The small group of people who congregated in front of the Essex County Historic Courthouse in Newark on Tuesday to mark one year since George Floyd’s killing in Minneapolis was a far cry from the thousands who gathered there last May.
On May 30 in 2020, protesters met at the courthouse and marched through Newark’s streets against police brutality as part of a national wave of protests. The day remained peaceful, even after a group broke off from the main rally to march to the 1st police precinct and it became tense at times.
“It was just so unbelievable to see so many people of all walks of life: white, Black, young, old,” recalled Alfreda Daniels as she stood outside of the courthouse on Tuesday. “It was just beautiful to see.”
Saturday, May 30, 2020 - A rally and march by People’s Organization Progress is held to protest the police killing of George Floyd. Michael Mancuso | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com
Daniels is a member of People’s Organization for Progress, a grassroots group of activists who last year organized the larger rally. The group for decades has been protesting against police brutality and still holds weekly protests in front of the Peter Rodino Federal Building on Broad Street on other social justice issues.
People’s Organization for Progress Chairman Larry Hamm, 67, has been organizing since he was a teen. He’s seen the momentum behind large movements come and go in the past.
“There’s a life cycle to movements,” Hamm said. “They ebb, they flow. There’s been a year of protests, y’know, and so after a time people’s energy or enthusiasm or interest - it’s different for different people - begins to diminish.”
But the People’s Organization for Progress still has a long list of reforms it would like to see.
The People’s Organization for Progress holds a press conference to commemorate the one year anniversary of the death of George Floyd at the Historic Essex County Courthouse on Tuesday in Newark. 05/25/2021Steve Hockstein | For NJ Advance Media
The group on Tuesday called for action on three specific bills: A4656, which would allow municipalities to create civilian complaint review boards with subpoena power to investigate alleged police misconduct; A4578, which would put restrictions on qualified immunity defenses for law enforcement; and S2656, which would make internal affairs records public.
Those bills have not gone to a full vote in either house yet.
“Democrats control the governor’s office, the state Senate and the General Assembly. It’s time to pass those three bills,” Hamm said.
The civilian complaint review board legislation holds special meaning in Newark. The city created a review board by ordinance about five years ago, but the state Supreme Court stripped it of its subpoena power after the local police union sued.
It’s now up to the state Legislature to create a bill that would allow a review board with investigatory powers. But so far, the bill remains in committee. It would still have to pass in the state Assembly and Senate before landing on Gov. Phil Murphy’s desk for his signature.
There have been some positives that have come from this past year of protests though, Hamm and other activists told NJ Advance Media. The City of Newark announced plans last summer to divert $11 million from the public safety department to a violence prevention program, which will employ social workers.
“If social workers could go with a cop, maybe they could de-escalate the situation,” said Daniels.
And cops in the Newark police department did not fire a single shot throughout 2020, Hamm noted.
But a Newark detective, Rod Simpkins, fatally shot 39-year-old Carl Dorsey on New Years Day this year. Authorities have said police were responding to sounds of gunfire at the time.
People’s Organization for Progress also called for indictments in the police shootings of Dorsey and others, like Maurice Gordon. Hamm also called for prosecutors to reopen the case in the death of Earl Faison, an Orange resident who died in police custody more than 20 years ago.
“There’s so many cases, I fear that police brutality is becoming normalized,” Hamm said. “We’re kind of at this strange place where people are not surprised when they pick up the paper and they see some horrific killing of someone.”
Local journalism needs your support. Subscribe at nj.com/supporter.
Rebecca Panico may be reached at rpanico@njadvancemedia.com.
"gather" - Google News
May 26, 2021 at 05:23AM
https://ift.tt/3bVtnPP
N.J. activists still fighting for change gather one year after George Floyd killing - NJ.com
"gather" - Google News
https://ift.tt/2Sqdbwp
https://ift.tt/2Yjhqxs
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "N.J. activists still fighting for change gather one year after George Floyd killing - NJ.com"
Post a Comment