Race, Racism, and Baltimore's Future
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Race, Racism, and Baltimore’s Future: A Focus on Structural and Institutional Racism Summary Report #SDH2016 The Fifth Annual Symposium on the Social Determinants of Health Introduction After the death of Freddie Gray on April 12, 2015, and Speakers participated in four panels sharing expertise on: the protests and demonstrations that shook the city 1. overcoming structural racism, soon after, Baltimore became a symbol of racial strife 2. how racism affects health, and inequity and gained the media attention of not just the United States but the entire world. This was 3. how racism, racial segregation, and the education not news for the people of Baltimore or for many of system are connected, and the organizations that work tirelessly toward positive 4. racism and policing. change in this city. To many, the death of Freddie The goals of this symposium were to: Gray did not come as a surprise. To them, inequitable 1. reiterate how salient structural racism is in the treatment of young, black men was nothing new; lives of people in Baltimore City, and it certainly was nothing that they had not heard, 2. acknowledge structural racism as a critical public witnessed, or personally experienced. With the whole health concern, and world watching, this tragedy brought determination; a 3. critically assess the changes that we can make to determination that his death was not in vain, that the reduce structural racism in our personal lives and spotlight would not go away, and that together, through in the institutions where we work. galvanized momentum, something would be done. Freddie Gray’s death and the events that followed On April 25, 2016, over 700 people came together to brought determination to the event—a determination attend the 5th annual Social Determinants of Health that his death was not in vain, that the spotlight would Symposium on Race, Racism, and Baltimore’s Future: not go away, and that together, through galvanized A Focus on Structural and Institutional Racism. The momentum, positive change would be made. symsposium was hosted by the Johns Hopkins Urban were a diverse group from the Baltimore area and This report summarizes key lessons learned and beyond.Health Institute Twenty-one and theinvited Office speakers of Provost. ranging Attendees from challenges as discussed by the symposium speakers. Additionally, successful Baltimore City organizations community organizations spent the day in an intense are highlighted throughout. discussionresearch and of legalrace experts and racism to leaders in Baltimore. from non-profit They participated in four panels, sharing poignant anecdotes about their personal experiences and presenting their research, all offering suggestions for ways forward. facilitated small breakout sessions in an effort to turn discussionThis year, intofor action,the first as tangibletime, the goals symposium are necessary also for making progress in Baltimore. 2 #SDH2016 Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute Summary Report Race, Racism, and Baltimore’s Future: A Focus on Structural and Institutional Racism Panel 4: Racism and Policing Disparities in policing are a symptom of structural racism Keynote Speaker: Sherrilyn Ifill Discussants: Deborah Peterson, President Small and Director-Counsel, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. , JD/MPP, Executive Director and Founder of Break the Chains, JHSPH David O. Fakunle, Post-Doc Fellow BA, Drug Dependence Epidemiology Training Program, Department of Moderator: Daniel W. Webster, Mental Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health ScD, MPH, Director, Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Policy and Research, Deputy Director for Research, Johns Hopkins Center for the Prevention of Youth Violence Historical Context for Racism and Policing late 18th century late 1860s 1877 In the late 18th century, the In the late-1860s legislation In 1877, Jim Crow Laws were emergence of a semi-formal, was passed, starting in created in the South, which organized police force can be Mississippi and South Carolina were a series of elaborate traced to slavery, in an effort to enforce vagrancy and regulations to govern black life to control the slave labor loitering, but became known in shared public spaces, and to population that in some cases as Black Codes because despite reduce interactions between equaled or surpassed the size of being “racially neutral,” they the races.33 Formal police the master class.33 These slave essentially created a set of systems, as well as the general patrollers had the authority legal tools for continued white public, were responsible to physically punish runaway subordination of blacks to for upholding the formal and slaves, and whippings and white economic power.33 informal social order.33 extremely violent acts were not brutality was often used to uncommon.33 punish subordination.33 Police “I struggle when I have to tell my son to bow his head, to avert his eyes, to close his mouth. He should be able to walk up to the other man and look him square in the eyes and say to him, I am James Edward Paige the third and I am not your target practice. But I have to tell him, don’t say anything son. Just come home and give me a hug and tell me about your problems and fears. But just always come home.” James E. Page Summary Report Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute #SDH2016 3 The Fifth Annual Symposium on the Social Determinants of Health 1900-1920s 1973-1992 2010 After World Wars I and II, The War on Drugs was declared In 2010, Congress passed the there was a surge of black 1973, Fair Sentencing Act (FSA).38 and re-dedicated in 1982 by industrial cities occurred, yet as by President Nixon35 in migration to Northern the black population grew, so Although these policies are President Reagan. did tools and means of racially racially neutral on their face, 33 segregating them. racial disparities in drug- 2011 After race riots broke out between 1900-1920 federal during the war on drugs.33 related arrests intensified According to Tonry,36 in 1976 In 2011, the U.S. Sentencing 22% of individuals arrested Commission voted to policies played a significant to the suburbs and restricting by police were black and 77% retroactively apply the new role in encouraging white flight African Americans to the were white, but by , 40% 33 1992 FSA guidelines to individuals cities. of the arrests were black and sentenced before the law was This is important because 59% were white. enacted.38 legalized housing discrimination had a profound impact on the 82% of the population was police. Moreover, the police white,Notably, while during only these 12% years of the were responsible for upholding population was black.36 and enforcing these laws.33 It has been hypothesized War on Drugs included stop and that as a direct result of the frisk,Policies where implemented people could in the be housing segregation laws, racial minorities became viewed as reasonable suspicion, but were objects of law enforcement and predominantlystopped based onconducted an officer’s in social control, rather than as impoverished black and Latino citizens who are entitled to civil communities.36, 37 protections.33 These stop and frisk policies It is believed that these laws, lead to psychological violence and the environments where and increased risk of physical police were bound to uphold and sexual violence, and order “set a pattern for police arguably frayed relationships behavior and attitudes toward between civilians and police.35 minority communities that has persisted until the present day.” 34 4 #SDH2016 Johns Hopkins Urban Health Institute Summary Report Race, Racism, and Baltimore’s Future: A Focus on Structural and Institutional Racism Baltimore City Events 1942 prior to 1966 1990s In the 1990s, Baltimore City In 1942, Thomas Broadus, 1966, African Council members instilled “zero- a black soldier was killed by tolerance policing” in Baltimore toPrior foot to patrols as they were City, which lead to mass arrests barredAmerican from officers the use were of squad limited who shot him when he ran for minor infractions and white officer, Edward Bender from him after trying to get severe “community frustration” a cab after going to see Louis quarantined in rank, barred according to Ms. Kumar of cars. These officers were Armstrong with his friends from patrolling in white American Civil Libertties 24 neighborhoods, and would Union, who was quoted in a Broadus was the second African often only be given specialty on Pennsylvania Avenue. assignments in positions titled “Baltimore’s Broken had killed, but charges were 2015 New York Times article,40 These dismissed.American that Edward Bender as undercover plainclothes “zero-tolerance policies” are in the Narcotics39 division or interrelatedRelationship with with police Police.” violence against black adolescents and officers. adults in the United States.35 1942 1968 2015 In 1942, a peaceful March in On April 4, 1968, Martin Annapolis occurred where Luther King Jr. was On April 12, 2015, Freddie more than 2,000 protesters assassinated, followed by the Gray was arrested by the convened while Carl Murphy, Baltimore riots. Lillie May Jackson, Juanita and later died in a hospital from spinalBaltimore injuries. Police Department and W.A.C. Hughes met with GovernorJackson Miller, O’Conor Edward to investigate Lewis, Two recent laws have been police administration in black passed that are hopeful for neighborhoods, and request improving police and civilian that he appointed black interactions: uniformed policemen, a black • Doubling the maximum