Soledad on Citizen Video

Eric Garner in N.Y., Walter Scott in S.C.; Eric Harris in Tulsa, Okla. and now Freddie Gray in Baltimore - despite her understanding of the power of citizen video, Soledad O'Brien is uncertain just how much progress has been and will be made as a result of it in the real world of race as it is lived by black Americans.

"Keep in mind that we saw Eric Garner killed on camera and the officer wasn't indicted," she said. "And a glance at the cases that proceed to trial and conviction show the deck is stacked against civilians."

"Now that we have video, it certainly has made a difference in what's being seen on the policing front," said former CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien, who reported the channel's landmark documentary series Black in America. "I think people are starting to understand that maybe there's some validity to these stories — stories of people saying of their police encounters, 'I was fearful for my life.'"

O'Brien stressed that black people have known about the validity of the stories for a long time.

"Ironically, we did a chunk of this in our first 'Black in America.' Now, seven years later, as the technology improved and got personal-sized, more people are beginning to understand that if you are black, interaction with police can end in your death, whether you're guilty of something or not," she said.

more at www.baltimoresun.com