Burlington County Establishes Civil Rights Task Force

BURLINGTON COUNTY, NJ — The Burlington County Board of Chosen Freeholders has established a task force to deal with racism and civil rights grievances in the county, a spokesperson told Patch Friday morning.

The task force the first step in a process, and Burlington County Freeholder Director Felicia Hopson will help the board build the framework in the coming weeks, according to spokeswoman Charlene Webster. That includes selecting who will serve on the task force and how it will operate.

Hopson has said that in addition to dealing with racism and civil rights issues, the task force will also help improve the delivery of social services. She said the lack of services is a huge factor in systemic racism during an online town hall event last week. Read more here: Civil Rights Task Force Possible In Burlington County

The online forum was put together by the Burlington County Freeholder Board and Rowan College at Burlington County, and was held Wednesday night.

The discussion included community leaders, Rowan College at Burlington County faculty and students, as well as law enforcement officials. The college said it will be dedicating one town hall a month to a conversation about social justice.