The Real News speaks to #FreddieGray protester Larry Lomax and attorney Natalie Finegar shortly after he’s found not guilty of disorderly conduct
Story Transcript
VIDEO: On Friday, October 16, a jury found Baltimore resident Larry Lomax not guilty for charges of disorderly conduct for his participation in the #BaltimoreUprising. LARRY LOMAX, FREDDIE GRAY PROTESTER: I am innocent, and everything that was proven, all the facts that Ms. [Natalie] proved that you know–I’m so happy. All of the people that came in, you know, I love it. I mean, I love all the supporters. VIDEO: Video of police pepper spraying and arresting Lomax during the Freddie Gray protests went viral. He spent over three weeks in jail after being unable to make bail. JAISAL NOOR, TRNN: Talk a little bit about why you went out there in the first place. The death of Freddie Gray, you said, kind of inspired you to take action and take to the streets. LOMAX: Yes. It was too many of us getting killed or getting brutalized by police. VIDEO: Lomax was represented by Baltimore Deputy Public Defender Natalie Finegar. NATALIE FINEGAR: I’m not surprised by the verdict, but you’re always tense and nervous when you’re in trial. But it’s a just verdict. It’s an accurate verdict. There wasn’t any evidence that he was, committed disorderly conduct. And what happened out at Penn and North was an expression of Baltimore’s concern with police brutality. And the best way to respond to that would be not to engage in police brutality. What Mr. Lomax was engaging in was what, all the witnesses coined the term as civil disobedience. They were disobeying the curfew, feeling that the curfew was being applied different ways in different neighborhoods and that the curfew was no longer necessary. The city had settled down. And Mr. Lomax’s case, he was very much interested in trying to resolve this in a peaceful way, and was willing at one point, actually, to do community service back to Baltimore in exchange for this case to be dismissed. NOOR: And even dropping possible, a civil case as well, as part of that deal? FINEGAR: You know, we discussed it at one point. It was rejected by the state and so it just wasn’t discussed any further.
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