By People’s Organization For Progress
Photos: People’s Organization For Progress
The People’s Organization For Progress (POP) will have a National Day Of Protest Against Police Brutality March & Rally on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, 5:00pm at the Fraternal Order Of Police (FOP) Lodge #12, 51 Rector Street in Newark, NJ.
The lodge is located between Rector Street and Fulton Street near McCarter Highway. The demonstration will begin at the FOP lodge and then protestors will march to the Federal Building at 970 Broad Street in Newark.
“October 22 has been recognized as a day to focus on the problem of police brutality. Organizations will be having protests against police brutality in cities and towns across the United States. Our protest in Newark is part of this national effort,” stated Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress.
POP is a grassroots racial and social justice organization which has been active on the issue of police brutality since it was established 42 years ago. It has participated in the October 22 observance for more than a dozen years. The October 22ndobservances have been held around the nation for nearly three decades.
“The purpose of the demonstration we are having is to highlight the issue of police brutality, draw attention to police brutality cases in this state and throughout the country, and demand police review boards with subpoena power and other necessary reforms to deal with this problem,” Hamm said.
“We are starting our protest at the police lodge because it went into court and blocked efforts to establish police review boards in New Jersey,” he said.
In 2016, Fraternal Order Of Police (FOP) initiated a law suit against the City Of Newark to prevent the establishment of a police review board with subpoena powers. In 2020, The State Supreme Court of New Jersey ruled in favor of the FOP.
“Since then we have supported legislation that will make it possible for municipalities to create police review boards with subpoena powers. However, the New Jersey legislature has not voted on these bills during the past four years,” he said.
Hamm said this year’s protest will focus will not only on local police but the state police as well. Recently released reports on investigations of the New Jersey State Police revealed numerous problems and made recommendations for change within that organization.
At a press conference held last week the NAACP state chapter called for the resignations of state police leadership. POP participated in that event.
“While we support the changes called for in those reports and the demands made by the NAACP and others we also believe that there must be other institutional changes. We believe that there must be a civilian oversight board for the New Jersey State Police,” he said.
“Police brutality has been and continues to be a serious problem in our state and in this country. In fact, it is worse than ever and it must stop,” he said.
“Last year, the police in the United States killed 1,232 people. That’s more people killed in a single year than in any year since they started keeping statistics on this problem,” he said.
Hamm said the police in the United States kill more people in a year than police in any other advanced industrialized country.
“And that’s just the people who are killed. It does not include the thousands who survive police shootings. It does not include thousands who are beaten, brutalized, and harassed. It does not include thousands whose constitutional rights, civil rights, and human rights are violated,” he said.
“We want justice for all the victims of police brutality. Officers that have unjustifiably killed and hurt people must be held accountable and prosecuted,” he said.
“In New Jersey we want justice for Carl Dorsey, Najee Seabrooks, Bernard Placide, Andrew Washington, Major Gulia Dale III, Victoria Lee Jujuan Henderson and others. We want Justice for police brutality victims across the country including Breonna Taylor, Tyre Nichols, and U.S. Airman Roger Fortson, and Jayland Walker,” he said.
Hamm said at the demonstration his group will demand passage of anti-police brutality legislation. At the federal level the People’s Organization For Progress will call for passage of the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act and the Breathe Act. At the state level the group will demand passage of Assembly Bill A-3441 which would enable local municipalities to establish police review boards with subpoena powers.
Speakers at the protest will include activists and family members of police brutality victims.
For directions and other information call the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) at (973)801-0001.
