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Technical.ly
29-04-2025
- Politics
- Technical.ly
From emergency response to sustained resistance: How Baltimore Action Legal Team endured after the Uprising
As day turned to night in Baltimore on April 27, 2015, the number of arrests for disorderly conduct, failure to obey, and destruction of property ticked upward. What began as street protests over the death of 25-year-old Freddie Gray exploded into a raw expression of fury. Thousands took to the streets to express their outrage both at Gray's death and the decades of disinvestment and unjust policing of Black communities in Baltimore. Many of the hundreds of people that would be arrested in the coming days would be held for more than 18 hours; many would not face charges and be released without explanation. The media in the city were laser-focused on the unrest — not the violation of rights that protesters were experiencing. A small group of legal professionals and activists, including Iman Freeman, Matthew Zernhelt, Dorcas Gilmore, Charlene Dukes and Jenny Egan, began organizing efforts to support those detained. 'We were a part of a small group of lawyers who helped set up legal observing, 24-hour jail support, and helping to bail folks out,' recalls Freeman, one of the founding members and the executive director of Baltimore Action Legal Team (BALT). BALT was founded to make sure no one swept off the streets disappeared without due process and a network of care on the outside. They set up a legal hotline, tracked arrests in real time, and waited outside jails to meet people as they were released. 'I remember sitting in [Office of the Public Defender]'s office, writing down the names of everyone who was arrested. At first, it was minimal — just a few people. And then it was thousands. I remember seeing $300,000, $400,000 bails,' Freeman said. BALT's jail support program, inspired by work done in Ferguson and New York after the police killings of Mike Brown and Eric Garner, provided critical resources for those detained. Legal volunteers worked around the clock to track detainees, provide legal representation, and, when possible, secure bail. Police were caught on camera brutalizing and pepper-spraying protesters, further fueling the sense of injustice. Prosecutors failed to convict the officers involved in Gray's arrest and death, while many protesters faced severe charges and exorbitant bail as high as $500,000 — the people protesting Gray's death faced harsher punishment than the officers whose actions led to it. A decade later, BALT is among the few initiatives launched in the wake of the Uprising that continues to operate. What started as an emergency legal response has transformed into a long-term fight for systemic change both through the courts and through grassroots organizing. Along with expunging hundreds of criminal records, the organization has filed lawsuits to win the release of police misconduct records and led advocacy efforts to address Baltimore's pretrial detention system, which disproportionately affects low-income residents and people of color. That kind of systemic reform may be the end goal, but the real change happens through BALT's boots-on-the-ground community work. Client by client, BALT workers strategically post up in disenfranchised communities, working with residents to ensure the broken legal system can no longer rob them of their livelihoods. On an unseasonably warm day this February, a handful of residents signed in at an addiction treatment center in Baltimore's raucous Penn North neighborhood. The location is tucked away in the heart of one of the city's most notorious drug markets. It's not lost on us that we stand on someone's grave. And it's not lost on us that nearly 10 years later, we're still fighting many of the same battles. – Iman Freeman, one of BALT's founding members Outside, it was a typical day in the West Baltimore neighborhood. Gospel music blasted, Black Baltimoreans chatted outside of Narcotics Anonymous meetings and nearby street pharmacists shouted out what they had in stock that day. Inside, however, a renewed sense of hope was alive. Some sought sobriety; others wanted freedom from the weight of a criminal record. Long after a sentence ends, the punishment persists. A criminal record can be a lifelong sentence to poverty, slamming shut doors to decent jobs and housing. BALT began hosting clinics in 2022 to provide low-barrier legal services to anyone who may need them. For many, access to qualified legal professionals can be out of reach, increasing their chances of being weighed down by a criminal record — or incarcerated. One of the primary services BALT offers is expungements, which can get rid of sometimes decades-old charges, ranging from simple misdemeanors to some felonies. This work is imperative, organizers say, as criminal records can interfere with access to employment, housing and some social services. But it's not just about doing away with cases of the past. The organization also provides warrant recall services, which can put a stop to ongoing law enforcement action. A warrant recall is a judicial order that revokes someone's arrest warrant, interfering in the enforcement process and potentially preventing incarceration. Since its inception, BALT has offered free expungement and warrant recall services to nearly 400 Baltimoreans. Clearing the slate isn't easy, nor is it a panacea. Yet it can provide opportunities to those who have faced off with a system that entraps Black Americans by design, attendees said. At the treatment center, Matt Parsons, a community lawyer with BALT, sat upstairs in a conference room. One by one, residents ascended the stairs of Penn North Recovery Center with hopes they'd leave with a clean record. Nearly all of BALT's clients are Black, which the organization takes into account by intentionally making its services available in neighborhoods with high Black populations such as Penn North, Parsons said. Reggie Johnson, who struggled to find gainful employment because of his criminal record but now works in the security field, had four offenses expunged with the help of BALT last year. It opened the world up to him again. 'Now I could do anything I want,' Johnson said. He was such a satisfied client that he was sitting in the waiting room of the treatment center with his friend, Dennis Hughes, whom he brought to BALT's February clinic with hopes Hughes could experience the same relief. 'I'm going to get my concealed carry (permit), and it don't bother me because they're not violent crimes. But I just wanted them off my record,' Hughes said. Hughes could have as many eight records expunged, Parsons said. The excitement from former and current BALT clients in the waiting room was palpable. Whether the expungements gave way to new job opportunities or simply the peace of mind offered by a clean slate, clients expressed gratitude for the nonprofit's work. The criminal justice system is one piece of the deep inequities that plague Baltimore. Morgan State University professor Lawrence Brown coined the term ' Black Butterfly ' to describe the city's apartheid-like disparities: wealthier, predominantly white areas in the central corridor receive the lion's share of opportunities and investments at the expense of predominantly Black neighborhoods in the east and west parts of the city that are starved of resources. These inequalities are even reflected in life expectancies: Those living in wealthy, white neighborhoods live nearly two decades longer than residents of the Black Butterfly. Residents in these neighborhoods are also disproportionately targeted by policing. The police arrest them; the judges and juries sentence them; the prisons hold them; and the system itself grips them and refuses to let them go. In Baltimore, this oppressive system largely impacts those in the Black Butterfly. It's a vicious, carceral cycle not only in Baltimore but nationwide. Black Americans are imprisoned at five times the rate of white people and experience the highest recidivism rates of all racial groups. Even a brush with the criminal justice system can have devastating lifelong consequences, especially when whole communities are targeted. People imprisoned early in their lives go on to earn half as much as those untouched by the criminal justice system, a 2020 Brennan Center for Justice report found. BALT interrupts the cycle to free them from the shackles of a system designed to hold them captive. 'There's an acknowledgment that people whose rights are violated deserve remedies. I think as far as what we value, which is movement lawyering — community lawyering — we want to focus on community relationships,' Parsons said. 'My job shouldn't really have to exist. These are not natural conditions. They were created by systems of oppression, by oppressors. We view providing pro bono services as being consistent with what we value in terms of Black people not deserving to be dehumanized and incarcerated en masse.' BALT's research found that in 2019, 75% of defendants denied bail later had their charges dropped or were acquitted. For those caught in the system, pretrial detention can mean months — or even years — of incarceration without a conviction, which can result in loss of employment and housing. Since 2020, BALT's bail fund has assisted 78 people using $600,000 in bail funds. And between 2020 and 2022, BALT spent $300,000 covering electronic monitoring fees to help alleviate the financial burden on those awaiting trial. 'When you think of the role of law in achieving justice, a lot of people truly buy into that myth that through the law we can shift power because that's what's needed,' said Freeman, executive director of BALT. 'History has taught us time and time again that that's not right — it's a people solution, and that includes lawyers utilizing legal tools.' A decade after Freddie Gray's death, Freeman acknowledges the progress made but says the work is far from over. 'We were born out of Black pain,' Freeman said of the organization's founding after the killing of Freddie Gray in police custody. 'It's not lost on us that we stand on someone's grave. And it's not lost on us that nearly 10 years later, we're still fighting many of the same battles. We've pushed for more transparency around police misconduct, and we did a lot of work around the consent decree that followed Freddie Gray's death.' BALT has survived this long because of its deep connections to the community and its ability to adapt. Sustaining a movement for the last decade and the years to come also means navigating challenges and responding to the evolving needs of the communities it serves. 'We're very good at the reaction. We're very good at pulling up when people need us without the plan in place,' says Santana Alvarado, BALT's director of operations. 'But it's nice that we're able to also have this vision of the next five, 10 years and how we want to sustain this work in between disasters.' BALT aims to fundamentally transform the legal landscape so its services are no longer needed. In 2022, a lawsuit brought by BALT led the State's Attorney's Office to release a list of more than 300 police officers flagged for credibility concerns based on Internal Affairs complaints. The following year, BALT secured a legal victory against the Baltimore Police Department, with the Maryland Supreme Court ruling that the department acted arbitrarily in denying public interest fee waivers for records requests. By exposing the failures of policing, increasing transparency, and making legal knowledge accessible, BALT aims to equip Baltimore communities with the tools to advocate for themselves. Rather than relying on outside intervention, people should have the language, expertise and direct access to power needed to fight for their rights in courtrooms and beyond. 'We want to put ourselves out of work,' says Zernhelt, BALT's legal director. The light that BALT brings to the community isn't only found in its success in the courts, however. It's visible in the people it helps. The weight of criminal records that can make progress seem impossible is lifted. Incarceration is prevented, allowing people to be with their families and continue with their lives. And for some, such as Qiana Johnson, it can allow them to overcome the oppressive legal system and reinvest the hope that BALT gave them back into the community. Johnson spent two and a half years incarcerated, found guilty of numerous charges related to real estate and theft in two separate cases. Her sentence could have been significantly longer, but she was released in 2017. With BALT's help, she got numerous records expunged after they were able to get felony charges converted to 'probation before judgment.' The organization also helped her fight nearly $300,000 in restitution set by a judge, which a higher court struck down as illegal. The latter helped prevent her from spending five more years in prison. Most people think that [the system] is broken, but it's not. It's functioning in the way that it was designed to function. Qiana Johnson, former BALT client and founder of Life After Release 'I had to fight so hard,' Johnson said through tears. 'I had to develop so many relationships; I had to beg so many people to listen to me that this was illegal. This was not supposed to happen to me. And BALT said, 'I gotchu, we're going to do this. We're not going to see you back in prison.'' Nearly a decade after her release, Johnson is still fighting to resolve remaining legal issues. She founded Life After Release, a nonprofit led by Black women that offers services to the formerly incarcerated, in response to a 'barbaric' prosecutor in her case. The organization now partners with BALT in the arduous battle against a system created to put people like her down. That design is perhaps most evident in a key exemption in the 13th Amendment: Slave labor remains legal behind bars. And as the so-called 'justice' system has grown, so has the complex structure that entraps the descendants of those who fought for their freedom many years ago. 'Most people think that [the system] is broken, but it's not,' Johnson said. 'It's functioning in the way that it was designed to function.' 'BALT has to exist, Life After Release has to exist in order to abolish what is currently in place and build a system of rehabilitation, a system of transformative justice and a system that would work for everybody. But the current system was built to oppress; it was built on the backs of slavery and has formed from that time until now.'
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Eyes in the sky: Drones take aim at illegal fireworks
HONOLULU (KHON2) — A high-tech approach to tackling illegal fireworks in Hawaii is moving forward and lawmakers say it will enhance safety without adding staff. A bill now making its way through the legislature would allow law enforcement to use drones to catch violators in the act, but critics say it's unconstitutional. County police departments and the state's Department of Law Enforcement could soon deploy drones as eyes in the sky to capture evidence from above — footage that could be used as probable cause for arrest. Friend of Arielle Konig speaks out 'Similar to red light traffic cams, something to provide that extra layer of enforcement without significant added cost or added burden on law enforcement,' said State Representative Cory Chun, whose District 35 includes Pearl City and Waipahu. Under House Bill 550, drones could only record in public spaces like streets, sidewalks and parks. Chun said the goal is to hold offenders accountable while still respecting privacy rights. 'The way I look at it is a drone going down a street in a neighborhood is the same as a squad car going down. I mean as long as you're not going down private property, you're not peeking in windows, it's strictly going on public property, then there shouldn't be a problem,' Chun, who introduced the bill, for the bill include people and pets. 'We do get an increase in lost animals around the holidays, we get an increase in animals that arrive deceased, so it's a hugely important issue for us and we really support law enforcement getting any tools they possibly can,' said Stephanie Kendrick, Hawaiian Humane Society's director of community engagement. But the Office of the Public Defender is among those who oppose the bill, submitting testimony that the use of drones without a search warrant could be reviewed in court as unconstitutional and that without proper regulation, drones would cause unprecedented invasion of privacy rights. HB550 is just one of a handful of measures still moving forward in the legislature this session, in an effort to respond to public calls for tougher enforcement after the tragic New Year's Eve fireworks explosion that killed six people. 'So a lot of these bills are aimed at trying to help law enforcement to enforce what's already on the books,' Chun said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
19-03-2025
- Yahoo
Arizona trial dates are set for 'Doomsday Mom' Lori Vallow Daybell
A judge on Tuesday decided Lori Vallow Daybell's Arizona charges — murder conspiracy and attempted murder, stemming from separate incidents — would be prosecuted in separate trials. The murder conspiracy case, related to the July 2019 death of Daybell's fourth husband, Charles Vallow, would begin March 31, Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Justin Beresky said. May 30 would be the start date for the attempted murder trial, related to a shooting that narrowly missed Daybell's niece's ex-husband, Brandon Boudreaux, in Gilbert in October 2019, Beresky said. Beresky also ruled during Tuesday's hearing that the names of Daybell's two youngest children would be included in juror questions to preclude seating jurors with prior knowledge of Daybell's convictions in Idaho for their murders. Joshua "JJ" Vallow was 7 and Tylee Ryan was 16 when they were killed. Daybell was sentenced to life in prison for their murders. She was also convicted in Idaho of conspiracy to murder Tammy Daybell, the ex-wife of Chad Daybell, who Lori Vallow married weeks later. Daybell and her fifth husband, Chad Daybell, believed in an imminent "doomsday" and that people around them were zombies, according to court records and testimony. Daybell has come to be known as the "Doomsday Mom," the title of a 2021 Lifetime TV movie about her. Beresky ordered Daybell's former defense team to turn over any material Daybell claimed they had withheld, including a video of Gilbert police interviewing her. In court, Daybell argued she had not received the video, but prosecutors said they had provided her with everything of which they were aware. Daybell said she knew the video existed because her previous defense team had shown it to her online. 'If they have that link, why don't they just send it to the state?" Beresky said. "And that may help the state determine if that's something they've already disclosed.' Daybell claimed her former defense team refused to help her. 'I'll tell you why they won't — because that is my former team, and they will not do anything to help my investigator, my paralegal," Daybell said. "They won't give us any information that they found. They won't talk to us at all because apparently there was a conflict." Daybell requested that an expert she retained be allowed to inspect Charles Vallow's phone. Beresky warned that if her expert needed time to examine the device, admitting the findings could delay the trial. The judge told her she had a choice: push the trial date to allow for more preparation or proceed as scheduled on March 31. Daybell repeatedly asserted that she wanted to maintain the current trial date and invoke her right to a speedy trial, even if it meant limiting her defense's ability to review evidence. 'I understand that, and I also understand that I've only been given 10 hours" for the expert from the Office of the Public Defender, Daybell said. 'So if he could spend 10 hours this week getting it ready, then he can give us a report with the best that he can do.' Beresky noted the defense already possessed digital forensic extractions from police evidence, including data from Charles Vallow's phone, and suggested the expert work from those files. This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona trial dates are set for 'Doomsday Mom' Lori Vallow Daybell
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Phoenix area veterans gather for annual StandDown event
The Brief The annual Veterans StandDown event took place at Arizona State Fairgrounds on March 13. The event offers veterans with various resources, including legal. PHOENIX - On March 13, hundreds of veterans gathered at the Arizona State Fairgrounds near Downtown Phoenix for annual Veterans StandDown event. This event has been going on since 2001, and provides veterans with various resources. The event lasts from March 13 to March 14. One of the resources offered to people at the event is legal services. Judges in black robes were seen presiding over a makeshift courtroom, as people wait in line for their turn. Army veteran Joseph Matthews says it's a godsend. What Matthews Said "It's been a big help to me in my life because where else can we meet with people, get our problems solved, and come together as a community to help each other?" Matthews said. Attorneys like David Hintze with the Office of the Public Defender, along with Deputy County Attorney Denise O'Rourke, formed a unique partnership for the StandDown. What they're saying "We are trying to restore them to where they were when they were that person that said 'hey. I'm giving myself to this country,' and so whatever little piece we can do and be a part of that, I am honored to help," said Hintze. "It feels incredible," said O'Rourke. "Like, it sends chills down my spine. It's just the best feeling in the world." Dig deeper The opposing sides came together to help veterans resolve outstanding misdemeanors or fines. Judge Scott Blaney, who is also a 28-year Army veteran, said clearing up these seemingly trivial legal issues can fundamentally change lives. "If someone has a criminal record or fines where they can't get their rights restored, probably the best example is would be the ability to get a driver's license," said Judge Blaney. "If you can't get to work, you can't work. If you can't work, you can't support yourself. So it's kind of a spiraling effect. So we try to remove those minor impediments." Judge Blaney sees a pressing need, reflected by the large Thursday crowds. "It's very difficult for veterans to seek help," said Judge Blaney. "We are taught to be tough. We are taught to be self sufficient, self-disciplined. And so when they need help, they don't reach out." That is why commissioners and Justices of the Peace from across the Phoenix area said they're honored to help. "This is our big thank you to them for all the work they have already done," said Maricopa County Justice of the Peace Michele Reagan. "To be able to give back to our veterans is just invaluable for their service," said Commissioner Kristian Morales.
CBS News
13-03-2025
- CBS News
4 teens arrested after carjacking 76-year-old woman in Baltimore
Four teens were arrested Wednesday after they carjacked a 76-year-old woman in Baltimore, according to police. Baltimore police responded to the 3200 block of Washington Boulevard on Tuesday, March 11, around 4:47 a.m. for reports of an unarmed carjacking. Once on the scene, officers discovered that a 76-year-old woman had been approached by four males who forced her from her car and fled in her vehicle. With the help of the department's aviation unit, officers found the stolen vehicle on Wednesday, March 13, on I-95 near the Canton Avenue exit. They arrested three 15-year-old boys and a 16-year-old boy. Two of the 15-year-olds and the 16-year-old were taken to the Juvenile Justice Center, where they were charged with robbery and auto theft. The other 15-year-old was taken to central booking, where he was charged with carjacking as an adult, according to police. Violent crime down in Baltimore According to data from Baltimore Police, there have been 144 cases of auto theft in the city so far this year. In 2024, the city saw a major drop in violent crimes, including homicides and non-fatal shootings. On March 3, Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott reported that homicides were down 29% compared to that time in 2024, and non-fatal shootings were down 41%. Addressing juvenile crime As violent crime continues to trend downward, leaders have been focused on addressing juvenile crime in the city. During a meeting at the end of 2024, Maryland leaders said they would focus on creating new strategies to address juvenile crime, especially as the legislative session got underway. However, some efforts to address juvenile crime have faced backlash. In January, ahead of the 2025 legislative session, Maryland's Office of the Public Defender called for lawmakers to end the automatic charging of minors as adults, saying the process disproportionately impacts Black and brown children. In 2023, Maryland passed a Juvenile Reform Act that allowed officials to charge children between the ages of 10 and 12 with certain offenses like gun possession and auto theft. Safe Growth, which aims to improve crime hotspots by adding lighting and cameras and preventing illegal dumping.
