Three of the six Baltimore police officers that were charged in the death of Freddie Gray were honored as heroes at a recent conservative media gala.
The Media Research Center’s annual black tie gala was held last Thursday and brought much of the right-wing conservative media community together. Among those that attended were Rush Limbaugh, Monica Crowley, and Cal Thomas. The Media Research Center was founded in 1987 and exists to expose “the propaganda arm of the Left: the national news media.”
Fox News contributor Deneen Borelli gave the speech honoring the officers, which included Garrett Miller, Edward Nero, and Brian Rice, three officers charged in Freddie Gray’s death. Although the officers were not convicted, Freddie Gray’s death was ruled as a homicide.
The only mention of Gray’s death was Borelli glazing over it, “In April of last year, six Baltimore police officers were transporting Freddie Gray to jail and he died en route.” Borelli failed to clarify that Gray actually died in the hospital several days later from severe spinal injuries from being unsecured in the police vehicle while the officers drove roughly.
Borelli continued, “Immediately someone made the accusation that Freddie Gray had been killed by the police. The accusation grew and grew — fed by the left, political agitators, and the national media — to advance the anti-police narrative. Soon there were riots in the street.”
He then switched to how much the charges and situation affected the officers, “These five men and one woman, all veteran police officers, were now in handcuffs, fighting for their lives, their careers destroyed, bankrupted, humiliated,” Borelli said. “No one thanked them for their service or recognized their honor. Who will thank these officers? Who will thank all police officers … at a time they are being so vilified? Tonight, ladies and gentlemen, we will.” This was met with deafening cheers from the audience.
Brian Rice, Edward Nero, and Garret Miller were cleared of all charges earlier this year, but remain on administrative duty pending an internal review for their role in Gray’s death.
Freddie Gray was arrested last year by the Baltimore police allegedly for an illegal switchblade. He was placed, handcuffed (and later shackled) yet unsecured in a police van, where he was most likely erratically driven to the police station. He was then taken to a nearby hospital and was in a coma. The following week Gray died from complications from a spinal injury.
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