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Earlier today, Pax Christi USA released a statement regarding the situation in Baltimore playing out this week. In the statement, it reads, in part:

"We are once again witnessing violence and outrage, this time it is within the city of Baltimore, MD.  Years and years of disregard for the dignity of communities made poor by unjust systems, a blatant disregard for the quarter of the city's population living below the poverty level, inferior schools and polarized relations with police, all of these have contributed to the tension, destruction, violence, looting and arson we are witnessing in Baltimore."

The statement invited Catholics and other people of good will to collaborate with grassroots organizations in Baltimore to work for nonviolent, systemic change. It also emphasized continued dialogue around the connection between racism, poverty and militarism, and the development of action plans pertaining to community policing, job training and employment opportunities. 

The statement also says, 

"Peace requires an honest look at the lack of justice inherent in these systems and the will to listen to the voices of those crying out, a desire to be transformed by that listening and the revolutionary courage to act on behalf of justice."
  

Click here to read the entire statement.