West Orange Protests Against Police Brutality: See Video, Photos

WEST ORANGE, NJ — A rally in West Orange drew hundreds of people to protest police brutality on Saturday afternoon.

The protest outside town hall remained peaceful and attracted a diverse mixture of participants. Participants carried signs that read “Speak Up!” and “Black Lives Matter.”

See more images from the rally below.

Members of the West Orange Youth Caucus have since launched a petition to the town council. More than 5,500 people have signed it as of Monday morning. (Read it here)

“In light of racial injustice across the nation, we desire to take reasonable and tangible proactive action at the municipal level to ensure that such a tragedy will never occur in our multi-ethnic community.”

Citing information in a recent NJ.com study, the caucus said that the West Orange Police Department's use of force statistics aren’t the worst in New Jersey, but they can certainly improve.

The group wrote:

“Based on population, a black person is 173% more likely to have force used on them than a white person [in West Orange]. Based on arrests, a black person is 29% more likely to have force used on them than a white person. (source) These numbers must fall to zero in order for justice to be served.”

Youth caucus members said they are “civilly demanding” the following:

• West Orange pass a local ordinance banning the use of knee and chokeholds by police
• West Orange pass a local ordinance banning the use of tear gas and rubber bullets on crowds
• West Orange pass a local ordinance requiring a body cam on all active duty WOPD officers on patrol
• The West Orange Town Council revise or repeal §4-12.2 B of the municipal code (an ordinance to prevent “loitering”), because it “enables racial profiling”
• West Orange pass a local ordinance establishing an independent civilian review board
• The West Orange Town Council, mayor and chief of police sign a commitment to actively combat racial injustice while carrying out the duties of their office

WHEN, HOW DO THE WOPD USE FORCE?

A few days before the protest, West Orange Police Chief James Abbott released a statement that details the department's approach to situations that may require force.

He wrote:

“There have been many inquiries regarding the West Orange Police Departments (WOPD) approach to several important and impactful policies. In general, New Jersey is way ahead of the curve than many other parts of the nation; and I'm proud to say WOPD is ahead of New Jersey in general. There are rural areas of the U.S. which have part time officers and sheriff's deputies and many of these agencies operate in the absence of written policies or training. The West Orange Police Department does have all eight of the policies noted on www.8cantwait.org covered by both training and policy. That said, there are exceptions to every rule and every use of force must be measured, not excessive and reviewed through a lens that determines and establishes, ‘Was it a reasonable use of force under the totality of all the surrounding circumstances?’”

• See related article: Here's How West Orange Police Handle 'Use Of Force': Chief
• See related article: Messages Of Hope, Sadness In West Orange Over George Floyd Death

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