Charges Dropped For 5 Of 8 ICE Protesters In Essex County

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A municipal court judge has dismissed all charges against five of the “Essex Eight,” activists from Newark, Montclair and Warren who were arrested in a protest against ICE in Essex County last month, the group reported Friday.

According to a joint statement from the activists, a Newark municipal court judge dismissed all charges against five of the “Essex Eight” protestors Friday morning.

The five, Jay Arena, Mary Rizzo, Whitney Strub (all from Newark), Eric Lerner (Warren) and Yael Webber (Montclair), were among the eight people arrested by the Essex County Sheriff’s Office on June 29.

The group took aim at the Essex County Correctional Facility in Newark, which contracts with ICE to house federal detainees. Calling the local prison a "concentration camp," the protesters demanded that Essex County Executive Joseph DiVincenzo Jr. and the Essex County Board of Chosen Freeholders immediately "stop doing business with ICE."

When a cadre of eight protesters including county executive hopeful Jay Arena blocked the entrance of the building and refused to move, Essex County sheriff's officers arrested them, NJTV News reported. (Watch their video below)

On Friday, the charges were dismissed on First Amendment grounds. The records of the arrests will be expunged, the group stated.

The three other arrested protestors will have hearings at a later date, the group added.

“We expect these cases to be dismissed as well,” Lerner said. “We will continue to demand that Essex County close the concentration camp they run for ICE. There will be no business as usual for Essex County as long as they do business with ICE.”

• See related article: Essex County Activists Arrested Protesting ICE

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Photo: YouTube / NJTV News