Baltimore’s April riots were triggered by the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody. Hoping to stop the violence, State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby announced she would file murder and manslaughter charges against six Baltimore police officers. Her rush to prosecution was a risky move. If the officers are acquitted, the riots will likely return, and Mosby will pay the political price.
Riots are nothing new, nor are the difficult decisions that face prosecutors in their wake. Forty-five years ago, the nation’s spotlight was on Santa Barbara’s student community of Isla Vista, where rioting youths burned a Bank of America branch to the ground. As Santa Barbara County District Attorney, I had to decide whom to prosecute. Would it be the young protestors, the leaders who incited them, or the law officers they accused of brutality?
Over 900 arrests were made during the trio of spring riots, aptly named Isla Vista I, Isla Vista II, and Isla Vista III. My office prosecuted most of those arrested, but the biggest fish got away. And despite evidence of police misconduct, neither state nor federal authorities nor I could find enough evidence to prosecute any law officer.