WCBC

The head of the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund says the Justice Department's report confirms "what many African-American residents of Baltimore have known and lived too long." In a statement, fund President and Director-Counsel Sherrilyn Ifill calls the findings of the report being released Wednesday "devastating," saying they "lay bare the harsh reality of discriminatory policing in a major American city."

The report being released Wednesday finds Baltimore police officers routinely discriminate against blacks, use excessive force and are not adequately disciplined for misconduct. Ifill says it is instructive that the legacy of "zero tolerance policing" is identified as the key source of the systematic unconstitutional conduct.

Ifill urges "residents, community groups, and leading city institutions to marshal their resources and prepare for the long haul to find a way forward."