Freddie Gray was a small-time petty criminal and drug dealer, who back in April of 2015 was arrested for possession of a knife illegal under Baltimore law.

Richly ironic was Gray was hanging out, likely making drug connections, in a Baltimore neighborhood notorious for that. Officers were there that day at DA Marilyn Mosby’s direction in response to community outrage at the lawlessness in the area. Officers made a lawful Terry stop on Gray who ran, was caught and searched, and the knife was found. On the way to jail, Gray was seated in the back of a transport van and was seen and heard to be bashing himself against the interior of the vehicle. Before he arrived at the jail, he managed to break his neck and died, but not immediately.

Rushing to judgment long before a competent investigation could be completed, Mosby charged six officers—three white, three black—with a ridiculous number of felonies.  It was an egregious case of charge stacking. Some of them never so much as touched Gray. Mosby, also black, clearly saw political advantage in the charges, and quickly became the social justice hero of the moment. Gray never reached the holy social justice martyr status of George Floyd, whose martyrdom was years into the future.  

Mosby, in the meantime, was enjoying her new-found celebrity. Photos of her and her husband Nick abounded, and magazines did tongue-bathing profiles of the newest young, black, female hero, a woman checking DEI boxes before checking DEI boxes became mandatory.

Graphic: ackbarsays, used with permission.

It quickly became obvious there was no criminal there there. The cases, before a black judge who had previously handled police misconduct cases for the federal DOJ, all ended badly for Mosby. The judge turned out to be an honest, non-racist jurist and his carefully considered decisions made clear there was never probable cause to arrest any of the officers, let alone proof beyond a reasonable doubt of any crime. Three of the officers were found not guilty of all charges, and because the remaining three would be tried on the same faulty and/or non-existent evidence, their charges were dismissed. An internal Baltimore Police investigation also eventually exonerated the officers of policy violations.

Throughout the debacle, Baltimore burned and then-Mayor Stephanie Rawlings Blake, also black, destroyed her political career by bizarrely proclaiming she gave the almost entirely black rioters “space to destroy,” by preventing the police from stopping riot, looting and arson. As is all too common for such people, Mosby, apparently thinking herself invulnerable, burned down her own career:

Disgraced former Baltimore District Attorney Marilyn Mosby sobbed in court Tuesday as she was convicted of mortgage fraud — a verdict that could carry decades in prison.

The Democrat served in office from 2015 until she lost her 2022 reelection bid after being indicted on perjury and mortgage fraud charges related to the withdrawal of funds from the city’s Deferred Compensation Plan. [skip]

Mosby, 44, was indicted on both the perjury and mortgage fraud charges in January 2022, and was found guilty of the perjury in November 2023.

Mosby is facing up to 40 years in prison, though as one might expect, Joe Biden is being pressured to pardon her.

Will Biden pardon Mosby?  For the moment, that will depend on entirely political calculations. If his handlers think a pardon will help solidify his base, it’s likely.  Unfortunately for her, Mosby isn’t Muslim, the identity group Biden’s handlers currently most want to appease. Thus far in the campaign, they’re taking the black vote for granted. If Biden loses the election, expect his handlers, through Biden’s shaky signature, to pardon all manner of miscreants, not the least his family and himself.

In the meantime, Baltimore’s crime rate continues to skyrocket. Its police force, laboring under a federal consent decree, is badly undermanned and recruiting has proved virtually impossible. The DOJ is doing all it can to prosecute the officers that remain, most of whom keep their heads down and do as little as possible.

And of course, the primary victims of this woke largess are the very poor, inner city black residents of Baltimore who would much prefer the police were allowed to do their jobs.

That’s the legacy of social justice martyr Freddie Gray, and Marilyn Mosby, the woman once lauded as the fresh face of young, female, black political success.

Mike McDaniel is a USAF veteran, classically trained musician, Japanese and European fencer, life-long athlete, firearm instructor, retired police officer and high school and college English teacher. He is a published author and blogger. His home blog is Stately McDaniel Manor.