Research & Publications

In its 200-year history, the town of Federalsburg, on Maryland's Eastern Shore, has never elected a Black official.

The Maryland Coalition for Justice & Police Accountability gathered before a hearing in the House Judiciary Committee on HB 1071/SB 51, to end police stops and searches based on the alleged smell of marijuana.

We aren’t just trying to stem a backward slide of our rights. We are showing up for a vision of something greater: A Maryland where we can exercise our rights so that the law values and uplifts our humanity.

We must keep in mind that we have never seen true democracy or full access to rights for all. These ideas remain elusive, both in Maryland and across America. But we must imagine it, and then work to realize our vision. We won’t back down, we won’t give up, and we won't be silent.

On February 20, 2023, activists from across the state joined ACLU of Maryland staff in Annapolis to lobby at the state House and Senate.

Josette Blocker tells the story of her nephew Demonte Ward-Blake's experience of the police stopping and searching him based on the smell of marijuana.

A hearing in the case was held on December 14, 2022, and students from the No Boundaries Youth Coalition who lead our local town hall a few days before, attended the hearing and joined us at the courthouse.

Following the 2020 Presidential Election – in the midst of a global pandemic, decennial redistricting, increased mobilization of white supremacists, and threats to democracy, civil rights and civil liberties – many Marylanders exercised their right to vote in the 2022 Midterm Election.

The police stopping and searching anyone based solely on the alleged smell of marijuana is unacceptable. Listen to Ron Williams tell his story.