“Has anything changed?”
OSI-Baltimore Director Diana Morris asks this pointed question in an op-ed published in today’s Baltimore Sun. She is reflecting, of course, on the year that has passed since the arrest of Freddie Gray, his death in police custody and the uprising that resulted.
The answer, she maintains, is a cautious “yes.” From new leadership to policy changes, from the development or resurgence of community activist groups, from public discussions on topics like equitable development and police reform and racism, change is happening in Baltimore, sparked by those events last April.
Morris acknowledges that t’s too soon to tell if the “momentum has shifted.” OSI understands that real change requires persistence and we intend to continue our efforts in response to the uprising with initiatives like the Baltimore Justice Fund to improve police accountability and police-community relations and the Law Enforcement Assisted Diversion (LEAD) program to direct drug users into treatment instead of the criminal justice system.
