City of Baltimore to pay millions to family of Freddie Gray

On September 8, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake announced the city was settling outstanding civil claims brought by the Gray family against the city. Payments totalling $6.4 million will be paid to the deceased. Gray died after suffering spinal injuries while in police custody. The death of the thug caused widespread rioting in the Maryland city that included injuries and millions of dollars in damages.

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Although there were civil claims filed and criminal charges brought against six Baltimore police officers, the exact cause of the 25-year-old’s death has never been adjudicated upon. Naturally the left is ecstatic about the money (described by one writer in the Baltimore Sun as “riot insurance”). The payment will bring “healing” and presumably a permanent peace will come to Baltimore. Not everyone is pleased with the city’s decision and one of those unhappy about the payment is Lt. Gene Ryan, president of the Baltimore City Fraternal Order of Police. In a statement, Ryan called the payment without the cause of Gray’s death being adjudicated upon as “obscene” and said it was made without the city’s regard to fiscal responsibility. Ryan went on to say the relations between the Baltimore Police and the city were just getting back to “pre-riot normalcy” and described Rawlings-Blake’s decision to make the payment as a “ridiculous reaction” on her part. The payment of $6.4 million had to be approved by a spending panel and approval was given the following day.

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