Hazlet ‘Back The Blue’ March To Support Police Set For Saturday

HAZLET, NJ – After nearly a month of protests across the country sparking conversations about racism and police violence, a new wave of rallies has started to manifest around the nation. A march in support of police officers and their families is slated to take place in Hazlet this Saturday, following similar events in cities like Tampa, FL and Salt Lake City, UT.

Organized by Matawan resident Ralph Tanaka, the walk will start from Hazlet Swim Club parking lot at 12 p.m. on June 27 and extend to Hazlet Police Station for speeches and prayers. Guest speakers will include Dr. Salmon Shaikh on behalf of the Muslim community and Pastor Barry Mulligan from Hazlet Bible Church.

Tanaka told Patch that he was inspired to organize the event after hearing the news of the hundreds of protests unfolding all over the country in response to the death of George Floyd while in police custody.

“For the last three months, I’ve been out of work,” said Tanaka, a charter bus driver for R. Helfrich & Sons in Hazlet. “I was very depressed. My grandfather was a police officer, and this is exactly what made me do this … seeing the disrespect and the violence towards the cops, how they must’ve felt. I worried every day whether my grandfather was going to get killed. I decided that I had to do something. This is not only for the police officers, but to show support for their families.”

After receiving an overwhelming positive response from local residents and Facebook users across the country, the organizer says he confidently expects at least 500 attendees at the march tomorrow.

“Friends of mine have called me a racist because I support the police,” said Tanaka. “A lot of my friends are Black and I grew up in a Black neighborhood when things were different. Black, white, we were all best friends for over 50 years. And they’re calling me a racist.”

Tanaka, who was born and raised in Brooklyn, states that the march is only aimed at showing unity in the community and solidarity for police officers’ families, nothing more. Tanaka will be providing ‘Thin Blue Line’ flags with blue stripes for children in attendance, a symbol flown in support of law enforcement.

Although critics of the flag say that the symbol of the Blue Lives Matter movement represents an "us vs. them" dynamic that furthers tensions between police officers and citizens, Tanaka insists that the walk is not politically or race-driven. Instead, the Matawan resident says his only aim is to demonstrate his support for local police.

“This is a peaceful show of support for law enforcement,” said Tanaka. “This is not about politics, this is not about race. This is focused on the police to show them that we support them, and that’s it.”

For event information and updates, visit the official Facebook page.