DEBORAH: WELCOME BACK TO THIS
SPECIAL EDITION OF "11 NEWS: THE
TRIAL OF OFFICER WILLIAM
PORTER."
RIGHT NOW WE WANT TO TURN TO ONE
OF THE CENTRAL FIGURES IN THIS
CASE, FREDDIE GRAY.
HE WAS A 25-YEAR-OLD MAN THAT'S
BEEN ADOPTED BY A MOVEMENT
BUT WHO WAS FREDDIE GRAY?
I TALKED TO THOSE WHO KNEW HIM
AS A CHILD GROWING UP IN WEST
BALTIMOR
IN THE WINCHESTER COMMUNITY
,
FREDDIE GRAY CAN BE SEEN
EVERYWHERE, AND SOME SAY IN
EVERYONE.
FREDDIE GRAY IS LARGER THAN LIFE
ON HIS HOME, A STONE'S THROW
FROM WHERE GRAY WAS ARRESTED ON
THAT FATEFUL DAY IN APRIL.
>> FREDDIE GRAY WAS A YOUNG M
WHO, LIKE A LOT OF OTHERS OUT
HERE ON THE STREE
, JUST MOVING
AROUND AIMLESSLY, NOT HAVING A
GOAL OR ANY DIRECTION.
DEBORA AND LIVING IN A PART OF
THE CITY WHERE THE SPECIFIC --
STATISTICS ARE GRIM, 30% OF
FAMILIES BELOW THE POVERTY
LEVEL, UNEMPLOYMENT ALMOST TWICE
AS HIGH AS THE CITY'S OVERALL
RATE, AND ONLY FOUR OTHER
COMMUNITIES IN BALTIMORE HAVE
HIGH
INCIDENCE OF VIOLATIONS.
>> YOU HAVE A LOT OF KIDS THAT
WANT SOMETHING O OF LIFE.
THEY JUST NEED GUIDANCE AND THAT
PUSH.
AND I THINK FREDDIE GRAY WAS ONE
OF THOSE KIDS.
DEBORA TRINA ASHLEY RAISED
THREE BOYS IN PUBLI
HOUSING.
>> H WAS AN OUTGOING YOUNG MAN.
DEBORAH: BUT A MAN
WITH MANY
CHALLENGES.
>> THEY CALL KIDS PROBLEM KIDS.
THEY ARE NOT PROBLEM KIDS.
THEY ARE KIDS WITH A PROBLEM.
THIS PLACE HAS MOLD, LEAD,
ASBESTOS, AND IT TAKES A TOLL ON
KIDS GROWING UP.
DEBORA
GRAY, AND HIS TWIN
SISTER FREDRICKA, WHO CALLED FOR
CALM HER AND THE RIOTS, RECEIVED
SETTLEMENT MON
FROM LEAD
POISONING.
BUT FREDDIE GRAY WAS CHARGED 15
TIMES DATING BACK TO 2007,
MOSTLY IN DRUG CASES.
HE WAS ON SUPERVISED PROBATION.
>> HE WAS LIKE SO MANY OF THE
YOUNG MEN IN THIS COMMUNITY.
DEBORA THIS COMMUNITY
ACTIVIST
SAYS THAT GRAY WAS IGNORED AND
NEGLECTED, THOUGH NOT
INTENTIONALLY.
>> WE LIVE IN AN ENVIRONMENT
WHERE I'VE GOT TO PAY THE RENT,
PUT FOOD ON THE TABLE, AND I MAY
NOT SHOW UP AT YOUR SCHOOL, I
MAY NOT HAVE TIME TO SHOW YOU A
BETTER WAY BECAUSE NO ONE SHOWED
ME ONE.
DEBORAH: THE UNREMARKABLE LIFE
OF FREDDIE GRAY -- A
LIFE THAT
BECAME COMPELLING TO MANY OTHERS
ONLY WHEN IT ENDED.
STAN
THE OFFICER CURRENTLY ON
TRIAL IN FREDDIE GRAY'S DEATH,
WILLIAM PORTER, FACES CHARGES OF
INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER,
ASSAULT, RECKLESS ENDANGERMENT,
AND MISCONDUCT IN OFFICE.
THE 26-YEAR-OLD GREW UP IN EAST
BALTIMORE.
THE DEFENSE SAYS PORTER WAS
RAISED BY A SINGLE MOTHER.
PORTER FREQUENTED A POLICE
ATHLETIC LEAGUE RECREATI
CENTER GROWING UP
AND POLICE HAD A POSITIVE
INFLUENCE ON HIM.
PORTER JOINED THE FORCE IN 2012.
HIS ATTORNEYS SAYS, AS AN
OFFICER, PORTER WANTED TO MAKE A
POSITIVE DIFFERENCE BECAUSE HE
UNDERSTOOD WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING
THROUGH.
PORTER HAS NO RECORD OF
MISCONDUCT IN OFFICE
AND HERE AGAIN IS THE BREAKDOWN
OF THE JURY THAT WILL WEIGH IN
ON THE EVIDENCE AGAINST WILLIAM
PORTER.
FIVE BLACK WOMEN, THREE BLACK
MEN, THREE WHITE WOMEN, AND ONE
WHITE MALE.
THERE ARE THREE ALTERNATE
JURORS, ALL OF THEM M -- FOR
ALTERNATE JURORS, ALL OF THE
MEN, THREE WHITE, ONE BLACK.
DEBORA JOINING ME NOW IS TESSA
HILL-ASTON, HEAD OF THE LOCAL
CHAPTER OF THE NAACP.
TESSA, YOU'VE BEEN IN THE
COURTROOM EVERY DAY.
WHAT ARE YOUR IMPRESSIONS?
TESSA: I THINK IT
GOING
REALLY WELL.
THE JUDGE HAS A HANDLE ON IT.
I WAS THERE DURING THE JUROR
SELECTION.
I THINK IT MAKES UP THE LOOK OF
BALTIMORE.
MOSTLY WOMEN.
AND I THINK IT LOOKS LIKE THE
PROFILE OF BALTIMORE IN THE
COURTROOM.
DEBORAH: YOU HAVE BEEN ON THE
GROUND IN THE CITY FOR A LONG
TIME.
YOU MADE THE DECISION IT WAS
VERY IMPORTANT FOR THE NAA TO
HAVE A DAILY PRESENCE AT THIS
CRITICAL TIME FOR THE CITY.
WHY DID YOU MAKE THAT
COMMITMENT?
AND YOU HAVE BEEN THERE FOR THE
LONG HAUL, THROUGH ALL THE
TRIALS?
IS THAT CORRECT?
TESS YES,
I HAVE BEEN THERE
EVERY DAY.
I HAVE BEEN THER SINCE APRIL
WITH OTHER MEMBERS OF THE NAACP.
I THINK THE BEST WAY TO HELP THE
COMMUNITY IS TO BE OUT IN THE
STREET AND FEEL IT.
EVEN IN THE EVENING, I DRIVE UP
HANSEL VIGNETTE AVENUE AND STOP.
I HAVE A HISTORY OF PENNSYLVANIA
AVENUE.
I DID FUNDRAISERS.
I WAS AN ACTING MANAGER AT
GILMORE FOR A WILD.
SO, I KNOW THE COMMUNITY WELL.
DEBORAH: YOU DO.
I WANT TO ASK YOU -- YOU HAVE
BEEN IN THE COURTROOM
AND YOU
HAVE HAD OPPORTUNITIES TO SPEAK
WITH FREDDIE GRAY'S MOTHER AND
TRANSIT IS TO.
HOW ARE THEY DOING?
TESSA: I THINK THEY ARE SHOWING
A LOT OF GOOD STRENGTH.
THEY ARE BONDING.
I GAVE THE MOTHER A HUG.
THE TWIN LOOKS JUST LIKE
FREDDIE.
AS A FAMILY WITH THIS
KIND OF
TRAGEDY, THEY ARE DOING WELL.
FOR ANY FAMILY, BUT FOR A MOTHER
TO GO THROUGH THAT, IT'S A
TRAGIC SITUATION FOR HER TO
ENDURE.
IT'S GOING TO BE PAINFUL.
IT WILL BE A PROCESS SHE IS GO
THROUGH FOR THE NEXT SEVERAL
MONTHS.
DEBORAH: LET ME ASK YOU, WITH
THE NAACP HAVING A PRESENCE IN
THE COURTROOM EVERY DAY, YOUR
PRESENCE, DOES IT VALIDATE THE
OUTCOME, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS?
TESS WE ARE THERE
REGARDLESS
OF THE OUTCOME.
WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE TRAGEDY AND
THE DEATH OF A YOUNG M, YOU
KNOW, THE FAMILY AND THE
COMMUNITY WANT THE OUTCOME FOR
JUSTICE FOR FREDDIE.
BUT WE ARE THERE BECAUSE WE WANT
TO SUPPORT THE FAMILY.
I WORK WITH THE
POLICE
DEPARTMENT, BUT IN ANY
PROFESSION THERE ARE BAD APPLES.
DEBORA FINALLY YOU WERE QUOTED
IN "THE NEW YORK TIMES" SAYING
OF THIS CASE, "IT'S NOT A BLACK
THING, IT'S NOT A WHITE THING,
IT'S NOT A RACIAL THING."
SO, WHAT IS IT THEN?
TESSA: I THINK IT IS BAD
POLICING.
I THINK THERE ARE PEOPLE WITH
LOW EXPECTATIONS OF THOSE THAT
THEY SERVE.
WE CAN COMPLAINTS ALL OVER THE
CITY.
IN THE AFRICAN-AMERICA
COMMUNITIES, THE POORER
COMMUNITIES, WHERE THERE ARE
LOTS OF AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN
STANDING AROUND, THEY GET
HARASSED SOMETIMES.
I KNOW FOR A FACT NOT EVERYONE
STANDING ON THE CORNER IS A DRUG
DEALER.
THEY NEED HELP WITH EMPLOYMENT,