REVISED! AGAIN! Please add Calvert County, Maryland!

[db14619]

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• Detailed message concerning the budgeting decisions at stake in your community

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Below is our message, the officials to send this to are as follows: mike.evans@calvertcountymd.gov steven.jones@calvertcountymd.gov timothy.fridman@calvertcountymd.gov buddy.hance@calvertcountymd.gov mike.hart@calvertcountymd.gov tim.hutchins@calvertcountymd.gov kelly.mcconkey@calvertcountymd.gov steve.weems@calvertcountymd.gov calvertethics@gmail.com CalvertSAOCircuit@calvertcountymd.gov CalvertSAODistrict@calvertcountymd.gov contact@maryland.gov

Hello,

My name is [INSERT NAME] and I am from [NEIGHBORHOOD/BOROUGH/CITY, STATE]. I am emailing you to demand for drastic police reform that will help prevent the senseless police brutality that endangers black lives in our communities every day.

The racist murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, and hundreds of other black individuals in our nation are inexcusable. An overwhelming number of these murders are a direct result of police brutality. Calvert County is not exempt to the racism and police violence experienced all over the world. We saw this on June 1st 2020, when peaceful protestors were tear gassed while protesting for the lives lost to police brutality. After a 30-minute demonstration, when those who wanted to continue using their voice decided to peacefully protest on the sidewalk, Mike Evans threaten them with rubber bullets, tear gas, and arrests.

This is not the first time Mike Evans or the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office have abused their overwhelming amount of power given to them by the Calvert County Government. The Calvert County Sheriff’s Office needs to be defunded, and have those funds be reallocated into the schools and programs our youth in our community so desperately deserve. The fact that most of the information on how many officers are on the force, the direct amount of funding used, etc. is so hard to locate on the internet shows that our policing system in Calvert County is not willing to be transparent with it’s community. How can I expect them to keep our county safe?

Along with defunding the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office, I specifically demand that the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office:

• Provide clear guidelines for the right of Calvert County residents to peacefully assemble, and encourage their right to do so
• Civilian oversight for specific review of complaints and disciplinary measures when these are filed
• Establish a volunteer Police Review & Advisory Board with public meetings that allow community members and organizations to voice their criticisms and review police policies and practices
• Call on the Maryland General Assembly to pass legislation requiring the usage of body-worn cameras, with applicable privacy protections
• Require the Calvert County Sheriff’s Office to collaborate with community leaders to develop a strategic plan and timeline that seeks to create a representative proportion of police officers who are women and people of color and publicly share the progress on these goals
• Encourage and support the community’s right to record police interactions and encounters to promote accountability

White supremacy has infected every level of American society, especially in Southern Maryland. Our movement seeks to eradicate White supremacy in every form - whether that be systemic racism in criminal justice and law enforcement, health care, education, housing justice and every facet of society. This movement seeks to defend black lives in Southern Maryland and everywhere, because for too long America has not. I stand in solidarity with the simple, loud message: Black Lives Matter.

Sincerely,

[INSERT NAME] [YOUR ADDRESS] [YOUR EMAIL] [YOUR PHONE NUMBER]

[mahrer]

Thank you for submitting your city to defund12.org! Your request is now in the queue for review and publishing. We’ll reply here if we have any questions.

[wendywx]

Hi @db14619 ! Thanks for your interest in adding Calvert County to the site. Could you please provide more detail about the city budget to make a more compelling argument, showing the disparities in numbers?

I was able to find the Board of County Commissioners Operating and Capital Budget Fiscal Year 2021, the list of "General Fund Expenditures by Organization" lists the expenditures for the Sheriff's Office on page 42. And the FY 2021 Budget Development webpage appears to indicate the schedule for adoption.

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