Baltimore Police Dept Racist Grooming Policy

Jan 18th: The Baltimore Police Dept has officially RESCINDED the policy against natural hair styles. The new policy is now in effect. African American natural hairstyles are no longer considered fads and banned under the new policy.The affected officers of the BPD Thank you for all your support. in helping to reverse this policy in the name of freedom and acceptance. I also thank you all for supporting these officers and remember to ALWAYS be diligent!

To:  Baltimore Police Department & City Council

We are shocked and appalled at the decision by the Baltimore Police Department to implement a grooming policy which widely discriminates against people of African descent. The policy states the following:

General Order C-12, Professional Appearance Standards, effective from 1 January 2007

• “Extreme or fad hairstyles are PROHIBITED, including but not limited to: cornrows, mohawks, dreadlocks, and twists, as well as designs or sculptures using the hair and/or cut into the hair.”
We take offense at the description of our hair in its natural texture as “extreme” and “fad”.

The implementation of this policy will give women 3 choices:

1. Straighten their natural hair so they can wear it in European styles;
2. Completely cover their hair by wearing a European-style weave;
3. Shave their hair off and keep it extremely close cut or remain bald.

Our afro-textured hair and the methods we use to style our hair in a neat and tidy fashion, such as in twists, groomed locs or cornrows are styles we have used to maintain our type of hair for centuries. Because of the natural afro-texture of our hair, these styles are the best suited to maintaining the healthy state and appearance of our natural hair.

We have also been advised that afros are now also prohibited because they “do not conform to the head.”

By implementing this policy, you have committed the following offenses:

1. You have effectively said that the natural hair texture of the Black Race (or people of African descent) is NOT ACCEPTABLE unless it is worn straightened, or in a straight style, like the hair of Europeans or Asians. It is acceptable only if it is covered by a hair weave which mimics the hair of Europeans or Asians or is worn in a European style.

2. You are trying to force people to use unhealthy practices like relaxing their hair and using high heat straightening in order to conform to this standard.

3. You are contributing to the belief that African American hair is inferior to European hair.

4. You have caused considerable stress among those affected by this policy by threatening sanctions against people who wish to maintain their hair in its natural state.

We state this policy for what it is. It is a short-sighted, discriminatory policy, formed either out of ignorance or racism, directed at people of African descent in order to force them to conform to European hair standards.

Those standards relate to maintaining what the Baltimore PD considers a superior genetic characteristic of the White race over the Black race.

BALTIMORE POLICE DEPT CONTACT:
Police Commissioner Leonard Hamm
Baltimore Police Department
242 West 29th Street, Baltimore, Maryland 21211-2908

BALTIMORE CITY COUNCIL CONTACTS:
President
Sheila Dixon
Room 400, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4804
sdixon@baltimorecitycouncil.com

Vice-President
Stephanie Rawlings Blake
Room 516, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4832
srawlings@baltimorecitycouncil.com

1st District
James B. Kraft
Room 505, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4821
jkraft@baltimorecitycouncil.com

2nd District
Nicholas D'Adamo, Jr.
Room 525, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4808
ndadamo@baltimorecitycouncil.com

3rd District
Robert Curran
Room 553, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4812
rcurran@baltimorecitycouncil.com

4th District
Kenneth N. Harris, Sr.
Room 503, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4830
kharris@baltimorecitycouncil.com

5th District
Rochelle "Rikki" Spector
Room 521, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4819
rspector@baltimorecitycouncil.com

6th District
Stephanie Rawlings Blake
Room 516, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4832
srawlings@baltimorecitycouncil.com

7th District
Belinda Conaway
Room 548, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4810
bconaway@baltimorecitycouncil.com

8th District
Helen Holton
Room 518, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4818
hholton@baltimorecitycouncil.com

9th District
Agnes Welch
Room 532, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4815
awelch@baltimorecitycouncil.com

10th District
Edward Reisinger
Room 504, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4822
ereisinger@baltimorecitycouncil.com

11th District
Keiffer Jackson Mitchell
Room 527, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4816
kmitchell@baltimorecitycouncil.com

12th District
Bernard "Jack" Young
Room 509, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4811
byoung@baltimorecitycouncil.com

13th District
Paula Johnson Branch
Room 511, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4829
pbranch@baltimorecitycouncil.com

14th District
Mary Pat Clarke
Room 550, City Hall
100 N. Holliday St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
410-396-4814
mclarke@baltimorecitycouncil.com

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The Baltimore Police Dept Racist Grooming Policy Petition to Baltimore Police Department & City Council was created by Members and Friends of Nappturality.com and written by Patricia Gaines (dee@nappturality.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.