The People’s Organization For Progress (POP) will have a National Day Of Protest Against Police Brutality March & Rally Thursday, October 22, 2026, 5:00pm at the Fraternal Order Of Police (FOP) Lodge #12, 51 Rector Street in Newark, NJ.
“The purpose of the demonstration is to demand an end to police brutality and to demand police accountability,” Lawrence Hamm, Chairman, People’s Organization For Progress stated.
“We are having this protest to put the spotlight on the issue of police brutality and draw attention to police brutality cases in New Jersey and throughout the country,” Hamm said.
“Police brutality is worse today than it was six years ago when George Floyd was killed and people were clamoring for police reform. The clamor has died down, and there has been hardly any meaningful reform,” he said.
“Today, the number of police brutality cases has increased. In addition to police, now we are being killed by ICE agents, national guard, and federal troops that have been put on the streets of our cities by the Trump administration,” he said.
“We are demanding civilian oversight of the police. We want community control of the police. We demand civilian complaint review boards with subpoena power and other necessary reforms to deal with this problem. And we demand federal troops and ICE off of our streets,” Hamm said.
“We are demonstrating to demand justice for all the victims of police brutality and to demand that the officers that killed and brutalized them be held accountable,” he said.
“In New Jersey we want justice for Wali Bey, Jean Wilson Brutus, Deborah Terrell, Carl Dorsey, Najee Seabrooks, Bernard Placide, Andrew Washington, Major Gulia Dale III, Victoria Lee, Jujuan Henderson, Rodwell Spivey Brothers, and others.
“We want Justice for police brutality victims across the country including Kohen Wiley, Sonya Massey, Keith Porter, Renee Good, Alex Preti, Breonna Taylor, Tyre Nichols, U.S. Airman Roger Fortson, Jayland Walker, and others,” he said.
“Words are inadequate to express our outrage regarding the failure of a grand jury to indict the officers involved in the killing of Kohen Wiley, a one year-old child.
“The consistent failure of grand juries to indict officers involved police brutality cases is indicative of the institutional racism in the criminal justice system and the need for radical reform,” he said.
Hamm said the protest was starting at the police lodge because it went into court and blocked efforts to establish civilian complaint review boards, which are called police review boards in other states.
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 six years,” he said.
“One of the reasons the bills haven’t passed has been because of opposition from the FOP and other police groups. The FOP has been an impediment to police reform. At the state and federal levels It has lobbied against police reform legislation,” he said.
The lodge is located on the corner of Fulton Street and Rector Street near McCarter Highway. The demonstration will begin on the Fulton Street side of the lodge. After the rally protestors will march to the Federal Building at 970 Broad Street in Newark.
Hamm said at the demonstration his group will demand passage of anti-police brutality legislation. At the federal level POP will call for passage of the George Floyd Justice In Policing Act and the Breathe Act.
And at the state level the group will demand passage of bills by the New Jersey State Legislature which would enable local municipalities and counties to establish civilian complaint review boards with subpoena powers.
“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,” Hamm said.
POP is a grassroots racial and social justice organization which has been active on the issue of police brutality since it was established 44 years ago. It has participated in the October 22observance for more than twenty years.
The observance was started by the October 22nd Coalition which was established in 1995. October 22ndobservances have been held around the nation for three decades. This year will mark the 31st anniversary of the observance.
Speakers at the protest will include activists and family members of police brutality victims.
For further information call the People’s Organization For Progress (POP) at (973)801-0001.
