They're the future of our city, but when it comes to reforming the city's police department, what do youth have to say about it?
A group of people, including youth, met tonight to discuss Baltimore's police department and the Department of Justice's investigation into the Baltimore Police.
The group who organized Wednesday's forum said their goal is to encourage young people to participate in democracy.
"If I get stopped by police, I don't know whether I'm going to die, see my family again, or if I'm going to be let on to where I need to go," said Morgan McCamie, a 17-year-old senior at Dulaney High.
McCamie said she is a new driver. She shared a table with peers to have her voice heard.
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The forum was hosted by the Hip Hop Caucus, and allowed youth to sit and talk about the consent decree which will eventually lead to reforming the city's police department.
"Young people recognize that demonstration without legislation leads to frustration," said Rev. Lennox Yearwood, Jr., president and CEO of the Hip Hop Caucus. "They recognize that they can't change any policy if we're not having these kind of discussions."
During the discussions with DOJ representatives, some said they favored civilian oversight of policing, but wanted the civilians to have the ability to take action. Another common point of discussion was ensuring officers live in the communities in which they police.
"We can have all these forums with people in the community," McCamie said, "but if we don't see the police officers, changes won't be made because they're not hearing first-hand what our problems are."
Department of Justice officials said they are listening and they intend to keep listening.
Reform announcements are expected before the end of the year.
