BALTIMORE, Md. (AP) - The attorney for the family of a black man whose fatal neck injury in the back of a police van touched off riots in Baltimore says a Justice Department report indicates there are "widespread human cancers" in the city's police department.
Billy Murphy said Tuesday that "these human tumors must be promptly and surgically removed before they spread their human cancer any further."
Murphy helped Freddie Gray's family secure a $6.4 million civil settlement from the city. He stood by Gray's step father, Richard Shipley, during a news conference after meeting with Justice Department officials in Baltimore.
Murphy says he appreciates the Justice Department report, and he's looking forward to working for change. He says the findings indicate the city has "a law enforcement emergency" that requires prompt and thorough action."
Congressional Reaction
Rep. Elijah Cummings says the Justice Department's report on the Baltimore Police Department validates what many city residents already know, that the trust between police and communities "is in desperate need of repair."
Cummings said in a statement that the statistics in the report released Wednesday are "astounding" and the violations of rights are unacceptable. The report finds that Baltimore police officers routinely discriminate against blacks, use excessive force and are not adequately disciplined for misconduct.
Cummings says he looks forward to the Justice Department's suggestions for solving the problems.
In a statement, Sen. Ben Cardin says he will work with the delegation and federal agency partners to make sure Baltimore has the resources needed to carry out wide-ranging reforms. He says Baltimore's residents who were denied justice and equal treatment under the law are owed? the opportunity to make the police department a model for the nation.
