Fund black businesses, defund police: message to "law and order" candidates

How can African Americans feel safe after reading Justice Department reports? How is the U.S. economy affected by discrimination? (Photo by Tomi Johnson)

"BPD’s law enforcement practices at times exacerbate the longstanding structural inequalities in the City by encouraging officers to have unnecessary, adversarial interactions with community members that increase exposure to the criminal justice system and fail to improve public safety." --- U.S. Dept. of Justice Report

The U.S. government is ruining the economy by condoning inappropriate police behavior.

The U.S. Justice Department has investigated racial discrimination in several community police departments. Why does the government continue to fund entities which are working outside the law in violation of the U.S. Constitution?

The rights of all citizens are supposed to be protected. How can individual citizens, especially the poor, disabled, sick, uneducated, indebted and homeless, feel secure or protected when they confront police who are shielded by laws, courts, body armor, helmets, guns, assault rifles, tasers, robot bombs, tanks, and social media suppression?

I am continuing to read the 160+ page, scathing, U.S. Department of Justice report stating that the Baltimore Police Department has harmed the African American community for decades. This type of behavior, however, is being condoned by the federal government which has not cut off funding to BPD which recently killed a mother and wounded her child in a home evasion gun battle.

While trying to serve an arrest warrant, BPD killed Korryn Gaines, 23-year-old mother of two, and wounded her 5-year old son.

America, this is where our tax dollars should stop!

If we do not protest and demand that our governments stop funding police departments who killed Korryn Gaines and others over the last two years, then we are complicit with what is going on... I, for one, am against it!

One more suggestion: I recommended defunding body cameras for police and using money to quip every citizen with a webphone with information and data to be placed on an evidence channel. Funding black radio, video channels, and blogs is also a good option. Fund Wingcom Watchdog while you're at it!