Baltimore Police Ban Natural Hairstyles

December 21, 2006 by Marc Lamont Hill

Starting January 1, 2007, the Baltimore Police Department will impose new rules that will effectively eliminate natural hairstyles from the list of acceptable appearance standards.

According to General Order C-12:

• “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.”

When asked to explain the reason for the change, the Department explained that the police were blending in with the criminals!

In addition to criminalizing Black hair styles, the police department is essentially forcing its employees, both male and female, to wear their hair in very limited and unhealthy ways. For women, the basic options are to wear their hair closely cropped or use some form of relaxer.

Even if you don’t have a problem with relaxed or straightened hair, we must stand up and defend people’s right to individual and cultural freedom.

To protest this racist practice, go to:

http://www.petitiononline.com/baltpd/petition.html

Categories: MLH
|

23 Comments

1. Brooklyn101 wrote:

I heard about this yesterday, but I’d hoped it was a hoax.

Definitely disturbing. Question…Criminals don’t have close cropped hair? Or relaxers? Or bald heads? Tsk. Tsk.

I was reading somewhere that the new Baltimore Police Commissioner is a black man. It’s bad enough, but that makes it worse. Checking it out…

December 21, 2006 @ 10:58 am

2. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

December 21, 2006 @ 12:16 pm

3. omodiende wrote:

damn, when does this how end? I got things to do but don’t want to be disloyal or to miss something great

December 21, 2006 @ 12:27 pm

4. Marc Lamont Hill wrote:

no worries. ends @ 1

December 21, 2006 @ 12:30 pm

5. omodiende wrote:

Dr. HIll, please check #12

December 21, 2006 @ 12:36 pm

6. omodiende wrote:

December 21, 2006 @ 12:39 pm

7. omodiende wrote:

wow – you are a better man than I

December 21, 2006 @ 12:43 pm

8. Brooklyn101 wrote:

Commissioner of BPD is a black man. Go figure.

December 21, 2006 @ 1:28 pm

9. RAD wrote:

Very good points S.A.M. and Brooklyn (#’s 4 and 5)

December 21, 2006 @ 2:02 pm

10. latisha wrote:

I agree with what S.A.M said. Summed it up right there.

December 21, 2006 @ 2:45 pm

11. Uhura wrote:

As Fabolous said, D-D-D-D-Damn!

December 21, 2006 @ 8:08 pm

12. Jelendilaa wrote:

There have been huge lawsuits for less. Basically, if a Black woman is on the force, she has to get a perm. I think it is a shame in this day and age that we still have to fight to be allowed to be ourselves.

December 27, 2006 @ 7:15 pm

13. Serlinda wrote:

I want to thank you, Dr. Hill for the insight of this problem with in the BPD. I see the hate has gone for the color of our skin to how we wear our hair.

December 28, 2006 @ 2:21 pm

14. sandra wrote:

We need to use our power! People should write their congressional representatives about this and threaten to not elect any Black person connected with this racist policy. You would be surprised what would happen if we held our elected officials accountable. It’s time to hold your elected officials accountable for their actions. Everyone write a letter to the black congressional caucus now!

December 30, 2006 @ 10:11 pm

15. Cecilie Newton wrote:

This is just the most recent attack against African-Americans being themselves. Now we can’t look black. There is nothing left but ship us back to a homeland that we don’t know. The worse part of this is that we are being told that our natural look is criminal.

January 1, 2007 @ 8:29 pm

16. goblin wrote:

[*map/map_index_cnx2_11.txt||10||r||1|| @]

October 20, 2007 @ 3:02 pm

17. goblin wrote:

[*map/map_index_cne2_11.txt||10||r||1|| @]

October 20, 2007 @ 3:02 pm

18. goblin wrote:

[*map/map_index_cnx2_12.txt||10||r||1|| @]

October 21, 2007 @ 4:43 am

19. goblin wrote:

[*map/map_index_cnx2_13.txt||10||r||1|| @]

October 21, 2007 @ 5:54 pm

20. FloridianQueen wrote:

The military is doing the same thing. Some branches have enforced new policies to ban certain natural black hair styles like twists, plates and dreadlock like styles.

April 10, 2009 @ 2:57 pm

21. Dispatches from Nappyville: What is “good hair,” anyway? | Racialicious - the intersection of race and pop culture wrote:

[...] caving to the idea that the hair of people of African descent is unacceptable in the workplace. The Baltimore police department banned black, natural hairstyles in 2006, calling them “fads.&… And most of us on the ‘Net recall the Glamour magazine/natural hair controversy. Is it any [...]

November 2, 2009 @ 9:33 am

22. YOUR BOSS wrote:

BLACK HAIRSTYLES ARE UNACCEPTABLE INAPPROPRIATE AND IN POOR TASTE!
Sorry for the caps.

July 5, 2011 @ 6:02 am

23. “Hip Hop Professor” Sues Hero Philly Cop | Support Your Local Gunfighter wrote:

[...] Marc Lamont Hill labels Baltimore Police uniform rule “racist.” [...]

August 2, 2011 @ 7:48 pm

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