COMMENTARY: A Path to Reparations for the War on Drugs
June 17, 2020
Imagine being stuck in jail in the middle of a global pandemic for selling something now considered an “essential product.”
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The Colonization of “Radical Politics”
June 10, 2020
The true test of white people’s actual commitment to Black Liberation is the extent to which they will organize on a consistent basis with other white people against the racism of their own people. Showing up where Black people are is easy.
How do we move from protest to policy in #DefundingThePolice?
June 8, 2020
Any funding that is taken from the police department should be reinvested in an alternative community safety infrastructure. While this is happening, we need to be able to demonstrate to our community that this alternative infrastructure will meet the needs of the elements of our community that struggle most with being safe in their neighborhoods.
Who Speaks for Community? Rejecting a False Choice Between Liberty and Security
June 5, 2020
Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle joined with the ACLU of Maryland and other community based organizations to file a lawsuit against the Baltimore City Police Department, claiming their use of a spy plane for surveillance as an unconstitutional violation of civil liberties.
Maryland Democrats: You did this.
May 8, 2020
On May 7th, 2020 Governor Hogan announced that he was going to veto numerous criminal justice reform and progressive public safety legislation. This includes legislation to expunge criminal records from a unit of charges, removing possession of marijuana from case search, and funding for community based anti-violence programs.
COMMENTARY: Still Building – 5 Years after the Baltimore Uprising
April 25, 2020
Five years after the Baltimore Uprising there will be a lot of reflections on the progress that has been made in Baltimore is since the events of 2015. A recent article written by Jean Marbella in the Baltimore Sun is an example of the way that insidious notions of Black inferiority and white supremacy are reproduced in the way Baltimore is represented in mainstream media.
COMMENTARY: Support Our Brothers Behind the Walls
March 11, 2020
By offering individuals convicted of felonies the right to vote upon release, the Maryland Second Chance Act, and The Justice Reinvestment Act are examples of pieces of legislation that only make sense as remedies for harm that has been done.
Tough on crime strategies like those proposed for Baltimore don’t work in corrupt police departments (Commentary)
March 9, 2020
Gov. Larry Hogan has criticized the legislature in general, and Senate Judicial Proccedings’ Chair Will Smith in particular, for his unwillingness to consider any of Mr. Hogan’s crime proposals, which
The Squad vs Pelosi. People-Powered Politics vs. Corporation Powered Posturing
July 24, 2019
The Squad’s opposition echos the Black radical political tradition and shows the value of having a human, not corporate, base.
Failure by Design: How “Urban Renewal” Fueled an Uprising, and How “Economic Ecosystems” May Prevent One
July 22, 2019
Part I: “The Big Bang” As a lifelong resident of West Baltimore, community activist, and educator, I’ve found that the people who live in neighborhoods like Sandtown often have their