It’s now clear that Freddie Gray was “taken for a ride” by Baltimore cops, and didn’t survive the experience. The practice is so common there are multiple slang terms for it: “Rough ride,” “wild ride,” “bringing them up front,” “screen test,” “cowboy ride,” “nickel ride”. It’s a way for the police to mess with someone. Here’s a brief history of paddywagon mayhem in Baltimore, courtesy of The Atlantic (click here for story):
“In 2004, a man named Jeffrey Alston won $39 million from Baltimore after he was paralyzed from the neck down during a police-van ride. The following year, Dondi Johnson Sr. won $7.4 million after a ride left him a paraplegic.”
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