Citations Needed News Brief: Baltimore Uprising 10 Years on: PR Co-option vs Genuine Reform
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May 7, 2025 Taya Graham and Stephen Janis, award-winning investigative reporters from The Real News Network, dive into the legacy of Freddie Gray's death and its implications for Baltimore. They discuss their documentary, emphasizing the ongoing struggles for police accountability and reform ten years later. The duo critiques the media's role in perpetuating negative narratives about the city and highlights the importance of community activism in shaping a more just landscape. Their insights reveal both the challenges and the hopeful strides in the fight against systemic racism and over-policing.
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Baltimore's Policing Reckoning
- Baltimore had decades of aggressive zero-tolerance policing treating police as the main solution to social problems.
- Freddie Gray's death exposed this system's cruelty and sparked questioning of policing's role in the city.
Life Under Aggressive Policing
- Living in high-crime areas meant frequent police stops for minimal reasons like loitering or open containers.
- This daily constitutional erosion normalized police abuses before they became nationally exposed.
Community Solutions Over Policing
- Meaningful reforms included rolling back laws protecting police officers and funding community-based violence prevention.
- Baltimore's homicide rate dropped despite a reduction of police officers, showing police aren't the only safety solution.