By Michael Aron
Chief Political Correspondent
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka says it’s time for his community to raise its voice against violence.
He announced hip-hop artist Common is coming for a Newark anti-violence rally this Saturday.
And he called urban violence not just a mayor’s problem but America’s problem.
“In every major city in America black and brown boys are being killed at alarming rates,” Baraka said.
Newark has experienced 55 murders as of last Sunday, which puts it basically on par to match last year’s murder total of 93.
Shootings, however, are up 26 percent this year over last.
Baraka said each murder has a ripple effect throughout the families of shooters and victims and their neighbors and classmates.
“If it was happening in cities that weren’t Chicago, Newark, Trenton or Camden, if it was 100 kids being killed in Millburn, people would think it would be a public health crisis. And so we are saying here in Newark, we are raising our voices that this is a public health crisis,” Baraka said.
An organizer of Saturday’s march echoed that sentiment.
“There is no longer us going to funerals for great-grandparents, grandparents, aunts and uncles. We are burying people who have yet to receive high school diplomas and sometimes even grammar school diplomas,” said Natasha Allen.
“The public as a whole is outraged. Having a small percentage, about 1 percent, commit these heinous crimes out here and in no way is the mayor or any of us having these individuals take over the streets,” said Tyrone Barnes.
Barnes is an outreach worker.
“Our target is the one in front of the guns and behind the guns. As outreach workers, that’s the high risk individuals and target the high risk areas. Individuals aren’t high-risk. They have the potential to become high-risk in high-risk environments,” he said.
“Poverty breeds violence. Lack of education breeds violence,” Allen said.
“The police do their job, but there’s a job for pastors, there’s a job for imams, a job for for mothers, a job for community organizations,” Baraka said.
The organizers expect thousands of people to meet at five rallying points in the city’s five wards Saturday at 3:30 in the afternoon, then march to Broad and Market Streets downtown, to repeat the message that Newark abhor violence and want to stamp it out.