J.R. White, right, takes a selfie in front of a mural that was painted at the site of Freddie Gray's arrest, Saturday, May 2, 2015, in Baltimore, as protesters prepare to march to City Hall. Six police officers were charged Friday with felonies ranging from assault to murder in Gray's death. In announcing the charges, State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said police had no reason to stop or chase Gray in the first place when they confronted him on April 12. He died of injuries on April 19. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)J.R. White, right, takes a selfie in front of a mural that was painted at the site of Freddie Gray’s arrest, Saturday, May 2, 2015, in Baltimore, as protesters prepare to march to City Hall.

The Baltimore Police Department on Thursday released the preliminary findings of the investigation into the death of Freddie Gray.

“An investigation into the death of Baltimore resident Freddie Gray has found no evidence that his fatal injuries were caused during the videotaped arrest and interaction with police officers, according to multiple law enforcement sources,” Brad Bell wrote for WJLA in Baltimore.

Yet the same sources suggest Gray’s death could have occurred from a “rough ride,” Baltimore’s unsavory tradition of causing severe injury through unsafe police van transport.

Just as with every recent controversial cop killing, the media and police unions are spinning events in favor of police actions, all the while ignoring the ways police escalated recent protests in Baltimore.

The brighter side of this grim trend is the increasing ability to access direct, unfiltered news through social media. Twitter’s top activists, citizen journalists and independent media erupted on Thursday to call into question the official police account.

Shaun King, the Justice Columnist for DailyKos, questioned attempts by police to shift the blame entirely away arresting officers:

https://twitter.com/ShaunKing/status/593840273005809664

“Harris From The Post,” a citizen journalist and livestreamer, compiled several independent accounts and eyewitness reports into a visual timeline of Freddie Gray’s arrest:

https://twitter.com/rousseau_ist/status/593850238277943298

News2Share’s Trey Yingst tweeted this disturbing eyewitness account, apparently from another man arrested by BPD on the same day as Gray:

https://twitter.com/TreyYingst/status/593828577218531328

Meanwhile, “Chuck_MODI,” a citizen journalist and sports culture analyst from POPSspot, has brought followers a glimpse surreal moments of citizens coming to terms with the presence of militarized police on their streets:

Baltimore BLOC, a “a grassroots collective of friends, families & neighborhoods united to rebuild communities,” provides an important source of live updates on police, local events and calls for solidarity.

A local activist, Dr. James MacArthur (satirically tweeting, as of this writing, as “Don Lemon’s Shadow”) frequently offers valuable live reports.

USA Today’s Yamiche Alcindor became known for her valuable, even-handed coverage of police brutality protests in St. Louis, Missouri, and she’s currently reporting from Baltimore.

Many of the same activists who were crucial to following events in Ferguson are now part of the #BaltimoreUprising, such as Charles Wade, who is assisting the #BaltimoreLunch initiative to keep residents fed during the unrest.

https://twitter.com/akacharleswade/status/593483475694579713

Deray McKesson and @Nettaaaaaaaa, two more familiar faces from the Mike Brown protests, are also in Baltimore.

An important independent livestreamer team, including @Rebelutionary_Z and @fergusonstream1, recently arrived in Baltimore and should be followed for breaking updates.

https://twitter.com/RissaChanIsCute/status/593762572450553857

As always, accounts associated with the Anonymous movement are an important, if sometimes unreliable, source of intelligence from events like the Baltimore protests. Established Anonymous tweeter @OpFerguson was recently joined by a new account, @OpBaltimore.

MintPress News has curated a list of these accounts, which will allow readers to follow the most up-to-the-minute reports on what’s unfolding in Baltimore:



 

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