Politics & Government
Bergen Jail Protest Remembers Clash Between Demonstrators, Police
A small group of protesters gathered at the jail on Sunday, one year after a demonstration turned physical during hunger strike protests.
HACKENSACK, NJ — One year after protesters and law enforcement agents clashed during a protest in support of Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainee hunger strikes, a smaller, subdued group gathered outside the Bergen County Jail.
First reported by NorthJersey.com, the group of less than a dozen demonstrators gathered to remember the altercation, which led to arrests, heightened tensions and more protests.
The 2020 protests came after a nearly month-long hunger strike from ICE detainees inside the jail. Protesters had gathered outside the Hackensack facility semi-regularly, but the first arrests related to protests were made a day earlier. Read more: VIDEO: Teaneck Man Arrested At Bergen County Jail Protest
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Video from the scene captured protesters and police engaged in a clash that stretched into the night, and eventually resulted in 10 arrests, and prompted a press conference from Sheriff Anthony Cureton the following morning. Read more: VIDEO: Protesters, Police Clash Again At Bergen County Jail
Cureton, at the time, said that by 3 p.m. roughly 150 protesters were present outside the jail and demonstrators became "increasingly unruly." Law enforcement officials on the ground used "tactical smokes" in an effort to disperse the crowd, but said no tear gas was used.
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Activist groups disagreed with his reading of the events, stating their belief that law enforcement, not protesters, served as agitators.
Over the weekend, there were no such moments of violence, just a small display of continuing support from activists in Bergen County.
"We wanted to just show face and solidarity and be here together," Shamz Azanedo, an organizer of the protest, told NorthJersey.com.
With the benefit of hindsight, it's clear to see that action from organizers locally and across the state was impactful, as there are currently no ICE detainees in Bergen County Jail, and other counties have also ended agreements with the agency.
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