The Baltimore Sun from Baltimore, Maryland • Page A2

2 THE BALTIMORE NEWS those in the short The invective outside the courthouse ran the gamut. Some were measured in their comments, saying they simply needed Bernstein to be more forthcoming in his decision-making process. Tessa Hill-Aston, president of the Baltimore branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, for example, said her first concern is coming up with a plan for Northwestern High School to make sure the assaulted schoolmates being intimidated or harassed. She said she had met with Bernstein to discuss the assault case. Past NAACP chapter president Marvin Cheatham said he expect Bernstein to discuss a pending case in detail but expected more transparency and dialogue.

But others decried what they said was racism and called for Bealefeld to step down. just say it dropping it because is insisted Leo Burroughs, a community activist who helped organize the picket line. He was joined by Susan Black of the All Peoples Congress, a socialist group whose members believe Israel violates the rights of Palestinians who are seeking an independent state. Her representatives carried yellow signs reading Shomrim for Hate vigilante hate group must be Black said. Cortly Witherspoon, a pastor who says he is president of the Maryland chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, denounced what he called the between Bernstein and Bealefeld.

However, Howard Creecy, vice president of the national Southern Christian Leadership Conference, said there is no record of a Maryland chapter or a pending application for one, and denied that Witherspoon is affiliated with the group. Witherspoon said Creecy was mistaken and that he was looking into it. Witherspoon said at the protest that his group was to deliver a letter to the Justice Department in Washington asking it to investigate all cases in Baltimore. going to bypass the office until we feel some objectivity and impartiality he said. issue is racially charged, whether people want to address it or While the FBI is routinely asked to intervene in such cases, it rarely does.

would say we are more selective than not with these Richard J. Wolf, a spokesman for the Baltimore field office, said in an e-mail. Those who said they represented black media, meanwhile, said they were crossing into activism because they felt the community getting answers. Giordano, who led the news conference on the east side of the courthouse, blogs for the Examiner and since July has received more than $8,000 from City Council President Bernard C. Young for he said event was not related to that political work.

Giordano said members of the black media have recently started meeting weekly, how we can be more effective at reaching our just seems the attorney is going out of his way for these Giordano said. African- American community is up in Aspokesman for Young said the council president supports Bernstein council president is not calling on the attorney to do anything other than what doing, which is to hit the ground running and perform his said spokesman Lester Davis. justin.fenton@baltsun.com twitter.com/justin_fenton If the most outspoken activists gave Gregg Bernstein a honeymoon period after being sworn in earlier this month as new top prosecutor, it appears to be over. Two groups of loosely affiliated community organizations and special interests protested on opposite sides of the Clarence M. Mitchell Jr.

Courthouse on Monday, accusing Bernstein of being tight-lipped on a racially charged assault case and criticizing his alliance with the Police Department. On the west side of the courthouse, protesters formed a picket line, calling the shooting of Officer William H. Torbit Jr. a murder and carrying signs with such incendiary slogans as Racist On the east side, people who said they represent black media and civil rights groups called on Bernstein to say more about his decision to drop felony assault charges against a member of a Jewish community patrol group. will not suffice in the African-American said Hassan Giordano, a blogger, talk-show host and campaign consultant.

Bernstein, who defeated 15-year incumbent Patricia C. Jessamy in last Democratic primary election, had been supported by Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III, who said a better relationship with prosecutors would help keep violent repeat offenders off the streets. Two high-profile and controversial cases are testing public mettleearly. City police in November charged Eliyahu Werdesheim, a 23-year-old member of a Northwest Baltimore patrol group called Shomrim, with striking a black teenager in the head with a radio and telling him that he belong The injuries have been in dispute, and office dropped the first-degree assault charge last week against Wer- desheim.

But prosecutors are proceeding with charges of second-degree assault, false imprisonment and use of a deadly weapon with intent to injure. Prosecutors also brought charges against brother, Avi, who was not initially charged in the incident. office will also play a key role in whether charges are considered in the shooting of Torbit by other police officers Jan. 9 outside a club near downtown. As protesters gathered on the courthouse steps, office issued a terse statement on the assault case, saying the handling has been with both the facts and the factors beyond the facts and the law were considered, nor will any factors outside the facts and the law ever be considered in making charging decisions in any future the statement read.

That response enough for activists keeping a close eye on the case. almost led to race riots in Park Heights, and some people you see here had to calm said Michael Eugene Johnson, director of the Paul Robeson Institute and a candidate for City Council. want to be very clear as to the handling of this Since his swearing-in, Bernstein has kept a low public profile and has declined to comment on his role in cases. Glenn F. Ivey, the former Prince County attorney who is now a lawyer in private practice, said top prosecutors generally face a challenge of balancing their legal restrictions with public pledges of transparency.

an investigation is ongoing, you can undermine the police investigative work if you put too much information Ivey said. the same time, the community wants to know how the case is being handled, how moving forward. Sometimes almost impossible to City prosecutor is focus of protests Outside courthouse, activists decry handling of Shomrim assault case, relationship with police By Justin Fenton THE BALTIMORE SUN An emotional Montel Williams joined state lawmakers Monday in Annapolis to urge the General Assembly to legalize medical marijuana. The Baltimore-born talk-show host suffers from multiple sclerosis and says he uses marijuana and nine other medications every day to alleviate pain. He said tearfully that traditional opiates work for him any longer.

used too he said. At his side were state Sens. Jamie Raskin, a Montgomery County Democrat, and David Brinkley, a Frederick County Republican, both cancer survivors. They said that while they use marijuana, they can understand why some patients need it. Also backing the proposal is Del.

Dan Morhaim, a Baltimore County Democrat who is the General only physician. convinced that marijuana has a real medical he said. The lawmakers said their legislation to legalize marijuana is tightly crafted to limit marijuana use to patients who have been prescribed the drug by their regular doctors after they have tried other remedies. The bill is similar to one that passed the Senate overwhelmingly last year but stalled in the House of Delegates. Morhaim said that he took into account concerns expressed last year by his fellow delegates.

He said this bill further limits the ways in which physicians can prescribe marijuana and explicitly prohibits all use in motor vehicles. The bill is slated to be introduced this week, its sponsors said. It is expected to have bipartisan support. julie.bykowicz@baltsun.com twitter.com/bykowicz GENERAL ASSEMBLY 2011 SESSION Emotional plea for medical marijuana use Talk-show host Montel Williams joins Maryland lawmakers to support bill By Julie Bykowicz THE BALTIMORE SUN Talk-show host Montel Williams, right, speaks at a news conference at the House Office Building in support of a bill to legalize medical marijuana. At left is Del.

Dan Morhaim of Baltimore County, the only physician. ALGERINA SUN PHOTO Carrying signs and bundled in down coats, about three dozen people marched through Cherry Hill on Monday evening, demanding an end to the violence that has left four people shot two fatally in less than a week. They gathered at the corner where a former high school basketball star was gunned down while in a car and marched a few blocks to the spot where a football coach was shot while his wife was strapping their toddler into a car seat. were breathing air. They had a life.

And now said Janell Thomas, an organizer with the nonprofit violence-prevention group Safe Streets. have to stop letting guns take over our David Moore, 50, joined the march to honor his nephew, 21-year-old Rhidel Price, a former Northwestern High basketball standout who was fatally shot Thursday afternoon. Police have announced no motive or suspects in any of the four homicides. are kids I raised. I saw them grow said Moore.

Safe Streets workers organized the rally to unite the community against violence, program director Cathy McClain said. want this to be she said. Organizers said the spate of fatal shootings is extremely rare for Cherry Hill. The group huddled by a stop sign strung with balloons and teddy bears in honor of Harry Hicks, the 29-year-old football coach fatally shot in front of his toddler Saturday afternoon. never seen anything like this in my 44 years in Cherry said Delaino Johnson, a Safe Streets outreach worker who lives less than a block away.

is my street. This is my house. These are my he said, his voice cracking. He pleaded with neighbors to join the rally. One by one, front doors banged open, and people went out to join the group.

Among them were neighbors Toyia Johnson and Angela Delaney. community is a beautiful said Delaney, gesturing to the neatly tended lawns and tall trees. want to take our community Johnson said she prayed that her three teenage children would be safe while she was at work. mess needs to she said. needs to get together and get the of julie.scharper@baltsun.com twitter.com/juliemore Cherry Hill residents call for end to violence during march By Julie Scharper THE BALTIMORE SUN Keep bundled up Pamela Fominyan of Silver Spring adjusts her scarf as she walks Monday through a chilly downtown Baltimore.

Temperatures were in the 20s Monday morning; today was expected to be clear, with a mix of rain and snow predicted for Wednesday. KIM SUN PHOTO More online To see video of Montel Williams in Annapolis, go to baltimoresun.com.