Civil and Human Rights Coalition Responds to Growing Protests in Baltimore and the Death of Freddie Gray

WASHINGTON — Wade Henderson, president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, issued the following statement in the wake of the death of Freddie Gray while in police custody and the protests that have grown in response to longstanding patterns of police violence in Baltimore:

“For far too long, the Baltimore police force has built a well-documented record of reckless and excessive use of force against the people they’re sworn to protect.  The protesters there have every right to be upset and angry at their government and at the death of Freddie Gray. These issues are exacerbated by the lack of economic and educational opportunity afforded to both people of color and low-income residents in the city.

But we know that these patterns of biased and overzealous policing are not limited to just Baltimore—or to Cleveland or Ferguson or any of the other towns and cities that have made headlines over the past year. 

We cannot afford to ignore these deaths or the outrage they’ve stoked. This is a nationwide problem that demands reform at the federal, state and local levels. 

A ban on racial profiling; increased data collection and implicit bias training; independent civilian review boards; the national deployment of police body cameras; and reforms to law enforcement militarization and civil asset forfeiture are all vital solutions to parts of this systemic problem. But in the absence of local reforms to how police officers relate to the communities and citizens they’re sworn to protect, these policy changes will only go so far.

Healing of these communities requires the investment of time, and reconciliation will not be easy or quick. Our hearts are with the Gray family and the people of Baltimore. We urge them to continue to be vigilant as they engage in peaceful protests and we search for local, state, and national solutions to these problems.”

Wade Henderson is the president and CEO of The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a coalition charged by its diverse membership of more than 200 national organizations to promote and protect the rights of all persons in the United States. The Leadership Conference works toward an America as good as its ideals. For more information on The Leadership Conference and its 200-plus member organizations, visit www.civilrights.org.

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