To: Office of Mayor Ras J. Baraka
Occupy the City- Newark, NJ
On Saturday, August 8th, at 4 pm, the City of Newark will host a citywide community engagement focused on raising awareness of its anti-violence movement. Occupy the City - an expansion of the Occupy the Block initiative launched earlier this year -- will take place in all five of Newark’s wards. On that day, community members, organizers and elected officials, will meet at designated locations around the City. These locations have been identified as areas of increased or high illegal activity. From that point, they will all proceed to meet at a rallying point downtown. This is a city-wide movement against violence and hatred.
Why is this important?
The morning following Mother’s Day 2015, the City of Newark awakened to news that the life of a young man had been taken the night before in a senseless act of violence. Mayor Ras J. Baraka had spent time at the crime scene that night, meeting with the victim’s family and the community. By the time he arrived at City Hall the next morning, he had designed a response to the city’s bloodshed. That response was a collaborative effort between the Mayor, employees of the City of Newark and citizens throughout various communities, which was designed to systematically dismantle those areas which have been most affected by crime. He called this effort ‘Occupy the Block’. ‘Occupy the Block’ is a community engagement tool modeled after the historic “Occupy” movement, which advocates social disruption of harmful or ineffective constructs. According to Mayor Baraka, he was inspired by the courageous stories of ordinary citizens across the country that have been effective in disturbing the drug trade by setting up lawn chairs and gathering on corners where there is illegal drug activity.
The Mayor said as he sent out the clarion call:
“We will hold court on this block. We will have an open discussion about our city, young people and violence. We will also bring out our folding chairs, tables and play chess and cards outside on the blocks where they usually hang out and get into trouble. We will take those blocks for a few hours. We will shut down the illegal trade at that time, and transform that block while we are there. I am asking every man that can, to stand up and get involved. I know some of us are better at complaining or wallowing in pessimism and hopelessness. But I don't have the luxury of defeat or cynicism. My heart is driven by hope and my action by faith.”
The Mayor said as he sent out the clarion call:
“We will hold court on this block. We will have an open discussion about our city, young people and violence. We will also bring out our folding chairs, tables and play chess and cards outside on the blocks where they usually hang out and get into trouble. We will take those blocks for a few hours. We will shut down the illegal trade at that time, and transform that block while we are there. I am asking every man that can, to stand up and get involved. I know some of us are better at complaining or wallowing in pessimism and hopelessness. But I don't have the luxury of defeat or cynicism. My heart is driven by hope and my action by faith.”