By April M. Short, Witness LA, June 21, 2020
Protests against systemic racism and police brutality in America continue to call for justice after the police murder of George Floyd on May 25. Floyd’s death catalyzed an uprising of voices that are pushing forward the national narratives around policing and public safety. There is a widespread, growing call to defund and dismantle America’s long-militarized police departments, restructure their use of force policies, and redistribute their bloated budgets into public services like housing for homeless people, social services, employment services, and community-led safety programs.
In Newark, New Jersey, a city long known for its high crime rates, where you can still find vacant, ashen lots from buildings burned down during the race riots in the ’60s, the recent protests have been strikingly peaceful. While across the country the stories of protests include civilians being killed or seriously injured; police using excessive force and spraying mace, tasing and firing rubber bullets at close range against peaceful protesters; and broken glass, looting, and fires on the part of either protesters or counter-protesting provocateurs. Meanwhile in Newark, the only damage of note has been a few slashed cop car tires. This is because in Newark, many of the police reform and community-based safety efforts protesters are calling for are already in play.
For more than 30 years, activist and entrepreneur Aqeela Sherrills has been organizing and pushing the envelope on what safety, community empowerment, and community self-determination can look like in America. In 1992, Sherrills was significantly involved with bringing the Bloods and the Crips together to sign a historic peace treaty in Watts, Los Angeles. At 19 years old, he co-founded the Amer-I-Can program with football hall-of-famer Jim Brown. Fifteen years ago, Sherrills’ own son was murdered by another black boy during his first year at Humboldt State University. Rather than focus on punishment for the boy who killed his son, and the perpetrators of violent crimes, Sherrills has been outspoken about the need to address the root causes behind killings by black youth, and the need for better supportive counseling and rehabilitation services.
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