police custody," Davis said in a statement after the verdict. "My thoughts and prayers remain with the Gray family. We will continue to make improvements within our organization to meet the expectations of constitutional policing demanded by our community."
Duke argued that Goodson, a van driver with 14 years of experience, had a duty to pay closer attention to his passenger's condition as Gray banged around in the back of the van, his arms handcuffed and his legs in shackles.
Goodson's lawyers said the department was to blame for failing to properly distribute a policy change making seatbelts mandatory just days before Gray's arrest. They also said outside investigators in the disciplinary case failed to seek out or include evidence that could have exonerated Goodson in the arrest and transport, which involved multiple officers at six different stops.
As with Goodson's criminal trial last year, much of the testimony came from other officers involved in Gray's arrest who provided their views of what happened during the van's six stops on the way to a nearby police station.
Of the six officers, Goodson faced the most serious charge in criminal court: murder. But he, Lt. Brian Rice and Officer Edward Nero were acquitted at trial last year, and then prosecutors dropped charges against Sgt. Alicia White and officers Garrett Miller and William Porter.
Porter faced no administrative charges. Nero and Miller did, and accepted disciplinary action, according to the police union attorney who represents them. Neither their attorney nor the department would say what that discipline was. Rice and White still face disciplinary action before an administrative board. Rice's trial board is scheduled to begin Monday. White's is scheduled to begin Dec. 5.

[Anti Federalist]

So the "nickel ride" is going to cost the ever suffering taxpayers millions.