Is Baltimore's Police State Over-Reach Finally Tipping the Scales Towards Real Justice?

[99th_Monkey]

In the wake of today’s announcement, that 6 officers will face criminal charges, I know it's still way too early to presume that justice, in the end,will be done in Baltimore regarding the death of Freddie Gray. By now, we've all witnessed -- see Tayvon Martin, Eric Garner, et. al. -- how the machinations of systemic racism tortures “institutions of justice" to grind out implausible narratives that shift blame from perps to victims, especially if the perps happen to wear badges & guns.

But Baltimore just might become the police-state’s Waterloo: in a city that is 63% African American, where the 51% of the police force is Black, and that has a Black Mayor, and a Black State Prosecutor, one could easily imagine Baltimore to be the 'perfect storm' that finally at long last, tips the scales towards something resembling justice the case of Freddie Gray. But there are signs that it’s not stopping there. Baltimore also has a Black Congressman, a Black President and a Black Attorney General.

Rachael Maddow did a segment last night on how 'bipartisan' outrage about the Freddie Gray case (or at least polite concern) was taking shape on Capital Hill. I too had noticed a conspicuous absence of usual dim-witted Congressional GOP dog-whistles blaming Blacks for getting in the way of police bullets, fists and batons. So when I heard Rachael's report, it kind of blew my mind, and gave me a glimmer of hope that maybe, just maybe, this nightmare might be transforming into something much more like Martin Luther King Jr.'s Dream.

Rachael reported that discussions were already underway on Capital Hill pointing towards an emerging bipartisan consensus for sweeping changes in our policing & criminal justice system to ensure that all citizens -- regardless of their color, mental state or financial means -- are afforded due process under the law. And concurrently we have our Democratic front-runner of the hour calling for an end to the “Era of Mass Incarceration”.

Rachael already has her ear to the ground on this one, so I’m going to be catching her show on a regular basis to see where this might go.

This is my prayer that we’ve finally reached that long-awaited tipping point.

[appalachiablue]

1. +10. Balto. could be the trigger for the nightmare that's been building for 35 years-

[libdem4life]

2. Yes...Waterloo...Tipping Point...brought about by civilian cell phones and private surveillance

cameras. Now all races are watching and we don't like what we see. Police have proven their willingness to outright lie to shift blame. Nothing new, just now revealed to the rest of us.

[ananda]

3. It's hard to say.

I think it depends on the power structure of the community
and the state.

[99th_Monkey]

4. Yep. I'm not counting any chickens just yet. Not by a long shot.

But am definitely holding space in my imagination for a seismic shift towards real justice in Baltimore and beyond.

[nadinbrzezinski]

5. Here is a piece we wrote on the commision

http://reportingsandiego.com/2015/03/05/policing-in-the-21st-century/

We linked to the report as well, dry, boring but important reading.

This is part of it

[99th_Monkey]

6. Thank you for this.

I was not aware of this development, and it is very important indeed, esp. considering
the timing of it.

[nadinbrzezinski]

7. It came right after ferguson

as well as the review of the 1030 program

[99th_Monkey]

8. But not immediately after Michael Brown's death

The shooting of Michael Brown occurred on August 9, 2014, and the date of the report
you posted is March 15, 2015.

I remember hearing about this when it was released, buy never poked through to peruse it.

Thanks again for calling it forth here.

[nadinbrzezinski]

9. You welcome, this is one of the thigns we cover

[99th_Monkey]

12. Sweet

[liberal_at_heart]

10. I wish, but I doubt it. There may be a few crackdowns on abusive police departments, but

we have been dealing with corrupt police departments for decades now. Why is it going to change now?

[99th_Monkey]

13. Because we're 3-generations stronger & wiser than we were in the 60's

Hopefully, at least.

[ohheckyeah]

14. Cell phones

and citizens willing and able to use the video function.

[malaise]

11. I hope so

I hope it makes other cops rethink their next murder of an African-American male.