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Baltimore Residents React to Charges Against Officers; Marilyn Mosby Announces Charges Against Officers; Concerns that Protests Could Take Bad Turn Over Coming Days. Aired 11:30-12p ET

Aired May 1, 2015 - 11:30   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


UNIDENTIFIED MALE: We gave our lives for this country. Look at you. Is this what it's coming to, man? I love this (EXPLETIVE DELETED) country, too. Just as much as we do. We're fighting for a reason, man. I was willing to give my life for this country, man. Look at this community now, man. (INAUDIBLE). Oh, man.

[11:30:00] RENE MARSH, CNN AVIATION & GOVERNMENT REGULATIONS CORRESPONDENT: I see that you are very emotional. You're very emotional. Tell me and explain to me where that's coming from.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is crazy. How can we be part of this country? Look at this.

MARSH: The state attorney just announced that --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I heard all that. It's the same script, just different time.

MARSH: You don't believe charges in the end --

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I don't believe anything until I see the end result. We got to stop being pacified every time they throw us a bone where they want us to calm down. We need to wait for the end result to come in. I was willing to give my life for this country. Look at my community, man. Look around here. The same people who we go to war with coming to war on us. When I was in the Marine Corps, they called me a patriot. A Marine. Now that I'm fighting for my people, they call me a (EXPLETIVE DELETED) thug. No, I'm not sweeping nothing up. They called me a thug when I fight for my people.

MARSH: So it sounds like you're not satisfied with the state attorney's announcement?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. Look around. Would you be satisfied? Look around at this. Would you be satisfied with this if it was your community? I don't even live around here. I live in Belvedere Square.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: You need to go to Belvedere Square.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. These are my people. No, no. You don't tell me where to go, man. I have family here.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Man, I'm a victim and everything else.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I'm a victim as well.

You want me to show you how many times? You want me to show you how many times?

(CROSSTALK)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This isn't about you and I, man.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It ain't?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Look around. Look around.

(CROSSTALK)

MARSH: All right, John, you can see there's a combination of emotions here. People who are happy with the verdict of what the state attorney had to say and some people who are just not satisfied because this is just the beginning. Obviously this has not gone to trial yet. In this intersection, a mix of emotions at this point.

JOHN BERMAN, CNN ANCHOR: It's a great way to put it, Rene, a mix of emotions.

There's a palpable buzz in Baltimore. It's not just helicopters that are flying overhead to get the aerial images on the streets. There are people with bullhorns and people with whistles and people honking their car horns as they drive. And they are learning this news that charges will be filed against six police officers in the death of Freddie Gray ranging all of the way to second-degree depraved-heart murder against Officer Caesar Goodson, the officer driving the van when Freddie Gray, so says the state prosecutor, banged his head or had his head banged up against the back of that van causing that spinal cord injury, which ultimately led to his death.

I'm joined right now by Bishop Walter Scott Thomas, the preacher at the New Psalmist Baptist Church, one of the largest churches here in the city of Baltimore.

I have to say, this is so important. Over the last several days, there has so much work in this community to keep things calm and to keep things peaceful. We have seen it from clergy and from elected officials. We've seen it from law enforcement as well. And it has largely been successful since the riot broke out on Monday. What do you think the reaction is today as we go forward and what do you intend to bring to the community as a message?

WALTER SCOTT THOMAS, BISHOP, NEW PSALMIST BAPTIST CHURCH: This is one. Most positive days we've seen in my lifetime. I think the community is going to be excited by this. The young people -- there will be those who have expected more but the reason they will expect more is because the problems are so great. But for the majority of persons in this city, this is an unbelievable and unprecedented activity. The states attorney charged people today. That was not something anyone was expecting.

BERMAN: I think you're right.

We're here with legal analyst, Sunny Hostin.

I have talked to same people you have. People did not expect this. At least not today they did not expect it. We heard a frustrated man that doesn't trust the legal system. This is the system at work, working the way that people have been frustrated it hasn't been working in the past. Officers may not be convicted. They'll face a jury.

THOMAS: The process has started. Wednesday night we were afraid it was going to be bad today. So the pastors do what pastors do. We call the city to pray. We call our friends across the country. We were worried about what would happen. We're a working community but we serve god. We know that only god could fix the problem here. Did we expect something this monumental? No. Did we expect to hear the states attorney give down indictments? No. Are we excited about it? Absolutely. This calms a lot in our city. Our young people have never seen a victory. Many of them who we see are 17 or 18, they came to their teenage years with Trayvon Martin. They have seen one defeat -- they've seen one person after another killed and nothing happened.

[11:35:] BERMAN: You call this a victory. You're not calling the riots, the violence that broke out on Monday a victory.

THOMAS: No, no, no.

BERMAN: The victory is in the work done since then. The victory is in the process here in the city of Baltimore with elected officials with this 35 year old elected states attorney who is following the law, correct?

THOMAS: The process gets the victory today. All of us tell young people to trust the process, trust the process, trust the process. They throw back in our faces, you can't trust the process. And today, we saw it work.

SUNNY HOSTIN, CNN LEGAL ANALYST: I've been speaking to a lot of young people since I've been here back in Baltimore and many, many young people were believing that these officers would not be charged and that they had no belief in the justice system and as a prosecutor, as a lawyer, that was so hurtful to me. They said our lives don't matter. So Freddie Gray's life won't matter. I think with this prosecutor coming forward and indicting the officers, even if there isn't a conviction, the notion now is that his life matters enough --

THOMAS: It matters.

HOSTIN: -- for these officers to be held accountable and for the process to begin.

THOMAS: And that's the key for the process to begin. We have never seen the process begin and now we get to see it. Our youngsters, this is new to them. It will take them a while to digest what this even means. They will now watch what the process looks like and how it goes step by step. They will learn. I'm 65. I was alive and a teenager in college when the riots. I wasn't in Baltimore. In '68, when we were the ones said black lives matter, I was in college. We were the generation saying black lives don't matter.

BERMAN: You're 65 years old. You look much younger than that. Let's stipulate that. You have seen a lot. You seem surprised today. You seem flat-out stunned by what happened today. What made the difference?

THOMAS: I'm a pastor and a preacher. I have to give credit to god. What else can you give credit to for this? No station was reporting before she spoke. I had CNN in my ear while I was standing down there with just seven-second delay and I heard the person downplaying expectations, which was the normal and right thing to do. No one expected this. This is such a blast out of the unusual that you have to credit it to someone who has unusual power.

BERMAN: Bishop, stand by for a minute.

Again, the news out of Baltimore today charges being filed against six police officers now in the death of Freddie Gray deemed a homicide. Very emotional time here in this city. And as we've been on the air for the last few minutes, you heard language, some salty language. It's understandable at times like this. We're sorry that it got on the air. There are bigger things at play here than some swear words.

We have much more coverage to come from Baltimore and the reaction to this remarkable news. Stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

[13:42:42] BERMAN: I'm John Berman, live in front of Baltimore city hall. The breaking news out of Baltimore, about 30 minutes ago states attorney, Marilyn Mosby, announced she said that to the youth of this city, I will seek justice on your behalf. That justice coming from the states attorney. She's pressing charges against six police officers. She's deemed the death of Freddie Gray more than 10 days ago to be a homicide. Charges being filed against those six officers ranging as high as depraved heart murder. Those charges filed against Caesar Goodson driving the police van in which Freddie Gray sustained the injuries to his spinal cord allegedly that ultimately led to his death.

I'm joined by Marc Lamont Hill from Los Angeles.

We have talked so many times about the issues affecting this city and cities across the country right now. I can tell you the reaction here to the news that charges have been filed. Emotional on the streets here. People are bullhorns. Car horns being blown. What's your reaction?

MARC LAMONT HILL, CNN POLITICAL COMMENTATOR: My reaction is one of surprise. I've been talking to people on the ground for the last three days. Many thought Friday would be a big day. Manage your expectations. There won't be bad news on Friday. There won't be any good news either. When that presser happened and news came out, people were cheering in the streets. They thought nothing good would come from this press conference. Instead they got something they didn't expect. I thought it was important that she outlined that drive Freddie Gray was on because it talks to the experience of black men and women every day often times picked up for no reason and handcuffed without charges and rough ride in the van. These things get swept under the rug. It's important those things got laid out.

We have to give Ms. Mosby credit here. She stood up to law enforcement and to police. Often times, state prosecutors stay on the same side of the fence as law enforcement. She stood up and was courageous and laid those charges out. I have to say to the community. The protests that happened from day one are partly what led to this. That's what put a spotlight on this case. That's what led to more information to come out and what led to more video to come out. The protests of the last 10 days are exactly why we're in the place that we are. This speaks to the power of why we fight.

[11:45:24] BERMAN: It's interesting, you point out, that state prosecutors stand up to place. Some of the information we were given initially has turned out not to be true. Initially we were told that Freddie Gray had a switchblade. He did not have a switchblade the evidence shows. He had a legal knife. No cause for arrest him in the first place. Even had he not died, Marc, as a result of injuries suffered in the back of the van, the behavior, she says, of those officers was at a minimum negligent if not much, much worse. He was asking for medical assistance. That assistance was not rendered. They observed him to need assistant an assistance and didn't get him what he need. You say the protests over the last 10 days have made a difference. It's really more than the last 10 days. The spotlight has been on this issue for some time now.

LAMONT HILL: Absolutely. You're right. That's why earlier in the week I made a point to call these uprisings because it's not an isolated incident. There's politics behind this. A level of organization behind this and profound frustration by black and Brown people in this country and White citizens at this point that law enforcement has overstepped its bounds and ritual of policing in America needs to be changed and practice of policing needs to be changed and we need wholesale criminal just reform at the least in this nation. National spotlight was on Baltimore and led to something that might be good.

We also can't celebrate too early. This wouldn't be the first time we've seen people charged and then ultimately not convicted because of some malfunction with the jury, some sort of prosecutorial error, some sort of misjudgment. Sometimes a rogue jury. All sorts of things could happen. I'm happy that we moved this far, I'm also very measured in my satisfaction as I said earlier. But, yeah, absolutely, this is a nationwide conversation.

BERMAN: Marc Lamont Hill, measured satisfaction.

Some reaction on the streets is they are grateful to some of law enforcement for the behavior over the last several days to help keep the peace after violence that broke out on Monday. And one reason you hear people satisfied that charges have been pressed -- no one convicted, but charges filed right now -- it puts blame on what people consider to be bad practices by officers and doesn't condemn every police officer. I think that's important to note here.

I want to bring in Joe Johns. Joe is standing by at the police staging area.

There are marches are planned for later today, big protests for this weekend and before this news was announced just a short time ago, there was some concern in the community here that these protests could take a bad turn over the coming days -- Joe?

JOE JOHNS, CNN SENIOR WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: There was a lot of concern, especially on Saturday when the very same group that held a protest last Saturday and brought huge numbers of people was planning another one for tomorrow.

I have been reaching out for reaction around the city on the announcement by Maryland Mosby. I've been told the mayor of Baltimore, Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, will be scheduling a news conference around 1:00 eastern time here in the city and also appears that she's going to try to take control of the message that has really gotten out of control in many ways for the Baltimore city government. She's been criticized by officials and individuals who are familiar with how city governments work around the country that she wasn't aggressively in control of the message. We're told to expect a news conference and to hear from her around 1:00 eastern time here in the city.

Also, I spoke to Congressman Elijah Cummings of Maryland. The congressman, marching around the city with protesters but aggressively trying to keep the peace. He told me that he was very pleased with the fact that in his view Mosby looked carefully at the evidence and believes in her integrity and her sense of justice. He is expected to show up around city hall probably within the hour as more and more people who have been players in this drama that's been seen around the now start to react to the news that charges are being if filed in the case.

John, back to you.

[11:50:15] Yeah. I have to say, there's nothing less than excitement here in many quarters that the process has played out this way.

Again, these six officers not convicted of anything but they will be charged and many people here in the city see that as the process working, or as they would say, finally working.

There is so much more to discuss, including what will happen over the next several hours. School will be letting out soon. So many students who were part of the unrest on Monday, they will be getting this news for the first time and going home. What will happen then? We're going to speak to some people here who have been working with the community. So stay with us.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK) BERMAN: I'm John Berman here in Baltimore. The breaking news in this city, the states attorney announced a short time ago she has deemed the death of Freddie Gray to be a homicide and is filing charges against the six police officers involved, she says, in his death.

Let me lay out these charges for you right now. For Officer Caesar Goodson, the man driving the police van, second degree depraved-heart murder and involuntary manslaughter and second degree negligent assault. For Officer William Porter, he faces involuntary manslaughter, assault in the second degree, misconduct in office. Those are just some of the charges. Also Lieutenant Brian Rice charged with involuntary manslaughter.

You guys got to keep moving this more fastly.

Assault in the second degree, misconduct in office, false imprisonment. Edward Nero faces intentional assault in the second degree, second degree negligent misconduct in office, false imprisonment. There is also officer Garret Miller who is charged with intentional assault in the second degree, assault in the second degree, negligent misconduct, false imprisonment. And finally, Alicia White, involuntary manslaughter, assault in the second degree and misconduct in office.

That is a wide array of charges against six police officers. The most is the second degree depraved-heart murder against officer Goodson carries a maximum 30 years in prison if convicted of the charges.

We're joined by Jay Johnson, national organizer of nationalblacklivesmatter.com.

Jay, you were with Marilyn Mosby in the moment she is made this dramatic announcement. She did not tell you what she was going to say. You did not know what her decision would be. Describe what is but like to be with her and as she made that announcement.

JAY JOHNSON, NATIONALBLACKLIVESMATTER.COM: Let me clarify something. Official blacklivesmatter.com is different than blacklivesmatter.com. We're focused on what happened here today, which is police brutality. In the moments before those announcements were made, there was a tense atmosphere because everyone is looking to see whether or not this is going to reverberate across the nation. The people thought they had a case, the people did have a case. When she came out and made that announcement, you could have seen it like a tidal wave ripple across not only the faces of those folks the journalists and the correspondents, but those of us standing with her, those of us she asked to pray before she went out.

A sense that what I'm about to deliver is not only going to be groundbreaking, but it is going to send a message to the people that we have heard you and she said that. And she reiterated that. I would say to all of the factions across the country, all the different organizations, each and every person who thought they had a voice in this matter, you were heard. So even though protests still go on, even though we see the wheels of justice now turning, we know it's a long process, but the only thing that they were asking was that they begin to turn. And in turning they have. So when she announced this, you can imagine that all of us felt a sense of elation, but she gave no indication what was about to happen.

[11:56:02] BERMAN: Is this proof to you that at least in this case, to this system, that black lives do matter?

JOHNSON: Well, in actuality, we've all heard it said all lives matter. All lives have always mattered. For some reason the statistic prove in the Walter Scott case, Eric Garner case, so many other cases across the country, this is not the first, probably won't be the last but we know there's a sense of redress.

BERMAN: What she also did was lay out some of the evidence here she has not all of it, wasn't going to give us all, but she made the case and explained why in this case she is filing charges.

JOHNSON: In actuality what she also did was cleared up a lot of speculation, a lot of misinformation. She actually laid out the criminality of what actually happened. She showed probable cause and then on top of that, she then proceeded to say, I've issued a warrant. Therefore, the people collectively of the United States, that have lost trust in law enforcement, that have lost trust in the judicial system, now feel if they voice loud enough, their constitutional right as they have done across many cities, yesterday and now they can do this again today, to say that you hear us and that the system will respond.

BERMAN: So now what? Now what? There are three demonstrations planned for this afternoon, a big march planned for tomorrow. What do you want to see on the streets of Baltimore now?

JOHNSON: One thing and one thing only, continue to raise awareness to the issue, but celebrate. Celebrate the victory that, at this time, you have made the judicial and the police force hear you, that now you can begin the dialog. We can celebrate by raising our hands to sing, celebrate by marching in a mass. This is not the NBA Double or the Final Four, we don't have to burn stuff and turn stuff over, what we can do is it continue to show that people have always had the power. That's what the Constitution was built on. Those protests, still protesting those issues that are still pending in other cities, Baltimore has led the way. Baltimore has made an example, so those protests should be celebratory.

BERMAN: Sunny Hostin, Kate Bolduan along with me in New York.

There is so much more of the breaking news coverage. Freddie Gray his death deemed a homicide charges filed against six police officers.

More news after this.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ANNOUNCER: This is CNN breaking news.

[12:00:02] ASHLEIGH BANFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: Hello, everyone. I'm Ashleigh Banfield. I want to welcome our viewers in the United States and around the world as well.