Highlands 'Back The Blue' March Scheduled For July 20

HIGHLANDS, NJ — A "Back the Blue" event is scheduled to take place in Highlands next Monday, July 20, according to a Facebook page started for the event, which is described as a "walk."

"Back the Blue" are growing movements across the U.S. to show support for police officers and law enforcement. They were started this summer in response to the many Black Lives Matter marches.

The most recent Back the Blue march took place in Hazlet on June 27; it was organized by Matawan resident Ralph Tanaka.

The Highlands event will begin at 6 p.m. June 20 in Huddy Park.

"I want to try to put together a walk to show our support for our amazing police department. The walk can be on July 20 6 p.m. from Huddy Park to the police trailer on Shore Drive. Everyone please share the post and help spread the word," wrote the organizer on Facebook.

The Hazlet march started at the Hazlet Swim Club parking lot at noon and walked to the Hazlet police station for speeches and prayers. Speakers included Dr. Salmon Shaikh on behalf of the Muslim community and Pastor Barry Mulligan from Hazlet Bible Church.

Tanaka told the Holmdel-Hazlet 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."

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