George Floyd

Breonna Taylor 

Freddie Gray 

These names are seared into our nation’s collective memory but the residents of Anne Arundel County, Maryland don’t have to look to Minneapolis or Baltimore for tales of police misconduct and justifications for transparency and accountability in policing.  Signing this petition will show your support for an independent, fully funded and staffed Civilian Review Board with subpoena powers over complaints brought by the public against members of the Anne Arundel County Police. 

We have our own examples in Anne Arundel County such as Leroy Perry[1], killed by Anne Arundel County Police while searching for his registration after a traffic stop; or, Crystal Nelson[2], who was pregnant when she was shot in the back by Anne Arundel County Police, and who died, along with her baby that never got to see this world (Crystal had been sound asleep, after putting the children to bed that she was babysitting, and she was completely unaware that the house had been invaded by police under the auspices of a no knock warrant); and Cochise Daughtry[3] who was killed by Annapolis City Police for being a good Samaritan.  More information about these cases can be found in the following news reports:  

The only way forward is to force entrenched hatred and discrimination into the light by requiring transparency and accountability in government and, in particular, police departments across this country. 

The signatory organizations below are creating change in Anne Arundel County by asking for your support of an independent, fully funded and staffed Civilian Review Board with subpoena powers over complaints brought by the public against members of the Anne Arundel County Police.  Please sign this petition to tell Anne Arundel County Executive Steuart Pittman, the Anne Arundel County Council and Interim Police Chief William Lowry that you support a Civilian Review Board in Anne Arundel County.

Find out more about Civilian Review Boards here: https://www.nacole.org/faqs 

Signatories

Anne Arundel County Branch of the NAACP

Caucus of African American Leaders

Connecting the Dots

Communities Actively Seeking Transparency

March on Maryland

SURJ - Showing Up for Racial Justice

WISE

[1] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1981/10/24/police-officer-is-acquitted-in-fatal-shooting/31d29aa0-df5f-4c76-8b5b-f08f78b2d0f0/

[2] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/local/1989/10/22/shooting-in-police-raid-questioned/56870196-0a40-46b7-aa22-1bbe316cb9c8/

[3]https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-1998-11-11-1998315059-story.html