Maryland ACLU Makes Statements, Takes Statistics, Urges Action about Baltimore

[qwlauren35]

I read the following document - in the past four years, MARYLAND has seen 109 citizen deaths by police and 45 of those people were completely unarmed.

http://www.aclu-md.org/uploaded_files/0000/0629/md_deaths_in_police_encounters.pdf (Takes a while to load.)

ACLU has also issued a very powerful statement about Baltimore and the problems in the city that underlie the eruption of violence on Monday, an eruption that should have been overshadowed by TEN THOUSAND peaceful protesters in the city.

The Path to Peace Goes through Justice - Action from the Maryland ACLU

As eyes from around the nation turn towards Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray in police custody, the peaceful, determined protests that have occurred throughout the city, and the conflicts that have escalated between police and the community, the ACLU of Maryland is speaking out and taking action.

As every wisdom tradition recognizes, violence begets more violence. We as an organization stand for interrupting that cycle of violence. The tragic destruction and violence that Baltimore suffered on Monday is of a piece with the violence that people in Black communities in Baltimore have experienced daily in their interactions with police. We also know that other systemic forms of violence — in the form of discriminatory housing and education policies — have been perpetrated against the same communities in Baltimore for decades.

The first step in interrupting this cycle must be urgent reforms in how police and communities interact. We must acknowledge that the tragedy of Freddie Gray's death, and the death of others, flow from the militarization of the Baltimore Police Department, and police departments across the country. Over time, the daily injustices, the repeated instances of police brutality, the unconstitutional treatment of poor and minority people — these patterns crush people's souls.

The basis for creating a relationship of mutual respect between police and communities was evident in the thousands of people who peacefully exercised their First Amendment rights in protesting the death of Freddie Gray. It was also evident in the thousands of people who stood for calm and urged peace in the tension of the day. We know that the path to peace goes through justice. We must move forward on that path with urgency and determination.

http://www.aclu-md.org/press_room/222
http://www.aclu-md.org/police/action