Protestors Gather At Baltimore FOP Conference, Issue 6 Demands

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- An FOP conference being held at Baltimore Hyatt Regency was greeted  by protesters on Sunday afternoon.

Protesters gathered inside and outside of the Hyatt Regency linking hands and holding signs that read "Abolish Racist F.O.P."

Baltimore BLOC and other activists groups say they are demanding "an end to racist policing practices and stop the institution that arms, pays and protects killer cops in our city, state, and nation."

RELATED: 12 Arrested After Protesting Baltimore FOP Conference

Baltimore BLOC says in a statement, they are targeting the FOP because they prioritize the legal protection of their officers over public safety:

"We will take the streets throughout the conference as a continuation of #Afromation--a movement begun in our city last month to affirm Black life and uproot a racist system which denies poor and Black communities their right to freedom and justice. We are targeting the FOP because we know that the FOP is not a Union. The FOP is a "good ol' boys club" that prioritizes the legal protection for their officers over public safety and justice. They are a private institution whose primary purpose is to protect their members, not as workers, but rather as a protected class--above the law and unaccountable in their systematic brutality, misogyny, and racism. Our actions are taken in unity with the visionary platform released earlier this month by The Movement for Black Lives, and in response to the recently released Department of Justice report which found that the Baltimore Police Department routinely violates the civil rights of Baltimore residents, using excessive force particularly against those who are Black, poor, trans, differently-abled, children, victims of sexual assault, or otherwise especially vulnerable."

The activist group issued a list of six demands  for the FOP and the the State of Maryland:

1. Release names of Officers Who Shot Korryn Gaines

As our region continues to mourn the loss of Korryn Gaines and fight for justice in her name and the name of her five year old son, Kodi, we demand that the FOP release the names of her killers and identify all the unnamed officers in the DOJ report.

2.Include elected citizens/residents on the Police Trial Board.

-The FOP systematically attempts to bar community elected citizens from serving on Police Trial Boards.

-The FOP regularly uses political influence to prevent the passage of legislation that would hold police officers accountable for their racist and deadly practices as well as legislation that would end the transfer of military equipment, including tanks and drones, to police departments

3. All 79 FOP lodges in the state of Maryland be closed and converted into community centers and homeless shelters.

-The primary role of the FOP is to prevent police accountability. The FOP is directly responsible for the institutionalized racist practices outlined in great detail in the DOJ report. It is clear that the FOP stands in the way of justice and exists to protect a racist system.

-It is clear that the FOP is more of a "good old boys club" than a Union. The FOP in Pocomoke, MD allowed the Black Police Chief to be fired (illegally, behind closed doors, and against the will of the community) for defending officers who filed federal discrimination complaints.

4. Replace the initial internal investigations of police misconduct and brutality with external investigations.

-As outlined in the recent DOJ report, the police are incapable of holding their own accountable. All initial investigations of police misconduct and brutality must be carried out by an external body with no economic or political ties to the FOP or Maryland police departments.

5. Implement community oversight of FOP contracts and negotiations.

-The FOP contract expired over 40 days ago and they are currently in negotiations with multiple localities in the State of Maryland. This is in violation of State law and the negotiation of these contracts lacks community participation.

-An immediate end to the 10 day rule—the FOP policy that protects cops who brutalize, kill and otherwise terrorize our communities.

6. Divest from and Demilitarize the police

-The new budget for the Baltimore Police Department is above $480 Million dollars. The city spends huge amounts of money on settlements to victims of police brutality (about $13 million since 2011) and to pay cops overtime to terrorize communities (as witnessed during the recent vigil for Lor Scoota). These funds must be used for education, health, housing, food justice, and other programs that would benefit communities directly.

-We demand that the State of Maryland and its localities end all future funding of police surveillance programs (including but not limited to: Citiwatch Cameras, police body cameras, and the targeted surveillance of known community organizers) and reallocate these funds to community controlled programs such as recreation centers and shelters.

-Break all ties with the State of Israel. Maryland police departments regularly purchase surveillance technology from Israeli companies and participate in police exchange programs with the State of Israel, a state which systematically discriminates against Palestinians and has maintained a military occupation of Palestine for decades. The State of Israel also enacts racism against African immigrants--denying them work, placing them in detention centers, and deporting them.

Baltimore Police say 12 people have been arrested.

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