This Petition is demanding that citizens of Maryland who abuse the 911 service by making racially biased complaints be held accountable and punished for their actions.

As we dismantle the many systems that directly impact the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People of Color) community in our state, we must look at the way that simple calls to 911 are weaponized against them. Calling police on anyone for doing things as simple walking, drinking coffee, playing in their own yards, and other perfectly legal, safe, and normal actions because they are Black or Brown or a Person of Color is unacceptable. #LivingWhileBlack is not a crime.

Based on the website Mapping Police Violence, police killed 1,147 people in 2017. Black people were 25% of those killed despite being only 13% of the population. Black people are 3x more likely to be killed by police than white people, while Hispanic/Latinx are 1.5x more likely to be killed by police. 

911 is NOT a personal concierge service, and these racially motivated calls not only endanger our neighbors, but waste resources and tax dollars. We hope this petition will help Marylanders continue the journey towards a more just and welcoming community in our state, and motivate our lawmakers to take clear and decisive action to make this a reality.