Baltimore just the tip of the iceberg

A few departmental changes in a few police districts isn't change. Cities are implementing body cameras, and the Justice Department has investigated the recent high-profile cases of police killing unarmed black men, but that's not change.

In the cases that have gained national attention, the officers are rarely charged or convicted. Police departments don't have consequences. Officers keep killing, harassing and brutalizing citizens and get a paid vacation, aka administrative leave, when caught.

Since the beginning of this year, more than 380 people have been killed by police, according to an unofficial count of news articles on the website killedbypolice.net. That's about one every eight hours. It's estimated that a quarter of police departments were using body cameras. This hasn't translated into less civilian deaths at the hands of police. If cameras alone were enough to correct bad police behavior, then why are the numbers of deaths rising?

We are past the point of a few bad apples who can be corrected with more training and body cameras. When will we face the fact that the whole orchard is poisoned?

For 10 days, people in Baltimore protested and demanded answers and accountability from those in positions of power. Their cries for justice were met with silence or an answer that was as clear as murky water. Before Monday, few Americans knew or cared about Freddie Gray or Baltimore. And then the "riot" happened.

Situations like these do not occur in a vacuum. Since 2011, Baltimore has settled more than 100 cases of police brutality for more than $6 million. Some of the officers still have jobs. The uprising comes from a community that is ignored and abused — a community where unemployment for adults is 51%, where $35 million in school funding may be lost and life expectancy is 69.

Original report here

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