With Metropolis Council’s Ear, Baltimore Residents Urge Cuts To Police Price range Forward Of Vote – CBS Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Baltimore Metropolis residents referred to as for funding cuts to police Thursday throughout Taxpayers’ Evening, the place residents can weigh in with the Metropolis Council on how their cash is being spent.   

The Metropolis Council nonetheless must finalize and vote on the Metropolis’s $4 million greenback funds set forth by the Mayor, which incorporates $560.4 million allotted to police. The council should approve the funds by the top of June, nevertheless it hears from residents earlier than doing so.  

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Thursday evening, the main focus was on slicing the funding for police and spending that cash elsewhere. 

“If spending on police made us safer, then Baltimore could be one of many most secure locations in the USA,” mentioned Dr. Jerry Fitzgerald to the Council Thursday evening. “Baltimore police recover from 500 million {dollars} a 12 months and we’re going to present them much more cash?”

Residents referred to as on the Metropolis Council to reduce subsequent 12 months’s police funds.  

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“We preserve giving them extra money, anticipating them to resolve all our issues,” mentioned Rob Ferrell of Organizing Black. Ferrell helped set up a rally earlier than the Metropolis Council assembly outdoors Metropolis Corridor, the place they handed out fliers with extra details about defunding police.”

This funds is $5 million greater than final 12 months’s police funds.  

“Baltimore Metropolis residents pay $956 per capita for police, greater than anyplace else in America,” mentioned Leanna Harrison, Analysis Coverage Analyst for CASA Baltimore. 

Elementary College trainer Djerae Lucas pushed for a few of the police’s funds to be put in the direction of faculties. “Our college students deserve much more,” she mentioned.  

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However Council members like Eric Costello (District 11) mentioned whereas the funds is loads of cash, “we even have pregnant girls being executed and we now have seventeen-year-old youngsters that go to their junior promenade and are getting murdered…making cuts to the police division when we now have the extent of violence that we now have on this metropolis is fairly irresponsible.”