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Convicted and suspected dirty cops, hundreds of tainted cases and hundreds of police officers with tarnished reputations signal trouble for Baltimore crime fighting and efforts to obtain justice

NNPA NEWSWIRE — Many learned about the Baltimore City Police through the case of Freddie Gray, who died in April 2015 following his arrest after running away from cops patrolling his neighborhood. Cell phone video of his arrest show an obviously injured Gray being dragged between two bicycle cops to a paddy wagon. Officers handcuffed and shackled the young Black man but left him unbuckled in the back of a police van. He suffered fatal injuries from an almost severed spine.

Published

7 years ago

November 3, 2019

Oakland Post

Marilyn Mosby, Baltimore City State's Attorney at the Baltimore Women's March Gathering Rally at War Memorial Plaza at 101 North Gay Street in Baltimore MD. Photo: Elvert Barnes Protest Photography/Wikimedia Commons)

By Nisa Islam Muhammad, Staff Writer, The Final Call
@nisaislam

Crooked cops are what Baltimore States Attorney Marilyn Mosby has come fact-to-face with. She recently asked courts to throw out nearly 800 criminal cases handled by 25 city police officers, saying she had reason to distrust more than a dozen cops in addition to the eight convicted in the infamous Gun Trace Task Force scandal that rocked the city police department.

Then the states attorney said her office has “hundreds” of police officers whose reputations are suspect, and a list of names was given to the police department. The information came to light during a forum about policing. “Video clips of her remarks spread online and captured the attention of defense lawyers in Baltimore. According to the states attorney, her office ‘created an internal sort of notification system. We notify the police department whenever there is a sustained allegation of credibility issues or even an allegation that isn’t sustained. So, we will summarize whatever the issue may be, and then we provide that list to the police department for them to determine what they’re going to do with their employee. … There are hundreds of officers on that list,’” she said, according to a Baltimore Sun report Oct. 18.

She hasn’t gone into further detail, nor responded to requests from defense lawyers for access to the names of officers on the list.

There were 183 officers flagged by Ms. Mosby’s office, Matt Jablow, a police spokesman told the Sun. “‘We are aware of the list and the officers who are on it,’ Jablow wrote in an email. ‘Some of the issues involve current Internal Affairs investigations that could result in discipline, though there are many officers who are on the list despite allegations of wrongdoing that were not sustained,’” according to the Sun.

“Prosecutors are held to an ethical standard of pursuing justice over convictions, and when you have sworn police officers involved in egregious and long-standing criminal activity, such as planting guns and drugs, stealing drugs and money, selling drugs, making illegal arrests and bringing false charges, our legal and ethical obligation in the pursuit of justice leaves us no other recourse but to ‘right the wrongs’ of unjust convictions associated with corrupt police officers. Police corruption is a hindrance to public safety, puts the lives of hard-working and dedicated officers at risk, and limits our ability as prosecutors to deliver justice on behalf of the citizens of Baltimore,” Ms. Mosby said in early October.

Many learned about the Baltimore City Police through the case of Freddie Gray, who died in April 2015 following his arrest after running away from cops patrolling his neighborhood. Cell phone video of his arrest show an obviously injured Gray being dragged between two bicycle cops to a paddy wagon. Officers handcuffed and shackled the young Black man but left him unbuckled in the back of a police van. He suffered fatal injuries from an almost severed spine.

City officials were slow in releasing details of the circumstances surrounding his death, but many believe Mr. Gray’s injuries came after he was given a “rough ride” where those in police custody are left unrestrained and violently tossed around in a fast-moving police van.

Anger and riots exploded in the city following his death and how he was handled by police made national news. No officer was convicted of wrongdoing in connection with his demise.

The U.S. Justice Department found in 2016 that the Baltimore City Police Department “engages in a pattern and practice that violates the U.S. Constitution,” and the “BPD disproportionately stops, searches, and arrests African Americans in violation of Title VI and the Safe Streets Act, and this disparate impact, along with evidence suggesting intentional discrimination against African Americans, exacerbates community distrust of the police.”

Abdul Salaam was driving home with his son when he was pulled over by the Baltimore City Police in 2013. In front of his son strapped in his car seat and a crowd of 30 neighbors, officers snatched him out of the car, he stated.

“They terrorized and beat me badly,” Mr. Salaam told The Final Call. “They went through my van, claimed to be looking for guns and drugs. These were plainclothes officers in unmarked cars. They were drug and gun enforcement officers. They said they pulled me over for a seat belt violation. As they got out of their cars, they had guns drawn. That’s not the routine approach for a traffic violation,” he continued.

“They pulled me out, slammed me down, handcuffed me, picked me up, hogtied me, gave me the ‘Baltimore knee drop’ in the back of my neck area while I was hogtied and carted me off to the hospital and then central booking. This is their common pattern and practice, not what they do when they stop you for a seat belt violation. It was not so commonly known back then.”

Mr. Salaam spent two nights in jail and upon his release immediately found a lawyer to file suit against the Baltimore Police Department.

Many of Baltimore’s Black residents look at the police with distrust and the problems have continued.

“It’s unfortunate that she has to take this step,” said Farajii Muhammad about Atty. Mosby. He is host of Morgan State University’s WEAA Radio Daily Show, “For The Culture.” “You want to make sure that you have clean, good cases but considering the impact the Gun Trace Task Force made on the department, a lot of those cases forced her to take this route,” he explained.

The Gun Trace Task Force was a police street unit that was involved in robbery, drug selling, stealing police overtime, planting evidence and other wrongdoing. According to the Baltimore City State’s Attorney’s Office, the tainted cases involve additional officers convicted in a different federal case, six implicated in Gun Trace Task Force testimony, two in unrelated other cases and seven officers who remain unidentified.

“You don’t want to continue to perpetuate wrongful actions and unfortunately that happens a lot in Baltimore City. It’s a step that many people don’t want to take but at the end of the day I think it’s the right step and a necessary step to rectify the wrongs for the people who were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. It may be necessary,” said Mr. Muhammad.

“The Gun Trace Task Force was a very reckless unit. They were reckless for many, many years. It will be important that we look at that. The states attorney of Baltimore realizes that we are still grappling with what happened to Freddie Gray, now we’re grappling with the Gun Trace Task Force.”

Mr. Salaam took his case to court to fight the crooked cops that illegally stopped, searched and beat him.

“It cost $10,000 just to get a good lawyer. Two weeks after my situation another young man died at the hands of the police, Tyrone West. I met that family three days later. They explained what happened to him was the same thing that happened to me. When I went to court, I felt these were the same cops that were involved with Tyrone West. My lawyer investigated and found that the officers were the same,” said Mr. Salaam.

“Since that time, we have been very prominent in the city bringing to light the Baltimore Police Department’s wicked ways, as well as their pattern and practice of terrorizing communities. My criminal charges were dropped, I filed a civil suit against the Baltimore Police Department and won.”

Even after the Justice Department’s report that condemned the police department for racism, unreasonable force, violating the rights of Baltimore residents by using force or otherwise retaliating against individuals exercising constitutionally protected activity, such as public speech and filming police activity, excessive force against individuals with mental health disabilities or experiencing a crisis, many are still waiting for major improvements.

To counter the growing divide between the community and the police, the state created Maryland’s Commission to Restore Trust in Policing in December 2018, and Governor Larry Hogan signed the bill into law giving the commission subpoena power for investigations. Their first report is expected in December 2019.

“It’s going to take us to stop and look back and see how far does this corruption go? In this case the corruption goes far. Even though those members of the task force have been convicted, the impact of their misdeeds are still being revealed,” said Mr. Muhammad.

The city also faces lawsuits from those who say they were victimized by corrupt cops. It was not immediately clear if anyone connected with the tainted cases is still incarcerated.

(Final Call staff contributed to this report.)

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2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring Review — Is This $136K EV Sedan Worth It?

AUTONETWORK ON BLACKPRESSUSA — Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, but it still feels elegant instead of trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2026

Oakland Post

The 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring is the kind of luxury EV that makes people stop and ask a simple question: Is this really better than a Tesla Model S, Mercedes EQS, or BMW i7? At $136,150, it has to do more than look futuristic. It has to feel special every time you get in it.

Finished in Stellar White Metallic with the Tahoe Grand Touring interior, this Lucid makes a strong first impression. The shape is sleek and low, yet it still feels elegant rather than trying too hard. Features like soft-close doors, powered illuminated door handles, 20-inch Aero Lite wheels, and the Glass Canopy Roof help the car feel expensive before you even start it.

Inside is where the Air Grand Touring really makes its case. The 34-inch Glass Cockpit Display and retractable Pilot Panel screen give the cabin a clean, modern look that still feels different from other EVs. The Tahoe Extended Leather and Lucid Black Alcantara headliner lifts the sense of occasion, and the front seats are a highlight. They are 20-way power-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and include massage. That matters because luxury buyers at this price expect comfort first.

Rear passengers are not ignored either. You get 5-zone heated rear seating, a rear center console display, and power rear and rear side window sunshades. Add in the Surreal Sound Pro system with 21 speakers, and the Air feels like a true long-distance luxury sedan.

Lucid also gives this car serious EV hardware. The dual-motor all-wheel-drive system, 900V+ charging architecture, and Wunderbox onboard charger are big talking points. Buyers in this segment care about range, charging speed, and everyday ease, not just raw performance. That is where the Lucid continues to stand out.

On the technology side, the Air Grand Touring includes DreamDrive Premium, with 3D Surround View Monitoring, Blind Spot Warning, Automatic Park In and Out, Automatic Emergency Braking, and a Driver Monitoring System with distracted and drowsy driver alerts. This one also has DreamDrive Pro, which adds future-capable ADAS hardware.

There are still some real-world annoyances. Based on your notes, the windshield wiper control is hard to find and use, and that matters more than people think in a high-tech car. When controls become less intuitive, even a beautiful interior can feel frustrating.

Still, the 2026 Lucid Air Grand Touring succeeds where it matters most. It feels luxurious, advanced, comfortable, and thoughtfully engineered. For buyers who want an EV sedan that feels truly premium and less common than the usual choices, this Lucid makes a very strong case.

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Snoop Dogg Celebrates 10 Til’ Midnight at the Compound

LOS ANGELES SENTINEL — The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles.

Published

1 week ago

May 3, 2026

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Snoop Dogg celebrated the premiere of 10 Til’ Midnight at his Inglewood recording studio & multipurpose facility, The Compound, but the night felt like much more than an album release. It felt like Los Angeles. It felt like legacy. And it felt like another major move from one of the city’s greatest cultural architects as he continues to prove that he is not just dropping music — he is building moments, shaping narratives, and pushing the culture forward in real time.

What made the event so powerful was the clarity behind the vision. During a panel conversation with DJ Hed, Snoop opened up about the heart behind 10 Til’ Midnight, explaining that the project was created to help bridge older and younger generations while also speaking to the long-standing divisions between Bloods and Crips in a unique way through film. That alone gave the project a different kind of weight. This was not just about songs. This was about using creativity as a tool for connection. This was about taking a story rooted in Los Angeles and telling it in a way that could bring people together.

Snoop Congratulated By Rapper & Fellow 10 Til Midnight Cast Member G Perico (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

The album is paired with a film that stars Snoop Dogg, Hitta J3, G Perico, and Ray Vaughn, and one of the strongest elements of the whole project is that the production stayed rooted right here in Los Angeles. The film was shot in the city, including at WePlay Studios in Inglewood, which gave the entire project an even deeper hometown feel. It was not just a West Coast story in content — it was a Los Angeles-made production from the ground up.

That matters because, in a city like this, authenticity still carries weight. Snoop understands how to make sure that what he creates does not just represent Los Angeles on the surface, but actually comes from it.

What also makes 10 Til’ Midnight significant is that it represents another major step in Snoop’s evolution as both an artist and executive. Public reporting around the project identifies it as his 22nd studio album, but the bigger story is what it represents in this season of his life. This is one of several consecutive moves he has made in his 50s that show he is still building, still expanding, and still finding new ways to reinvent what the next chapter looks like.

Snoop Dogg at the Premiere of 10 Til Midnight (CreativeLB/KreativeKapturez)

Now, as the head of Death Row Records and the newly aligned leader of Death Row Pictures, he is taking the brand into a new dimension. That is what made this moment feel bigger than music. Snoop is not just protecting the legacy of Death Row — he is stretching it. He is expanding it beyond records and into film, visual storytelling, and larger creative worlds that can continue carrying the label’s impact forward. Public reporting has noted that this project arrives as part of that broader cinematic push.

That is a major Los Angeles move because the city has always been built on the intersection of music, film, neighborhood identity, and cultural storytelling. With 10 Til’ Midnight, Snoop is leaning all the way into that intersection.

The room at The Compound reflected that. It felt like a private premiere, but it also felt like a statement — a reminder that Snoop Dogg’s staying power has never been based only on nostalgia. It comes from his ability to remain connected, remain visionary, and remain in tune with how to move the culture without losing the essence of who he is.

That is why this premiere mattered. It was not just about celebrating another album. It was about witnessing a Los Angeles legend continue to evolve, continue to unify, and continue to use art to tell stories that hit deeper than entertainment alone.

In that sense, 10 Til’ Midnight became more than a project launch. It became another example of how Snoop Dogg is still taking Los Angeles to the next level — using music, film, and legacy together to build something bigger than a moment.

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OP-ED: Small Businesses Need Minnesota to Act on Pass-Through Tax Policy

MINNESOTA SPOKESMAN RECORDER — A Twin Cities immigrant entrepreneur who built several businesses including grocery stores in underserved neighborhoods is calling on Minnesota lawmakers to extend the Pass-Through Entity tax option before it expires, warning that its loss would hit small businesses already recovering from Operation Metro Surge with higher federal tax bills.

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1 week ago

May 3, 2026

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A Twin Cities Small Business Owner Is Urging Minnesota to Extend a Tax Policy That Could Save Thousands of Businesses

By Daniel Hernandez | Minnesota Spokesman Recorder

I came to the United States as a teenager with a clear goal: to build something meaningful through hard work. I put in long days in construction, restaurants, and landscaping; doing whatever it took to learn, save, and eventually start my own business.

Over time, I built and ran several successful ventures, including an event photography company, a magazine, a tax and accounting firm, and now grocery stores serving neighborhoods across the Twin Cities where other retailers chose not to invest. I’ve created jobs, supported families, and committed to communities that deserve stability and opportunity.

That’s why I’m speaking out now.

Small business owners in Minneapolis and the communities we serve are recovering from serious disruptions, including the impacts of Operation Metro Surge. That event hit immigrant communities especially hard. In my own case, I lost nearly half of my 60 employees and saw revenue drop by about 85%. While I worked to provide competitive wages, health benefits, and paid time off, the real hardship fell on the people who lost their jobs and income.

Even as we rebuild, small businesses are facing another challenge. The Minnesota Legislature is considering letting an important tax policy expire: the Pass-Through Entity tax option.

Here’s what that means in plain terms.

Many small businesses, including mine, are pass-through businesses. That means the business itself doesn’t pay income tax. Instead, the owners report the income on their personal tax returns. But under current federal rules, there’s a limit on how much state tax we can deduct. That often leads to higher federal tax bills.

The Pass-Through Entity option fixes that. It allows the business to pay the state tax directly, which means the business can fully deduct those taxes on its federal return and lower the total amount of income taxed federally. The result is straightforward: small business owners pay less in federal taxes, without reducing what the state collects.

This policy is not new or controversial. Thirty-six states already offer it. It doesn’t cost Minnesota anything, it’s revenue neutral. And it benefits more than 66,000 businesses across the state.

In a state where the cost of doing business is already high, it’s hard to understand why we wouldn’t offer the same basic tax treatment as states like California and Illinois.

Small businesses have carried a heavy load in recent years, through a pandemic, rising costs and public safety disruptions. We’ve adapted, reinvested and stayed committed to our communities. What we need now are practical policies that support that work, not make it harder.

If the Minnesota House does not act soon, many businesses will face significantly higher federal tax bills. That’s money that could otherwise be used to hire workers, raise wages or reinvest in local neighborhoods.

I urge Gov. Tim Walz and members of the House Tax Committee to pass House File 3127 and extend the Pass-Through Entity election.

Small businesses are the backbone of our communities. We’ve proven our resilience. Now we need our state leaders to show the same commitment to us.

Daniel Hernandez is the owner of Colonial Market located at 2100 E. Lake St.

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