In April 2015, local community organizations quickly joined together in support of Baltimore residents appeal for justice and accountability in the days following the killing of Freddie Gray in police custody. This newly formed coalition, Baltimore United for Change, issued a call to lawyers, legal workers and activists for support in their endeavors. The Baltimore Action Legal Team (“BALT”) forme
d in response to that call, under guidance from local legal professionals and activists, as well as from the Black Movement-Law Project, Center for Constitutional Rights, and other outside experts. Within days of the initial request, BALT began holding legal observer trainings and established a Jail Support team. Through this, BALT trained hundreds of lawyers, law students, and activists in legal observation and jail support. When the Baltimore Police Department began mass arrests of protesters, BALT legal observers played a key role in documenting who was being arrested while the Jail Support team determined who was held at Baltimore City Detention Center (BCDC). Once it became clear that protestors were being illegally held without charge, BALT helped coordinate a legal strategy that led to the release of over a hundred protesters. For over a week, BALT manned a 24 hour, 7 day a week jail support team outside of BCDC, greeting detainees upon their release, documenting their stories, and gathering critical legal information. BALT is committed to building the power of the local Movement for Black Lives. We take our direction from community organizing groups who are on the ground, and we respect the leadership of local activists. BALT is committed to anti-racist practices and to black leadership. BALT is dedicated to politically-conscious lawyering and to using creative, collective solutions to support the Movement for Black Lives in Baltimore. BALT seeks to build the capacity of the local Movement for Black Lives by providing four key services to address the justice system: 1) legal observation teams during community protests, 2) jail support services, 3) the bail fund, and 4) human and civil rights training.
