Celebrating NATIONAL FINANCIAL LITERACY MONTH Volume 133 No. 38
THE BLACK MEDIA AUTHORITY • AFRO.COM
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APRIL 19, 2025 - APRIL 25, 2025
10 years later: Leaders speak on death of Freddie Gray and Baltimore’s struggle for change
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana
AP Photo/Patrick Semansky
Ten years after Freddie Gray’s tragic death Baltimore’s faith and community leaders continue to reflect on the brutal incident that shook the nation. Gray died April 19, 2015 from a severe spinal injury sustained during an April 12, 2015 arrest by Baltimore police. His death sparked protests and on the day of his April 27, 2015 funeral at New Shiloh Baptist Church, riots broke out. While progress in police reform and accountability has been made, advocates say the fight for racial justice and the dismantling of systemic inequalities in Baltimore is far from over. By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com
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It’s been 10 years since 25-year-old Freddie Gray was arrested on April 12 by Baltimore police and suffered a fatal spinal cord injury while in custody. His April 19, 2015 death cast a national spotlight on Baltimore, sparking citywide protests. On the day of his funeral, April 27, riots broke out. The movement fueled a growing call for police accountability. Today, faith and community leaders are still grappling with the tragedy and what’s changed— and what
hasn’t— in Baltimore since Gray’s life ended shortly after coming into contact with Baltimore police officers. Pastor Harold Carter Jr., of New Shiloh Baptist Church, recalled hearing about the “rough ride” Gray was subjected to. Though Gray was handcuffed and shackled, the police officers who arrested him did not secure him with a seatbelt, a violation of the Baltimore Police Department’s (BPD) policy. Carter remembers hearing that some BPD members had a pattern of engaging in this behavior. “There was a certain group of police officers who, when they picked up people, put
them in the back of the paddy wagon. Even though they were restrained, they were not seat-belted,” said Carter. “They were driven through the city, and there were certain curves where they got slammed around.” Carter recalls wanting more information about the reason for Gray’s arrest. On the morning of April 12, 2015, Gray was standing on a street corner in the Sandtown-Winchester neighborhood when he made eye contact with Lieutenant Brian Rice, a police officer on bike patrol for BPD. Gray subsequently fled, and Rice chased after him. Officers Garrett Miller and
Edward Nero, who were also on bike patrol, joined Rice in his pursuit. Gray surrendered to Miller after the officer threatened to use his taser. While apprehending Gray, the officers discovered what they believed to be an illegal switchblade knife. A recording exists of Gray being arrested. As he is put into the police van he screams in pain. He was then transported in a police van for nearly 40 minutes— shackled and unbelted. By the time he arrived at the police station, he had sustained a severe spinal cord injury during the ride, likely from hitting his head on the interior of the van. Reports from
the Department of Justice say authorities did not believe he was actually injured, but instead of being booked, Gray was taken to a hospital. There, the 25-year-old fell into a coma and later died on April 19, 2015 as a result of his injuries. Though Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby charged all of the officers involved in Gray’s arrest and death with crimes ranging from manslaughter, assault, misconduct in office and false imprisonment, none were ultimately convicted. None of the officers were fired from their posts either. “It was alarming because it seemed as though it did
not have to be that way. There were rumblings as to whether or not police were getting away with something or whether they were trying to cover up what had actually happened,” said Carter. “There was also a certain sense of helplessness because you didn’t know where to go to get the ‘right’ truth.” Billy Murphy, the attorney for Gray’s family, reached out to Carter to ask him to hold his funeral service at New Shiloh Baptist Church. The church is located in the Mondawmin neighborhood, just a short distance from where Gray grew up in Sandtown-Winchester.
Fight over return of wrongfully deported Maryland man heats up By Megan Sayles AFRO Staff Writer msayles@afro.com Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele has said he will not release a Maryland father who was wrongly deported to a notorious El Salvador mega prison last month. Kilmar Abrego Garcia was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on March 12 and sent to the Central American country’s terrorism confinement center known as “CECOT” on March 15. His deportation defied a 2019 order from a U.S. immigration judge that protected him from deportation to El Salvador due to credible threats to his life from gangs in the country. Though the U.S. Supreme Court has instructed the U.S.
government to “facilitate” his return, during an April 14 Oval Office meeting with the 47th president, Bukele said helping Abrego Garcia return would be “preposterous,” according to AP reporting. “The question is preposterous. How can I smuggle a terrorist into the United States?” said Bukele to reporters in the Oval Office on April 14. “I don’t have the power to return him to the United States.” Maryland legislator doubles down Bukele’s response came one day after a meeting request from Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.). Upon learning that El Salvador has no intentions of helping to facilitate Abrego Garcia’s return, the Maryland senator reiterated his plans to travel to the Central American country if Abrego Garcia is not back in the states this
week. “I’ve made clear that if we can’t meet here, I do intend to go to El Salvador to discuss the release of this individual who is illegally detained— a Maryland man, who is the father of three in a notorious prison in El Salvador,” said Van Hollen, in an April 14 video on his X account. “I believe the president of El Salvador will recognize why it’s important to allow him to return to the United States of America because it is absolutely unjust and illegal to have this Marylander detained one more day in a notorious prison in El Salvador.” Van Hollen pointed out that the 47th president could have requested that Bukele return Abrego Garcia to the U.S., but he didn’t— something he was not surprised about. The 47th presidential administration maintains that
Abrego Garcia is a member of the MS-13 gang, though none of these claims have been substantiated and no charges have been brought against him. “This is an administration that has lied about Mr. Abrego Garcia. The vice president of the United States tweeted out that he has a criminal record. That was a lie. They’re just lying,” continued Van Hollen. “They’ve gotten caught lying. They don’t want to admit it. They have an obligation to bring him home, but I will say the president of El Salvador should not now take it upon himself to say that he is detaining him for one more day because that is kidnapping.” Hundreds caught up in U.S.Salvadoran CECOT deal In 2025, the 47th president entered into a deal with Bukele in which the U.S. will pay $6 million annually to
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CASA via AP
Maryland resident Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia remains jailed in an El Salavadoran mega prison, a month after his unlawful deportation from the U.S. on March 15. detain individuals deported from the U.S. in El Salvador’s CECOT prison. These individuals include those that the administration suspects to be members of gangs, like MS-13 and Tren de Aragua.