July 4th Protest In Newark: ‘Fight For Black Lives,’ Group Urges – Newark, NJ Patch

NEWARK, NJ — It’s hard to celebrate “independence” when you live among systematic oppression, a group of activists in Essex County say.

Members of the Young Professionals for Justice (YPJ) plan to hold a rally to “protest police brutality and fight for Black lives” in Newark on Saturday, July 4.

The rally will kick off with a march at 11 a.m. beginning at the Lincoln Mounument, 12 Springfield Avenue in Newark. Participants will March from the Lincoln Statue to the Wars of America monument in Military Park. (Learn more here)

The demonstration is being organized in close cooperation with the People’s Organization for Progress (POP), which spearheaded a massive, peaceful protest in Newark shortly after George Floyd’s death.

Organizers with YPJ offered the following statement about the rally:

“We have decided that July 4th is cancelled … from now on, we’re replacing this day of celebration with a day of protest. Why would we continue to celebrate ‘Independence’ Day when on July 4, 1776, Black people were not free? We are holding this rally to have our demands heard, which include several calls to action to put an end to racially oppressive policing. We want to educate those in attendance about police brutality and systematic oppression; we will have community members speak on what’s plaguing our system and how to make real change. And finally, but most importantly, we want to unite like-minded individuals so we can keep the momentum going.”

The group’s demands include:

• “Demilitarize the police”
• “Justice for Breonna Taylor”
• “Ban all police use of chokeholds”
• “Mandatory college degrees for officers”
• “End qualified immunity for all law enforcement”
• “Reallocate police funding to community resources”
• “Severe penalties for unused body cams + excessive force”
• “Required racial bias training + mental health assessments”
• “Police promotions based on positive community engagement”
• “Public access to police database regarding violent offenses”
• “Mandatory federal government involvement in all police brutality cases”

Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page. Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site. Sign up for Patch email newsletters.