Protest Against Violence Held in Downtown Newark Friday

The Newark Anti-Violence Coalition staged a three-hour downtown rally Friday to call attention to the city’s numerous murder victims, snarling traffic in what organizers said was a deliberate attempt to “shut down” the city.  

Among the attendees at the rally, held at Broad and Market streets, were family members of those claimed by the city’s pervasive violence, some of whom said their loved ones’ killers still had not yet been brought to justice years after their murders.

“They still didn’t find out who did it. She was in the morgue for a month before they told me my baby was dead,” said Riccardo Warren, whose 15-year-old daughter, Deena, was strangled in 2006.

“I’m here because I’m tired of all the killing,” said Cynthia Andrews, who founded Family and Parents of Murdered Children after her son, Mujaheed, himself a father of two, was killed in 2010 at the age of 28.

Andrews spoke for many Friday when she said the death of her son mattered, and not all victims are themselves criminals.

“Not every child who is killed is a gang-banger,” she said.

“I’m here because we want to call attention to the fact, to let people in the state and around the country know, that people in this community care about what’s happening,” said state Sen. Ronald L. Rice (D-Newark). “Here in Newark, with regard to , there are more things that need to be done.”

Newark Anti-Violence Coalition spokesman Bashir Akinyele said the group chose to stage the massive protest on Labor Day weekend because it's one of the busiest times of the summer. Akinyele, whose and beyond, said Friday’s event at Newark’s main crossroads was one of the biggest he’s been a part of.

"What we're trying to do here is really paralyze things for a second and to have people stop and recognize that everybody is not happy with the level of deaths that are going on in this town," said South Ward Councilman Ras Baraka, one of the event’s speakers.

At around 2:30 p.m., groups of marchers began assembling at predetermined rally points throughout the city, including Bergen and West Market streets, Broad and Emmet streets, and Clay and Broad streets. The marchers then proceeded to Broad and Market.

The rally – which included representation from the New Black Panther Party and the People’s Organization for Progress – was slated to begin at 5 p.m., but protesters began assembling about an hour earlier. Newark police cordoned off the busy intersection with crime-scene tape and had closed off vehicular access to the area, shutting down Broad at Raymond Boulevard and Green Street and Market at Washington and Mulberry streets.

Officers mounted on horseback and other police units remained in the area but largely did not enter the cordon during the vocal, but peaceable, protest.

Speakers on bullhorns addressed a crowd, whose size appeared to fluctuate between about 50 and 200. Still, the intersection was emptier than it normally would be during a Friday rush-hour, as commuters moved elsewhere on Broad Street to catch their buses. Police had notified New Jersey Transit of the rally ahead of time.

Friday’s rally may have been technically illegal – Akinyele said his group never seeks permits – but Newark police have historically had a

“The Newark Police Department respects residents’ First Amendment rights to free speech and will be on standby to assist with traffic control and peacefully mitigate any issues that may arise,” the department said in a statement released as the protest was underway.

The rally touched on a number of themes, including the need for parents to become more actively involved in their children’s lives and for residents to report crime instead of refraining to do so out of fear of being labelled a “snitch.”

Speakers also urged Mayor Cory Booker to do more to address the problem of violence, including throwing his support

"I think the mayor of this town needs to have a position and do something proactively, as opposed to reactionary ... We need to do something in the front end," Baraka said.

“This administration has consistently stated that violence and crime in Newark is unacceptable. We also recognize that our community must unite to end the tragedies created by violence,” city spokesperson Kim DeHaarte said. “While there is still much more work to be done, government alone cannot end crime and violence in Newark. We need the support of Newark residents. It’s imperative that our residents take action and responsibility in their homes, neighborhoods, and schools, to oppose violence.”