Ayear after Freddie Gray‘s death while in police custody, the Justice Department released a scathing report proving the Baltimore Police Department purposely targets the city’s Black population.
In the 163-page report released on Wednesday, investigators pinpointed just how the department violated the rights of the people its officers are sworn to protect.
Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby told NewsOne Now guest host Derek McGinty she was not surprised by the findings of the DOJ report.
“It’s not a surprise living in West Baltimore that police unconstitutionally stop, search, and arrest individuals. It’s not surprising that you would see some individuals be strip-searched. It’s shocking maybe for other folks, but when you live in the heart of West Baltimore, that’s not shocking,” Mosby said.
Now that the Department of Justice has confirmed what Baltimore’s citizens already knew, Mosby is taking the opportunity to look forward – instead of saying to her detractors, “I told you so.”
Mosby said this moment is “one in which we really need to start to really address national policing reform in this country and Baltimore has the unique opportunity to do so.”
Mosby, who came under fire for seeking justice in the Freddie Gray case and later decided to drop all charges against three officers who were awaiting trial, could look at the report from the Department of Justice as a vindication of her efforts to prosecute the officers involved in Gray’s death.
But, said Mosby, “This is not a matter of vindication, this is a matter of exposing what has become a discriminatory policing policy in this country and actually addressing it.”
She added now that the injustices have been exposed, “What do we do about it?
“It’s time to reform it, address it, move past it, and make sure our communities are safe.”
Watch NewsOne Now guest host Derek McGinty and Baltimore State’s Attorney Marilyn Mosby discuss the scathing Department of Justice report on the discriminatory practices of Baltimore police in the video clip above.
PHOTO CREDIT: Getty
Watch NewsOne Now with Roland Martin, in its new time slot on TV One.
SEE ALSO:
DOJ: Baltimore Police Regularly Violate Constitutional Rights, Use Excessive Force Against Blacks
