Last night at Coppin State University, nearly two dozen representatives for the teams applying to be Consent Decree monitors answered questions about their qualifications and proposed strategies in front of a standing room only crowd of community members.
Before the start of the town hall, hosted by OSI-Baltimore grantee, the Campaign for Jobs, Safety and Justice (CJSJ), a coalition organizations including CASA, ACLU-MD, Baltimore Algebra Project and Leaders of a Beautiful Struggle, among many others, audience members were given index cards on which to write questions. Questions could be directed at specific teams.
Said Ray Kelly of CJSJ affiliate organization, No Boundaries Coalition, “The monitors, next to us in the community, of course, are probably the most important party in making sure the City and BPD are in compliance with the schedule and mandates laid out in the Consent Decree.”
The first question of the night came from CJSJ, asking the teams if they will commit to working with community organizations like CJSJ affiliates to hold police accountable. Each representative had one minute to answer. The remaining questions were directed at specific teams, and representatives had two minutes to answer.
Community members can still submit questions for teams. Deadline to submit is July 17. Find information on how to submit questions, as well as applicant survey responses here. Additional information can be found on the City of Baltimore Consent Decree page here.
