Activists Rally Outside Newark Police Union Headquarters

NEWARK, NJ — Dozens of activists and community members rallied outside the Newark Headquarters of the Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) on Thursday in solidarity with the 25th annual National Day Against Police Brutality.

The People’s Organization for Progress (POP) – which spearheaded the rally at 51 Rector Street – said the action was being held in coordination with more than 40 others across the nation.

Locally, activists protested the FOP’s role in a recent lawsuit involving Newark’s Civilian Complaint Review Board (CCRB), which is tasked with investigating accusations of police abuse.

“The purpose of the demonstration was to highlight the issue of police brutality, demand a Newark police review board with subpoena and investigatory powers, and to protest police efforts that blocked it in court,” POP Chairman Lawrence Hamm said.

Newark's CCRB was created in 2016 as part of a landmark consent decree between the U.S Justice Department and the city. Prior to the agreement, a three-year federal probe found that Newark police officers were stopping, arresting and using force on minorities at a much higher rate than white people.

After the CCRB launched, some civil rights advocates hailed it as one of the "most robust civilian oversight bodies in the country." But Newark's police unions immediately challenged the CCRB's authority, igniting a long-running legal battle between the city and the Fraternal Order of Police, Newark Lodge No. 12.

In August, the New Jersey Supreme Court upheld some of the board's powers but put the kibosh on others, modifying an earlier judgment from the Appellate Division.

• See related article: NJ Supreme Court Limits Newark's Power To Probe Police Abuse
• See related article: Newark's Fight Against Police Abuse Could Empower Other NJ Cities

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