By Dedrick Harris and William Patillo
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writers
The deaths of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Freddy Gray, Elijah McClain, Mike Brown and more have received national attention and outraged many Americans. They are the latest in a long series of brutal encounters between the police and the people they are supposed to serve. Police abuse has targeted people of every race and class, but members of vulnerable populations and minority groups, particularly young black men, are especially at risk.
By now the problem of police brutality is clear. But what are the solutions? We spoke to Baltimore residents about their interactions with police, how they define the problem, and what policies and actions would be most effective in reducing police violence and deaths, and improving the relationship with the communities they serve.
The problem
According to a Washington Post report, although roughly half of people shot and killed by police are white, Black Americans are shot at a disproportionate rate. They are killed by police at more than twice the rate of white Americans. About one in every 1,000 black men can expect to be killed by police, according to research.
In Baltimore, the problem is particularly pressing. The city’s poverty-stricken neighborhoods have a high crime rate. According to The Baltimore Sun, for the sixth straight year, Baltimore is on pace to record at least 300 homicides. Black men are killed at a disproportionate rate.
A report from the U.S. Department of Justice found that the Baltimore Police Department “routinely violated the constitutional rights of citizens, used excessive force, and discriminated against African Americans.” The report found that from 2010–2014, BPD officers in primarily Black neighborhoods recorded more than 111,500 stops— roughly 44 percent of the total stops for which officers recorded a district location even though these are among the least populated districts. One Black man was stopped 34 times, all in the Western or Central districts, while several hundred others were stopped at least 10 times.
Baltimore is no stranger to protests over police violence. In 2015, following the death of Freddy Gray, a 25-year-old man who died from injuries sustained after being placed without a seat belt in a police van, Baltimore residents filled the streets to protest this incident and a history of police violence against citizens.
A report from Morgan State University’s Institute for Urban Research found that Baltimore residents disagreed that BPD effectively reduces crime and keeps people safe and are dissatisfied with police. Many reported observing BPD engaging in racial profiling and using excessive force. They did not think BPD has a good working relationship with the community but wanted to see improvements.
Police brutality has become such an endemic problem that many people feel desensitized to the violence.
“Of course, it is a lot of uproar that is going on, not only in Baltimore City but the world in general,” said Raschid Smith, a clinical social worker, Morgan State graduate student and Baltimore resident. “In Baltimore City, we became immune to it, and it speaks to the generational trauma and it’s kind of does not bother you. By being immune, when we look on social media sites… and you scroll right past as if it does not bother you.”
Growing up in Baltimore, Smith said he witnessed police mistreatment of residents in his neighborhood, including his family and friends being stopped and frisked.
“We see it around the world, and we see the videos, and we see the clips, but within Baltimore City, we see it often on a much daily scale, then when may see it when we view it on the TV,” Smith said.
“I was scared of the police for some time,” said Nijah Harris, 23, who said she has been a victim of police violence.
The solutions
Baltimore residents we spoke with had several ideas for ways to help reduce police brutality and improve relationships between police and the communities they serve.
Police retraining
According to Campaign Zero, an initiative to encourage policymakers to focus on solutions to reducing police violence, police recruits spend 58 hours learning how to shoot firearms and only eight hours learning how to de-escalate situations. Many have called for a change in the way police are trained.
One potential change is an increase in anti-bias training, which many officers already are required to take. Imani, a Baltimore native who did not want to be identified by last name, said she supports this type of retraining.
“I think the police officers should be retrained,” Imani said. “They should be able to go into a difficult situation and make it calm without bringing out their guns immediately.”
It starts with building trust with the residents and making sure that police officers are not treating people differently because of their skin color or ethnic background.
“They [police] have been conditioned to think all black people are dangerous,” said Jim Armstrong, an academic advising coordinator at Towson University.
Limiting use of police force can help deescalate violent interactions with civilians. According to Campaign Zero, in 2014, police killed at least 253 unarmed people and 91 people who were stopped for mere traffic violations. Some policy solutions for this issue are to monitor how police use force and proactively hold officers accountable for excessive force, end traffic-related killings and high-speed chases, establish standards and reporting of police use of deadly force, and revise and strengthen local police department use of force policies, according to Campaign Zero.
Police accountability and independent investigations
Holding police accountable for their actions is another important step. But this often does not happen. According to The Brookings Institution, “standard processes for holding police officers accountable, issuing civil payouts to the victims of brutality, and rehiring officers are a few of the factors that contribute to the entrenchment of racism and police brutality.” It is difficult to fire a police officer, in part because of the strength of police unions.
The Brookings report called on police departments to stop re-hiring officers who have been terminated over misconduct. Another step would be to make police departments absorb civil payouts to victims of police violence in the form of insurance policies. Others have called for more oversight at the local level.
“Having a city-appointed board that reviews police brutality cases [would be effective],” said Dalton, a Baltimore resident who did not want his full name used.
Building trust with residents and increasing community representation
“There’s no bridge, no connection [trust] between the black people in the community and the police,” said Bria Bolling, a Baltimore Police officer.
Building trust with residents in the communities can help reduce crime rates and improve relations. Police officers can help bridge the gap of trust by being more active in the communities that they work in. Familiarizing themselves with the people and spending time in areas will make them more comfortable in the areas they are patrolling.
Many observers say that having police officers live near where they work would solve a lot of problems.
“If you police this neighborhood, you need to come out of this neighborhood,” said Thomas, a Baltimore native. Thomas believes that people in the community will be more likely to build trust with people who live among them.
“Police departments need actual people who know the area,” said John. “They need somebody that resides in the community.”
“There is not enough interaction in the actual communities,” said Joshua. “I feel like a lot of the officers don’t live in the areas that they are protecting.”
Police reform legislation
There have been a range of bills proposed around the topic of police reform. One brought up by Baltimore County Councilman Julian Jones would do things like ban choke holds and make it harder to hire an officer who was dismissed in another jurisdiction. Such legislation has been received with mixed response, though groups have rallied in support of such reform.
Armstrong said he wants politicians to get more involved in this issue.
“It’s just so much and the politicians don’t help because they act like their scared to do anything,” he said.
Some have called for major change like “abolishing the system that created social injustice and social racism,” Dior said.
Reduce police responsibilities
Reducing police responsibilities is important because police are often asked to intervene in cases where mental health professionals or social workers might be better qualified to help.
“Police shouldn’t have to do everything,” said Sam, a Baltimore resident. “Someone with mental illness shouldn’t be approached by police…increase funding for other social services,” he continued.
“I don’t necessarily agree with defunding the police, but I do agree with reallocating funds,” said Jason.
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