Hundreds call for police reform at 2 rallies held in Newark

Hundreds of people rallied outside of the federal building in Newark Monday as part of the People’s Organization for Progress’s weekly demonstration protesting police brutality.

News 12 Staff

Jun 9, 2020, 3:15 AM

Updated 1,582 days ago

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Hundreds of people rallied outside of the federal building in Newark Monday as part of the People’s Organization for Progress’s weekly demonstration protesting police brutality.
Protesters demanded that Newark implement a civilian review board with the authority to investigate, subpoena and take part in the prosecution of police brutality cases.
“If you commit murder in a blue uniform, you should be treated the same way as a civilian that commits murder,” says organizer Larry Hamm.
The group also called for authorities to reopen several other alleged police brutality cases in New Jersey, including the death of Earl Faison, who died while in police custody in April 1999.
“The officers that killed him were not prosecuted for the murder, only civil rights violations and conspiracy” says Hamm.
Photos: Protests Across New Jersey
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Another rally and march followed, organized by local public defenders demanding justice for George Floyd, a Minnesota man who died after an encounter with police. They also called for more police accountability.
“As defense attorneys, we are not able to get personnel records from officers. Sometimes it’s difficult for us to get bodycam footage or sometimes body camera footage doesn’t exist,” says assistant deputy public defender Rebecca Fisher.
Public defenders say that it is even more challenging for them to get access to dashcam or bodycam footage when an arrest is made by a plain-clothes officer.
The People’s Organization for Progress is calling for a march in Trenton against police brutality with a tentative date of June 30.