FOR YEARS, COMMUNITY GROUPS LIKE THE NEWARK ANTI VIOLENCE COALITION, THE PEOPLES ORGANIZATION FOR PROGRESS AND THE NEW BLACK PANTHER PARTY HAVE PROTESTED THE VIOLENCE IN THE BLACK NEIGHBORHOODS OF ESSEX COUNTY NEW JERSEY AND DENOUNCED THE INCOMPETENCE, THE ABUSE AND OFTEN DEADLY BRUTALY OF THE POLICE TOWARDS RESIDENTS IN THESE AREAS.
WHILE STREET VIOLENCE IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM, POLICE MISCONDUCT AND LACK OF ACCOUNTABILITY HAVE REACHED SUCH HIGH LEVELS THAT, IN SEPTEMBER, THE NEW JERSEY AMERICAN CIVIL LIBERTY UNION PETITIONED THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE TO INTERVENE TO REIN IN, AS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR DEBORAH JACOBS DESCRIBES IT, "AN ESTABLISHED CULTURE OF LAWLESSNESS THAT CAN ONLY BE CONTAINED THROUGH EXTERNAL INTERVENTION".
ON SATURDAY, ABOUT A HUNDRED ACTIVISTS GATHERED AT NOON AT NEWARKS BROAD AND MARKET AND MARCHED TO THE NEWARK POLICE HEADQUARTERS IN SUPPORT OF THE FEDERAL PETITION. WBAI FRED NGUYEN FOLLOWED THE MARCH AND FILED THIS REPORT: