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You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2015/sep/02/first-court-hearing-begins-in-death-of-freddie-gray-in-baltimore
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| Baltimore protester arrested at first Freddie Gray court hearing | Baltimore protester arrested at first Freddie Gray court hearing |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Police arrested one protester on Wednesday morning, as a crowd gathered outside the first court hearing since six Baltimore police officers were criminally charged in the death of Freddie Gray. | Police arrested one protester on Wednesday morning, as a crowd gathered outside the first court hearing since six Baltimore police officers were criminally charged in the death of Freddie Gray. |
| Related: All six Baltimore police officers in Freddie Gray case indicted by grand jury | Related: All six Baltimore police officers in Freddie Gray case indicted by grand jury |
| A witness told the Guardian the arrested protester, Kwame Rose, had been struck by a vehicle and may have been pepper-sprayed. | A witness told the Guardian the arrested protester, Kwame Rose, had been struck by a vehicle and may have been pepper-sprayed. |
| Gray was an African American man who died in April, a week after suffering a spinal injury in custody. His death led to protests and a riot that prompted the deployment of the national guard and the mayor to declare a city-wide curfew. | Gray was an African American man who died in April, a week after suffering a spinal injury in custody. His death led to protests and a riot that prompted the deployment of the national guard and the mayor to declare a city-wide curfew. |
| On Wednesday, the court heard motions from the defence team for the police officers. The defence called for the district attorney’s office and state’s attorney Marilyn Mosby, who became a national figure when she announced charges against the officers, to be recused from the case. | |
| The charges against the officers range from second-degree assault, a misdemeanor, to second-degree “depraved-heart” murder. | The charges against the officers range from second-degree assault, a misdemeanor, to second-degree “depraved-heart” murder. |
| The defence claimed statements made by Mosby on the day she announced the charges had “poisoned the minds” of potential jurors, “basically trampled” on the defendants’ fair-trial rights and “made a fair trial difficult or possibly impossible”. | The defence claimed statements made by Mosby on the day she announced the charges had “poisoned the minds” of potential jurors, “basically trampled” on the defendants’ fair-trial rights and “made a fair trial difficult or possibly impossible”. |
| The defence also claimed that Mosby had “led a sort of pep rally”. | The defence also claimed that Mosby had “led a sort of pep rally”. |
| Police make arrest as pre-trial hearings begin in the #FreddieGray case. http://t.co/DBF4SVhPVY pic.twitter.com/Frje3sQATt | Police make arrest as pre-trial hearings begin in the #FreddieGray case. http://t.co/DBF4SVhPVY pic.twitter.com/Frje3sQATt |
| As her representatives defended her against a motion they called “nonsensical and ridiculous”, Mosby sat silently in court. | As her representatives defended her against a motion they called “nonsensical and ridiculous”, Mosby sat silently in court. |
| “Forests have been destroyed by the amount of paper defense have used to argue these issues, and they are simply not trial issues,” the prosecution said. | “Forests have been destroyed by the amount of paper defense have used to argue these issues, and they are simply not trial issues,” the prosecution said. |
| Outside, a group of roughly 20 protesters marched from the courthouse steps down to the inner harbour. One of them, Rose, appeared to have been struck by a vehicle on the street. | Outside, a group of roughly 20 protesters marched from the courthouse steps down to the inner harbour. One of them, Rose, appeared to have been struck by a vehicle on the street. |
| Megan Kenny, another protester, witnessed the event. “We did block some traffic,” she told the Guardian. “Next thing I know, [Rose] was on the ground saying he was hit by a car.”She said Rose also looked like he had been sprayed with pepper spray, but said Rose did not confirm this. | Megan Kenny, another protester, witnessed the event. “We did block some traffic,” she told the Guardian. “Next thing I know, [Rose] was on the ground saying he was hit by a car.”She said Rose also looked like he had been sprayed with pepper spray, but said Rose did not confirm this. |
| An ambulance is here for @kwamerose. #FreddieGray pic.twitter.com/hW8h7UrQbV | An ambulance is here for @kwamerose. #FreddieGray pic.twitter.com/hW8h7UrQbV |
| “He had stuff around his eyes, around his mouth,” she said. | “He had stuff around his eyes, around his mouth,” she said. |
| Police handcuffed Rose, Kenny said, and put him in an ambulance. After that, the protesters dispersed. | Police handcuffed Rose, Kenny said, and put him in an ambulance. After that, the protesters dispersed. |
| Earlier, as dozens of sheriff’s deputies patrolled the streets, protesters outside the court carried yellow signs with slogans including “Stop racism now” and “Indict, convict, jail”. One banner read: “Justice 4 Freddie Carlos Gray”. | Earlier, as dozens of sheriff’s deputies patrolled the streets, protesters outside the court carried yellow signs with slogans including “Stop racism now” and “Indict, convict, jail”. One banner read: “Justice 4 Freddie Carlos Gray”. |
| The protesters chanted: “Tell the truth and stop the lies, Freddie Gray didn’t have to die” and “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail. The whole damn system is guilty as hell.” | The protesters chanted: “Tell the truth and stop the lies, Freddie Gray didn’t have to die” and “Indict, convict, send those killer cops to jail. The whole damn system is guilty as hell.” |
| Protesters briefly stopped traffic near the city’s Inner Harbor neighborhood, near the courthouse, local news outlets reported before 10am. | Protesters briefly stopped traffic near the city’s Inner Harbor neighborhood, near the courthouse, local news outlets reported before 10am. |
| One protester, Lee Paterson, said he remained concerned charges could be dropped. | One protester, Lee Paterson, said he remained concerned charges could be dropped. |
| He also said: “You know, this whole thing is bigger than Freddie Gray. It’s about poverty.” | He also said: “You know, this whole thing is bigger than Freddie Gray. It’s about poverty.” |