Politics & Government

Activists Plan To March On Newark Police Union Headquarters

Newark organizers said they're gathering outside the union's headquarters because of its role in "blocking police reform" in the city.

Activists with the People’s Organization for Progress rally outside the Newark Headquarters of the Fraternal Order of Police in 2020.
Activists with the People’s Organization for Progress rally outside the Newark Headquarters of the Fraternal Order of Police in 2020. (File Photo: Marsha Escalliere)

NEWARK, NJ — Activists are planning to hold a rally and march outside the Newark Headquarters of the Fraternal Order of Police on Sunday as part of a “national day of action against police brutality.”

The People’s Organization for Progress (POP) said that participants plan to assemble at 51 Rector Street on Oct. 22 at 2 p.m. Masks and social distancing are being encouraged.

Organizers said they are gathering outside the union headquarters for Sunday’s march – the fifth time they have done so – because of the union’s role in “blocking police reform” in the city.

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“This has become particularly pointed in recent years especially since the City of Newark sought to craft and launch its own civilian complaint review board with accountability oversight dimensions that other review boards do not have,” the POP stated, citing abilities such as the authority to conduct independent investigations and subpoena power – which Newark’s own review board lost after a major court decision in 2020.

The Newark Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #12 represents nearly 850 active police officers and more than 700 retirees.

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