live in baltimore. why do they live in pennsylvania? like all of these different things. when i was a kid they had something called the power league and there was an officer named craig who would take us around and play basketball and that was the relationship. and he lived in the neighborhood. it worked. so many people were able to do the right thing in their life because we had that exposure and connection and it's like i'm not going to lock this kid up. i will rough him up and then take him home and give him knowledge on what he did the wrong thing. they took that away. >> what's most important is community policing is more effective at reducing crime, so the larger question is if the police are not there to reduce crime, what are they therefore? they are really doing the same work at the apartheid level. >> in baltimore city, statistical reference had in 1950, about 1600 police officers and today there's about 3000. in a city with about half of the population and he talked about community policing,

let me star with you, son of baltimore. you're a son of baltimore and i'm a son of baltimore. we'll check in with professor ross in a second here. what's going on in our hometown? >> so, you know, i don't think that we can make a connection to the freddie gray case. i find it hard to believe that police officers aren't performing in the manner in which they should be performing because of one murder. this is after years and years and years of lack of opportunity, you know. we can't put this on the gray case. there's too many other things to consider. one, you have safe streets, an organization that has been doing good work and made a difference being taken away because of some say criminal activity, some say other things. i don't have all the facts on that, so i can't speak on it. the main thing is lack of opportunity. if you take the rise in murders across the nation with the unemployment rate, maybe we can find something there. >> right. now, professor ross, what do you think of d. watkins point here, it's not just one death, it's a lack of opportunity for years and years an

authors from baltimore. and so today is not any different. we will continue to follow that tradition. who do you want to follow -- taught to? i am then on-air personality w va. a little shameless self-promotion. but on behalf of wea a our wonderful folks here at the baltimore book festival, welcome you to the 20th annual baltimore book festival, also a celebration of the literary arts. we hope everyone enjoys themselves. [applause] you know we want to invite you all this weekend, make sure you check us out on our facebook page. like us and share it and follow us on twitter. we want to say a special thanks to all of our partners. we want to thank the city of baltimore, the council, the enterprises blue cross blue shield, entertainment museum the university, mid-atlantic ford dealers. baltimore book festival is presented by the mayor's office and produced by the baltimore halt office, nonprofit agency that serves the council commission and special defense agency. please note after a presentation today voluntee

why do i visit baltimore?he scenes tour of america. >> try one with a baltimore accent. >> how's it going? i'm mike rowe, and i've got a confession. i love baltimore. our ships helped win the war. check it out for yourself. [ applause ] you didn't tell me aunt alice was coming. of course. don't forget grandpa. can the test drive be over now? maybe just head back to the dealership? don't you want to meet my family? yep, totally. it's practically yours, but we still need your signature. hurry in for great deals all black friday weekend on select new volkswagen models during the sign- then-drive event. and i didn't get here alone. there were people who listened along the way. people who gave me options. kept me on track. and through it all, my retirement never got left behind. so today, i'm prepared for anything we may want tomorrow to be. every someday needs a plan. let's talk about your old 401(k) today. now more than ever america's electricity comes from cleaner- burning natural gas. and no one produces more o

in baltimore there have been riots there. is that fear that there could be further violence if none of these six police officers who will be going on trial in baltimore is in fact convicted. that is a real possibility. >> that jury selection process getting under way as we said. thank you, philip. reporting from washington. now turkey will not apologize for shooting down a russian military plane last week. so says the turkish prime minister, speaking earlier this monday after a meeting with nato. the military alliance is backing turkey's version of event. speaking at the cop21 summit later in the day, vladimir putin responded by saying the downing of his country's jet was a huge mistake. here is the latest. >> a diplomatic row between russia and turkey continued beyond their respective borders and into france on the sidelines of the cop21 summit as vladimir putin snub add meeting with his counterpart. for its part, turkey remained dwight, refusing to apologize for shooting down a russian jet earlier this month. >> the protect

. >> baltimore is home to the performance artist. it's an appropriate setting to research violence and economic despair. >> i think that-- that poverty is now considered some kind of a disgrace, some kind of a pathology. >> smith has received countless accolades and awards. in popular culture she's best known for her tv work on nurse jackie and the west wing, and films like the american president. >> i think that, you know, michael douglas was a good president, but martin sheen was a really good president too. >> i spoke to anna deavere smith in new york. >> your work outside of mainstream television tackles some of the biggest social issues facing our country right now. i'm wondering how you're influenced by your own childhood. growing up in baltimore during a time of segregation. >> well, i guess two things about that. one, when i was a girl, my grandfather said, "if you say a word often enough, it becomes you." so i took that and applied it to some things i was learning in the conservatory when i studied acting. and i had this goa

officer porter's attorney has said it will be impossible to find an impartial jury in baltimore. porter has pleaded not guilty. a witness to a fatal police shooting in chicago is accusing police of altering surveillance video. video.the manager of a burger king restaurant claims after authorities reviewed the footage of officer jason van dyke shooting la-quan mc- donald last october, employees found an 86-minute gap. van dyke was charged with mc-donald's murder last week. he made his first appearance in court today. in virginia - 36 people were hurt last night when their charter bus over-turned on an exit ramp near richmond.state police say most of the people on board were college students returning from thanksgiving break.this afternoon - at least one person is in critical condition. investigators believe speed was a factor in the crash.the bus driver has been charged with reckless driving. pope francis has wrapped up a three-nation tour of central africa. africa.at the main mosque of central african republic's captial city - the pontiff told crowds that muslims and catholics ar

hopkins isn't just in or on baltimore. this past month we announced a michael jackson program where we as the largest private institution in the state of maryland and of course in the city of baltimore are now committing to targeted hiring that will hire 40% of or employees for entry leveled job, out of the most disadvantaged areas of baltimore and the same thing with our procurement spent. so we really stand that it not just enough to share our. >> one of the thing i saw cyding is how long efforts have facted drug violence in the city? that seems like something could benefit of community, which i would imagine is every city in america. what are some of the el

what is the like in baltimore this morning? >> yes, i was indeed.morning, del and stephanie, as well. i think it's a bit on edge, if i'm honest with you. i think the city wants to try and avoid what happened last april when freddie gray died. the city is making the point that the first of the six trials against the six officers is not the totality of the city's case against the police department here or against these officers. you must look at each trial individually and see what happens in each one. with that going forward, we start today with jury selection in the trial of one of those six officers, william g. porter. as you can imagine, having a police officer under these circumstances in baltimore is an extremely big event, and the issues surrounding his case are very, very complex. today, what will happen is 75-80 people will appear before the judge and he will ask if they think they can give officer porter a fair trial. the trial could last several weeks. >> can you explain the case against officer porter? >> well, the case against officer por

baltimore is recovering from riots following the death of freddie gray. he suffered a spinal injury after he was arrested april 12 during his transportation in a police von. prosecutors contend officer porter caused his death when he failed to secure gray with a seatbelt, contrary to a recently adopted policy. this video purports to show porter looking on as gray is shackled and placed in the van. >> he doesn't step up to seatbelt him. is that a crime? does that rise to the level of such unreasonable conduct on the part of an officer? not every wrong is a crime. >> it was a deliberate failure to do their duty. >> billy murphy sees the case differently. he represented freddie gray's family in the civil case and reached a $6.4 million settlement with the city. >> every one of the officers who was in a position to know and had a dutton, his medical condition just ignored it. that's called malfeasance in office. that's the theory of the prosecution's case. >> according to court filings, the driver of the police van stopped at aren't 9:00 a.m. and asked porter

did not want to go to baltimore? >> i was not resigned to go into that office. >> what happened. >> i was reassigned with the house relocation and? >> the benefits of a relocation incentive to go to baltimore along with a salary increase. >> did you have additional responsibilities? >> i don't understand your question. >> was a day lateral or a promotion? >> was the save as a director of the regional offices. >> did you get additional reimbursement funds or was it a lateral move? >> it was a lateral transfer >> is said contrary to your report? >> we classified depositions that the v.a. uses and that is higher than and baltimore. spa in the neck and there would have lesser responsibilities. >> from the st. paul minnesota where mr. waller of originally was. >> that is interesting. said he could go back to relocate baltimore would be more challenging than the of the locations. and so to physically go there to visit that facility >> and it saves to be contradictory to report. >> he said all alone he would not go to los a

can porter get a fair trial here in baltimore. >> i even seen the way the baltimore police are and i do think they were a little aggressive but i don't think they intended for him to dry, freddie gray to die. >> you think he could be a fir and impartial juror. >> of course, i could. it's not just me. there are plenty people in the town that could be. >> jury selection will begin in a few hours. they'll be asked a lot of questions to determine if they can set aside anything they have read, seen, heard, or experienced in order to be unbiased jurors. how long that takes, we will have to let you know as it goes and we'll be updating you throughout the day here on "news4" and on social media. that's the latest at baltimore circuit court. aaron and eun, back to you. >> thank you, chris. he be sure to follow him on twitter and download the nbc washington app. >>> happening today. he's expected in court. police say robert dear surrendered after the shooting spree and standoff on friday. three people were killed including a police officer. we're learning more about the other victims in the pl

hours after his funeral, baltimore interrupted in violence. we were there when lawlessness ripped apart charm city. brad: the police are being pelted. rioters attacked police officers, torching buildings and cars. looting stores. this cauldron of chaos, coupled ofh a deep-seated perception justice, placed baltimore and a national stage with other communities confronting police brutality. the city remains on edge, with the homicide rate skyrocketing past 300 this year. residents hope that this and subsequent trials do not return baltimore to a time and place no one wants to repeat. what exactly contributed to gray's death and who is to blame will be at the center of the case and the five others. the officers have all pleaded not guilty. kellye: tomorrow, the man arrested after jumping a white in anfence draped american flag, charged with illegal entry to the secure grounds. he was released into the custody of the secret service to undergo a mental evaluation. a local preacher is in jail accused of trying to kill escorts in rockville. authoritie

the troubling spike in baltimore's homicide rate. why it's happening, and what can be done about it. >>> a candle vigil was held today and there were calls for protest across the country. a grand jury is still decides whether charges should be filed in the case. in the year since tamir rice was killed there's been numerous high profile reports of black lives ended at the hands of police officers. we have a look at the numbers and how they're being tracked. >> rice's case is one of a number of high profile stories over the last 18 months. examples of police brutalities or shooting that led to the death of african-americans. most recently there was a shooting of jamar clark by an officer in minneapolis. for many people the protests in ferguson brought everything to national attention, though many in the african-american community would say it was the case of trayvon martin shot in 2012 in florida that was the real beginning of the black lives matter movement. what has definitely played a role has been the rise of social media and smart

let's talk about baltimore.e were told that 131 people applied for the baltimore ro job, that when that one was advertised why were none of them considered for the position? >> same set of circumstances, congressman. when we look at filling an ro, every ro is different, every ro has their own set of problems. antoan in minnesota had done a very, very good job. he was very aggressive with handling union problems. he was good at working with the legislators and working with the local vsos. baltimore had a history of problem after problem after problem and nothing we seemed to do seemed to be able to fix it. moving antoan there was the right call. he's dramatically improved production in almost every aspect of baltimore since he's been there. it's kind of like -- if you want to replace an infantry commander at fort riley, kansas you don't go out and look at a bunch of applicants you go out and say who is my best infantry colonel or general promotable that i can put in that position. antoan was the person in that ca

waller, you were now at baltimore? >> yes congresswoman. >> and he did not want to go to baltimore? >> at the time but i was approached i was not in a position are willing to accept voluntarily going to the regional office. >> so what happened? you got reassigned? >> yes. >> did you get compensation and relocation and all of that? >> they were the benefits of an abo aprÈs software as well as a relocation incentive to go to baltimore. along with a salary increase as well. >> did you have additional responsibilities in that reassignment? >> i'm not sure and send your question. >> well, was that lateral or was it a promotion and? >> it was lateral as far as i was concerned. he was the same capacity of the director of the regional office so i considered it to be a lateral transfer. >> i am asking did you get additional reimbursement funds for it? or was it just lateral? >> yes maam it was just a lateral transfer. >> let me ask the question to the ig. you heard the testimony. is that contrary to your report? >> we classified the positions based on the pay bands that va uses. i believe st

craig boswell, cbs news, baltimore. mollie: officer porter's attorney has said it will impossible to find an impartial jury in baltimore. porter has pleaded not guilty. are you one of them? americans shopping online from work and from home today and billion this cyber monday. if the predictions hold, that would mark a 12% increase from last year. big online retailers like amazon and walmart are competing for shoppers, with discounts on hot items like tech gifts and toys. still ahead, security is tight as the largest ever summit on climate change takes place in france. and pope francis concludes his visit to the central african republic by venturing into the volatile muslim enclave. news at noon continues.b bush: leadership means you've got to be all in. it's not about yappin'. it's not about talking. it's about doing. i know how to do this because i was privileged to serve in florida for eight years. and we turned the systems upside down that weren't working. 1.3 million new jobs were created. we cut taxes every year. i

inside, so much at stake for baltimore. officer porter in a blue suit entering the courthouse today. [ protesters ] >> reporter: as a small group of protesters staged a demonstration so loud, potential jurors could hear it inside the courtroom. >> we're continuing our fight for not only indictment, but conviction and jail time for the police responsible. >> reporter: baltimore, acutely aware of the stakes in this case. officer william porter, the first of six to go on trial, accused of failing to seat belt suspect freddie gray in a police wagon and ignoring his cries for help during stops while being transported around the city. gray died of a spinal cord injury. the city exploding in violence for obvious reasons, according to attorney dwight pettit, who specializes in police brutality cases. >> baltimore city per capita population is probably the capital of the nation in terms of police brutality. >> reporter: pettit said porter goes on trial first because if convicted, prosecutors are gambling the others may fold or porte

i'm from baltimore city. if i didn't have a choice to get on tv and be an actress i'd probably still be right here. >> reporter: these were not easy convnvsations. guilt. anger on both sides. the facts are the divide between black and white in america are deepening. the truth is, good and decent pewple are desperately working to build a bridge. pn is all around >> reporter: be sure to watch the three-hour special friday at 8:00 p.m. on a&e. >>> when we come back, a toast to 40 years of "good morning america." phil! oh no... (under his breath) hey man! hey peter. (unenthusiastic) oh... ha ha ha! joanne? is that you? it's me... you don't look a day over 70. am i right? jingle jingle. if@you're peter pan, you stay young forevev. it's what you do. if you want to save fifteen percent or more on car insurance, you switch to geico. you make me feel so young... it's what you do. you,make me feel so spring has sprung. constipated? trust number one doctor recommended dulcolax use dulcolax tablets for gentle overnight r

well, in july, ta-nehisi coates launched his book in his hometown of baltimore.spoke at the historic union baptist church. ta-nehisi coates: this book proceeded from a notion, and there are a couple of main notions that are really at work here. and one of the dominant ideas in the book, between the world and me, which is, you know, effectively an extended essay told in a letter form to my son, is the notion of fear, because i think like when people think about african-american communities, there are a lot of things that come to mind, but one of the things that does not come to mind, i think, enough in the mainstream conversation is simply how afraid we are of our bodies, how afraid we are for our children, how afraid we are for our loved ones, on a daily basis. and, you know, i understood this as a very, very young person, as i talk about it in the book. you know, from my earliest memories, i was talking to dad about this a little while ago, and i think about my first memories, my first memories of going, my first coherent memories of going with my mother and fat

>> yes. >> let's talk about baltimore. we were told that 131 people applied for the baltimore r.o.ob that went up when was advertised. why were none of them considered for the position? >> same set of circumstances, congressman. when we are looking at filling a r.o., everyone has their own set of problems. antoine in minnesota have done a very, very good job. he was very aggressive with the, handling union problems. it was good at what with the legislative and working with the local vsos the baltimore had a history of problem after problem after problem, nothing we seem to do seem to be able to fix it. moving into one of their was the right call. is dramatically improved reduction -- antoine. since he's been there. it's kind of like, if you want to replace an infantry commander at fort riley, kansas, you don't go out and look at a bunch of applicants. you look and see who is my best infantry colonel or general promotable that i can put in that position. antoine was the person in that case. >> if you go back in time would you still have signed up on all the moves highlighted an insp

craig boswell has the latest from baltimore. >> reporter: demonstrators gathered as baltimore braced for the trial. officer william porter faces manslaughter and other charges for his alleged role in the death of the 25-year-old who died of spinal injuries while in police custody. prosecutors say gray was illegally transported without a seat belt and gray should have received medical attention. >> reporter: many believe this will set the tone in a fragile city that exploded in violence after gray's death. >> i think people are willing to let the judicial process go forward. we are waiting to hear the truth, we are waiting to hear what happened to freddie gray, and what evidence the prosecution will present. >> reporter: in court this morning, the judge asked 80 potential jurors a series of questions. all of them were familiar with the case the riots and the multi-million dollar settlement that went to the gray family. lawyers argued it will be impossible to find an impartial jury in baltimore. >> reporter: attorneys said it will be impossible in baltimore. porter has pleaded not guil

tom ackerman has the report. >> in baltimore's poorest most drug riddled neighborhood they are rebuildingne of its only pharmacies. it's a hopeful sign in a city where thousands of homes have been left derelict but small comfort in the heart of baltimore's worsening cycle of daily violence. more than 300 homicides making this year the deadliest per capita in the city's history. victims like kendall fenwick father of three who tried stop the drug dealing around his home. >> we certainly need to be outraged when someone like him is killed, in this manner. >> i don't think that the freag incident caused to it get worse. i think the symptoms are still the same. poverty, people fighting for territory. it's supply and demand. people just need jobs. >> these appeals for against violence,. >> we are showing what is a viable alternative to some of these beard up properties. turning them into a community assess. >> his group's streets marches have focused on crime prevention and providing local youth with leadership skills rather than proafltinprotesting abuse he by. >> bad individuals who put on a

they didn't care where we were in baltimore city. it just didn't matter. >> for small business owners who count on the revenue each and every day to keep their businesses alive, this was a scary time. >> we're a restaurant. you know, our base is customer service. so a lot of my business went away. >> in the beginning i feel alone. i didn't know how i going to do it. i just know we somehow we were going to try to do this again. >> mario learned quickly he wasn't going to have to do it alone. amanda peters is the highland main street manager. as soon as she saw the local hyland small businesses were being affted by the civil unrest, she went into high gear. >> oftentimes when people go through hard things together, they come together. did you experience any of that after the civil unrest with the business owners here? >> oh, definitely.

we will begin this hour in baltimore. eight months after an arrest now deemed legal leading to the death that can boast the first officer charged in the freddie gray case will go on trial. william porter is standing accused of manslaughter, second degree assault, and reckless endangerment, and misconduct in office for actions occurring after freddie gray was arrested and before he arrived at the western district police station. the complicated process of jury selection began in earn est thi morning and a process that is due to be repeat and no fewer than five different times as the fellow officers will all go on trial in succession after him. my colleague jean casarez is live in baltimore and joining us live. i can't wait to hear what some of the questions in voir dire are going to be like, and you are there to see who the prospective jurors are who are as semabled. give me a feel for the situation and the process. >> such an important day today, ashleigh, because the trial has begun for william porter, the police officer

in baltimore. he grew up here. but he is known for photos like this. he took his first photo inside of the store almost three years ago. the plan was to put the pictures on t-shirts and sell them. now he is here. taking photos as the city burns. he cap should children raising their hands. people blocking the streets and it officer crying. >> as a black artist i i knew i could tell the story better than the media outlet. >> reporter: that is what he tried to do posting countless photos. they were shared thousands of times. >> i got on twitter and i read about myself. >> reporter: even after that he does not consider himself a journalist. >> i consider myself a dialogue creator. >> reporter: his work is far from finished. he takes photos every day. he still sees the hurt, the frustration and the problems from seven months ago. >> nothing has changed yet. it is still the same. >> reporter: but in every photo he finds glimmer of hope. -- but in every photo he finds a glimmers of hope. >> we are slowly

contact by the baltimore police -- conduct by the baltimore police. since 2011, millions of dollars have been paid out by the city in court judgments and settlements for suits concerning false arrest and excessive force. if you want to include millions of more dollars that have to be paid to the lawyers to handle these suits. the freddie gray case was settled in september for $6.4 million. some of the incidents that are involved are quite -- are caught on tape, such as security footage found in grocery stores and that sort of thing. sometimes the conduct is so blatant that the reporters will take the footage to the police commanders and say what do you make of this? even the police commanders are shocked. ity have no explanation for because when you have officers that are kicking people in the head, it is inconsistent with their training and they have no response to it. these are some of the suits that are brought. ,hat was really interesting what came out was that the baltimore sun found something that was very peculiar about how the city was handlin

if the jury pool does not represent baltimore -- i think baltimore is 60%, 65% black.e. it needs to stay there. >> i want to come out a little bit from the actual trial. dorian, it feels like this is not just a trial around freddie grey's case. this is the first time in this kind of big arc of the black lives matter movement when an officer has been held accountable at trial for the death of an unarmed african-american. how important is sort of the process here for a sense that some level of justice is possible? >> it is the miner's canary in terms of fairness in the criminal justice system when it comes to race. the nation will be watching this trial to really try to understand is the system, is the justice system inevitably corrupt? or is there any kind of transparency and justice that black folks can actually win? so think about ferguson and what happened there. think about chicago last week in terms of taking -- >> but when you frame it as black folks though, it is worth pointing out that this officer is also african-american, that this -- lots of things about balt

gray's funeral last april was followed by rioting in a few baltimore neighborhoods.ense lawyers, again, moved to transfer the trial out of baltimore saying the intense media coverage will make it impossible for porter to get a fair trial. but the judge cut them off ruling the trial stays here. we asked some of the people here in baltimore if they think they could be a fair and impartial juror if they were selected on any of the baltimore police trials resulting from the death of freddie gray. >> i mean, i've seen all the footage, i've seen everything. the bottom line is you have to listen to all the evidence, you have to listen to everything that happened. >> reporter: some say they could put aside their personal beliefs. >> i seen the way the baltimore police are and i think they were a little aggressive but i don't think they intended for him to die, fraeddie gray to die. >> reporter: ahead on news 4 at 6:00, how freddie gray'slet death and the riots that followed changed baltimore. chris gordon, news 4. >>> baltimore's making progress as it tries to recover from t

that baltimore reached a settlement with the family. as we know, are outside the building. that could be heard inside the building. what is the judge doing to ensure they find an impartial jury here. >> reporter: a lot is going on. the judge is telling jurors they will be anonymous. their names, their information, will not come out to protect them and protect the integrity of the trial. jury selection is right behind me on the fourth floor. the information we're getting out of the courtroom is that there are 75 potential jurors right now being questioned. and 40 of them are african-american. 33 are white. one hispanic and one east indian. as you said, all of them know about this case. all of them know a civil settlement in the amount of $6.4 million was given in the last few months to the family of freddie gray. out of the 75, 35 of them, that's almost one-half, have been convicted, imprisoned or have current charges. 26 of them have very strong opinions about their case. now, once the questions are asked in unison where they just raise

a new report out tonight -- find out what baltimore police did wrong during the riots earlier this year? and... taco bell making a big claim about the future of thee od that's going on their --------- --------- black lives matter protestors take to the streets in minnesota after a black man is fatally shot... hundreds came out to protest 4- year-old jamar clark's death... minneapolis police say they were called because clark had assaulted someone. police say he wouldn't let paramedics help that victim - and a struggle ensued... ending with police shooting clark. the bureau of criminal investigation is looking into clark's death. baltimore police bombed their handling of the protests and riots after freddie gray died in policee custody - that's according to a report from a law enforcement the police executive research forum released a repo today saying that baltimore officers didn't prepare for the riots -- and officers lacked proper training and equipment to deal with the aggresive crowds that formed in the sprin gafter gray died from a spinal injury he suffered while in police

here's jericka duncan. >> reporter: baltimore city police officer william porter could spend at least ten years in prison if convicted for his alleged role in the death of 25 year old freddie gray. judge bare williams decided the 12 juries selected will not be sequestered and must remain anonymous. jurors will be shown cell hone video of gray's april 12th arrest which sparked wide spread protests against police brutality that later turned violent. hundreds rioted and looted several stores the day of gray's april 27th funeral. attorney bill murphey represented gray's family in the 6.4 million dollar wrongful death settlement. >> it's very important that jurors not bring the preconceived notions into the case. >> reporter: this weekend protestors in downtown baltimore say they plan to rally peacefully outside the courthouse where the trial they have been waiting for since may 1s. that is when baltimore states attorney marilyn mosby announced charges against the six officers. >> the manner of death deemed a homicide by the maryland state medical examiner is believed to be the result of a

possible witnesses could be called in the first of the freddie gray trials including reporters, baltimore's police commissioner and states attorney maryland mosdy. delia gonclaves has the latest. >> reporter: the protesters braved the cold to send out a clear message saying they will not accept anything less than a guilty verdict. tawanda jackson is here for freddie gray and here for her own brother, tyronne wallace. >> it's sad when one unarmed man can get brutally murdered in front of credible eye witnesses ranging from 80 years old to young kids saw my brother get murder and nobody even investigated thoroughly. >> as a judge searches for a jury of 12 impartial from baltimore a small but spirited group of protesters gather outside a courthouse. officer william porter a baltimore native and one year older than freddie gray faces manslaughter and wreckless endangerment charges. prosecutors say he failed to buckle gray into a police van and ignore the 25-year-old pleas for help. freddie gray was unresponsive at the end of that 40 minute ride. he died of a spinal cord injury a week later. >>

his death sparked rights on the streets of baltimore.ohn terret has been following events at the courtroom. >> reporter: the back story is that freddy gray was a young african american man from baltimore who was being transported in a police wagon last april when a week later he died of spine injuries. now court cases involved in the six officers involved in his arrest and death. william g. porter, accused of involuntary manslaughter, when freddy gray asked for medical help it is alleged that the medics weren't called for a following 24 minutes. there is a new seat belt law in the city of baltimore for all suspects to be strapped in. it is not universally applied and in some of those police wagons there are no seat belts at all. the other defense will be that freddy gray somehow contributed to his own death. the trial gets underway here in baltimore with jury selection. the judge has been asking the jury pool three key questions, number one do you have any relationship with law enforcement, number two do you have strong feelings about ma

freddie gray's death. >> chris gordon joins us in baltimore. chris? >> reporter: approximately 75 potential jurors have been questioned all day long. judge barry williams this morning got to what is perhaps the most important question in this trial. baltimore police officer william porter is charged with involuntary manslaughter and assault. freddy gray is seen on video being dragged to a police van in april, that led to rioting and now demonstrations. the judge asked potential jurors this morning has any member of the panel not heard or read about the case? no one stood meaning they all know about it. demonstrators chanted around the courthouse they want justice for freddy gray. law professor doug colbert is providing legal analysis of this trial for news 4. >> so i was pleased that everyone acknowledged that they knew about the case, and i'm very confident that people will continue to provide the information that eliminates people with biases or prejudices. >> ahead, all new at 5:00, the answer to the question so many are asking how long will