Anthony Brown, who took office Tuesday as Maryland’s first black attorney general, promised to increase equity and remove barriers to opportunity for all citizens in the state.
Brown — a Democrat who is a former congressman, lieutenant governor, and state legislator — argues against the historic nature of his victory in November and Wes, the Democrat who introduced Brown after the state attorney general’s race for gubernatorial election. You mentioned Moore’s historic election. It was sworn in by Governor Larry Hogan, a tenured Republican. Moore was the state’s first black candidate elected governor.
“Governor-Elect Moore, your election is historic for both the state and the nation. I look forward to working with you to remove barriers to opportunity for too many Marylanders. I’m looking forward to it,” Brown said in the crowded House of Representatives at the Maryland State Capitol.
Moore’s inauguration is scheduled for January 18th.
Brown said Maryland is one of the most diverse states in the country, but more needs to be done to promote fairness and justice.
“Maryland reflects where America is going,” Brown said. “Thus, what troubles me deeply is the racial and ethnic disparities and inequalities that still exist in Maryland, motivated by prejudice and blatant discrimination, in housing, markets, jobs, and opportunities. is.”
Brown said he would ask the Governor and the General Assembly for the statutory powers and necessary resources to enforce federal and state civil rights laws.
The new Attorney General said he would focus on public safety.
Brown also said police reform efforts would continue. He said the General Assembly had already passed a law requiring his office to independently investigate all police-involved deaths. state attorney to decide whether to prosecute.
“The next logical step is to consider an independent prosecutor,” Brown said.
Senate Speaker Bill Ferguson of the Baltimore Democratic Party said Maryland “is ushering in a new era: a new era of representation, a new era of justice, a new era of perspective, a new era of hope.”
Brown takes office in the continuation of a high-profile case that began under his predecessor, Brian Frosh. For example, a Baltimore judge said 463 of his investigations that identified 158 clergymen in the Archdiocese of Baltimore who were accused of sexually and physically abusing more than 600 victims over the past 80 years. We have not yet made a ruling on whether to publish Page’s report. Year. Court permission is required because the report contains information from a grand jury subpoena.
In October, Frosh also announced that the state would consider autopsies on about 100 people who died in police custody with physical restraints over concerns about a former state coroner’s testimony in George Floyd’s death in Minnesota. He then announced
Hogan, who defeated Brown in Maryland’s 2014 gubernatorial race, noted how gracious Brown was after the election when the two greeted members of Congress together eight years ago in January 2015. did.
“I think it speaks to the high character and commitment to service that defines your career,” Hogan said. “It also reflects the bipartisan ethos that has been so successfully upheld here in Maryland, a stark contrast to Washington’s toxic politics, which you are now escaping from forever.
