Keeping the Hood Safe or Just Fucking with Folks? A Baltimore Cop Moved in Front of a Fleeing Black Man’s Car and Shot Him thru the Driver Window. Cop was Impounding his Car “b/c Old Registration”

The Baltimore Police Department (BPD) released body-worn camera video Friday showing a police shooting that took place on Aug. 22 near Lexington Market. The shooting happened around 9:30 p.m. on Aug. 22 in the 300 block of N. Eutaw Street.

The officer involved was identified as Samuel Thomas, a 20-year veteran of the BPD. [MORE]

Instead of protecting Black people from ongoing crime at night, Baltimore authorities have a policy of aggressively searching, ticketing and stealing residents’ cars with expired registration, out of state tags or other petty parking infractions. It should go without saying, but for most working and poor people the loss of your car means the loss of the ability to participate in economic life and to take care of yourself and others. It also is a deprivation of a host of freedoms such as; preventing or inhibiting an individual from obtaining food, medicine, other necessities, seeing their children etc and restricting their freedom of movement to come and go as you please. Government authorities dominant Black people and other poor people with ticket fines that they treat as monetary debt. It should also go without saying but when people are living like insects (avoiding utility shut-offs, eviction, car repossession and juggling what bills to pay this month) then paying the government for some bullshit ticket is a low priority.

In this matter, the cop found a car a parked in the hood and went to work for his liberal masters. As such, mission accomplished as another Black person is physically harmed and deprived of their property by the government.