Read the PDF version of our statement here.
NAACP Legal Defense Fund Statement on the Denial of the Request to Intervene in the Justice Department Review of the Baltimore Police Department
Today, U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar denied the request of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) to intervene in the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) review of the Baltimore City Police Department (BPD) on behalf of Community Churches for Community Development (CCCD), a Maryland non-profit working to enhance the quality of life for Baltimore residents, and Ralph E. Moore Jr., a community leader and social worker in Baltimore. Sherrilyn Ifill, President and Director-Counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., issued the following statement:
“The court’s denial of our motion to intervene at this stage puts even more pressure on DOJ to fulfill its obligation to fully and diligently enforce the consent decree. We made our request to intervene in the face of the Justice Department’s open hostility towards the consent decree in this case, and its efforts to stall the long-awaited approval of this decree. This ruling leaves open the opportunity to renew our request, and we stand ready to file again should the DOJ not meet its obligations in enforcing the consent decree. We are unwavering in our commitment to ensuring the people of Baltimore can live free from unconstitutional policing practices.”
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Founded in 1940, the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) is the nation’s first civil and human rights law organization and has been completely separate from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) since 1957—although LDF was originally founded by the NAACP and shares its commitment to equal rights. LDF’s Thurgood Marshall Institute is a multi-disciplinary and collaborative hub within LDF that launches targeted campaigns and undertakes innovative research to shape the civil rights narrative. In media attributions, please refer to us as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund or LDF.
