One of the many ways the police use to quell dissent is to set high bails coupled with mass arrests of protesters. More often than not, the charges are for nebulous offenses like “resisting arrest” and “obstructing traffic.” The police use vaguely defined language to justify charges, which more often than not are eventually dropped at the bench. Though bails are ultimately refunded once the arrestee shows up for their day in court, the obstacle of having to pay either an upfront fee or serve jail time presents a deterrent against future action while the court process is still underway. This is particularly hard on lower income communities, who can neither afford to make bail nor take time off of work to serve time, and just happen to be the people organizing in Baltimore. One of the best ways to help the organizers in Baltimore is to support the Baltimore Bail Fund. As the uprising in Baltimore continues, the onus of raising bail money will only increase. If you’re able to contribute, please do. If you’re not, simply sharing the link will go a long way to keeping the activists in Baltimore out and working for change. CLICK HERE to support.

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor