As Twitchy reported, protesters last night occupied Baltimore City Hall until around 3:30 a.m., refusing to leave until meeting with the interim police commissioner to discuss their list of demands. The list was apparently adapted from “rules of engagement” presented to the police in Ferguson, Mo., proposing that police “wear only the attire minimally required for their safety. Specialized riot gear will be avoided except as a last resort.”
In addition, Campaign Zero, currently being shopped around a very receptive group of legislators and presidential candidates by DeRay Mckesson, specifically calls for the demilitarization of law enforcement, limiting police departments from obtaining or using military weaponry “to intimidate and repress communities.”
The Baltimore Police Department recently sent members of its special operations units to meet with children at Gwynns Fall Elementary School, but judging from the photos on Facebook, the children looked more excited than intimidated by law enforcement hardware as they took turns getting hands-on with safety vests, police dogs and horses, a helicopter and more.
Special Operations Units visited Gwynns Fall Elementary School https://t.co/SBlBZm4zBx pic.twitter.com/eU4rlPxU2P
— Baltimore Police (@BaltimorePolice) October 15, 2015
There was no word of any activities like children throwing water bottles at the police, which the city hall occupiers consider “minor law breaking”, nor do we see any marijuana possession, which Campaign Zero wants decriminalized, claiming police use it to unfairly “police black bodies.”
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However, the police did manage to capture a new featured image for their Facebook page in the process.
Nice. More days like this one, please.
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