article_snippet.sent: Gray's death last week -- from a spinal cord injury Gray suffered while in police custody -- has touched off days of protests and rioting in Baltimore.
article_snippet.sent: More about that in a moment.
article_snippet.sent: According to a major investigation by The Baltimore Sun published last fall, The Baltimore Sun has paid out $5.7 million in court judgments or settlements to more than 100 people since 2011 in connection with allegations of brutality and/or violations of civil rights.
article_snippet.sent: Officers have battered dozens of residents who suffered broken bones -- jaws, noses, arms, legs, ankles -- head trauma, organ failure, and even death, coming during questionable arrests.
article_snippet.sent: Some residents were beaten while handcuffed; others were thrown to the pavement," the The Baltimore Sun expose says.
article_snippet.sent: That kind of behavior helped set the stage for the riots and looting we now see.
article_snippet.sent: The provision was a result of the 1991 videotaped police beating of Rodney King by Los Angeles cops and the riot that ensued when the officers were acquitted.