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Tawanda Jones Wages Long Fight For Justice In Baltimore

BALTIMORE (AP) -- For more than two years, Tawanda Jones had been protesting police abuse in Baltimore every Wednesday, sometimes with supporters and sometimes alone. She was there long before the world heard of Freddie Gray, a black man who died from injuries suffered in custody.

Jones' brother, Tyrone West, 44, died under murky circumstances after his own encounter with Baltimore police in July 2013. Jones' protests against police abuse began soon after.

Since West Wednesdays began, the issue of race and police abuse exploded onto the national agenda with the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and a string of other incidents.

Jones is rarely alone anymore.

She has received praise from city councilmen and won awards from community organizations and Johns Hopkins University for her dedication to social justice.

(Copyright 2015 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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