Civil asset forfeiture laws have allowed federal, state, and local law enforcement steal money and property from American citizens for decades. What was originally sold to the public as a way to financially debilitate organized crime while pursuing legal recourse has very quickly morphed into a way for law enforcement agencies to make money. It is robbery, plain and simple, and up until the the most recent, high-octane fascist iteration of the GOP, there was bipartisan support for reform. Even as states have attempted to rein in the wholesale robbery of citizens by law enforcement, the egregious practice has found a way to continue relatively unabated. But just when you believe you’ve heard the most egregious examples of asset forfeiture by law enforcement, a new one comes down the line: NBC News reports that four separate Baltimore, Maryland, citizens are suing the Baltimore Police Department (BPD) for unlawfully seizing, searching, and destroying their property. The twist? All of the plaintiffs were the victims of crime, not the suspected perpetrators. Not a twist: Like most law enforcement asset forfeiture, the practice disproportionately affects people of color. Read more