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ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE II, ADMINISTRATION, CHAPTER 5, DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION, BY ADDING ARTICLE 12, CREATING AN OFFICE OF VIOLENCE PREVENTION TO HELP ELIMINATE AND COMBAT HATE CRIMES, RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION, POLICE BRUTALITY AND VIOLENCE OF ALL KINDS IN CITY GOVERNMENT AND THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
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WHEREAS, in 1967 the City of Newark was one of the United States first majority black cities but the population of African Americans was faced with discrimination in daily life, discrimination in jobs and discrimination in housing; and
WHEREAS, the Newark 1967 riots were triggered when a black man was beaten by two white police officers and brought to the police precinct in the Central Ward; and
WHEREAS, the unrest lasted for four days from July 12 through July 17, 1967 and resulted in 26 deaths, 727 injuries and the arrest of 1,465 persons; and
WHEREAS, while the City has made positive strides towards rebuilding the community, Newark has yet to fully recover from the destruction that took place during the 1967 riots; and
WHEREAS, throughout the years, the interaction with the community and the members of the Newark Public Safety/Police Division has not always been as productive as the parties may like; and
WHEREAS, on July 22, 2014, the City of Newark, the United States Department of Justice ("DOJ") and the United States Attorney for the District of New Jersey entered into an Agreement in Principle, which contemplates the negotiation of a Consent Decree with the DOJ to resolve the United States' investigation of the Newark Public Safety/Police Division (NPD); and
WHEREAS, the investigative findings of the DOJ showed, inter alia, "a pattern or practice of constitutional violations in the Newark Public Safety/Police Divisions stop and arrest practices, its response to individuals' exercise of their rights under the First Amendment, the Newark Public Safety/Police Divisions use of ...
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