Newark Residents Decry Recent Shootings, Will Hit Streets In Protest

NEWARK, NJ — Newark community leaders and residents are speaking out and hitting the streets to decry several recent tragedies – including multiple fatal shootings – that have taken place in the city.

According to a statement from organizers, community activists are planning to hold a “Stop the Violence” march and rally in Newark at 1 p.m. on Thursday, July 21.

Organizers, including longtime Newark activist Sharif Amenhotep, said the protest is being held to express residents’ outrage with an “uptick in community senseless violence” across the city in recent weeks.

Organizers said:

“Demonstrators will start on South Orange Avenue and South 10th Street. They will stop at various shooting and murder sites to bring attention to the unfinished business of the need to unify the people to stop the violence in the city. The march and rally will connect the community to resources and organizations in place to stop all forms of violence in the city, particularly in Black and Brown communities.”

Newark public safety officials have said that overall violent crime in the city has been waning over the past few years, with the exception of 2021. But a recent uptick in violence has renewed cries for action from some residents, including a weekend that saw multiple shootings.

• See related article: 4 Teens Shot In Newark, 1 In 'Critical Condition'
• See related article: NJ Man Fatally Shot While Working At Newark Grocery Store
• See related article: Irvington Man, 24, Dies In Newark Shooting

This summer has also seen other acts of gun violence, including a mass shooting that wounded nine people on June 30. Read More: 'We Know Who They Are': Newark Mass Shooting Investigation Continues

Other community leaders and groups have been speaking out against the recent shootings in the Brick City, including the Newark Anti-Violence Coalition.

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