JACKSON – Township residents came out for a peaceful protest against racism and police brutality echoing the sentiments of hundreds of rallies that have been going on across the country in the last week.
The protests were sparked following the unjust death of George Floyd, 46, an unarmed black man who died at the hands of a Minneapolis, Minnesota police officer on May 25.
That officer, Derek Chauvin, was shown in a video that went viral, putting his knee to Floyd’s throat cutting off his air supply and ultimately causing his death, while three fellow officers watched.
All four officers were fired the next day and Chauvin, who is white, was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter days later. On June 3 that charge was upgraded to second-degree murder and fellow officers Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng who helped restrain Floyd, and Tou Thao, who stood near the others were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder and aiding and abetting second-degree manslaughter.
Protestors had called for charges for the other officers involved since the rallies had started.
“We wanted to bring the entire township of Jackson together to bring awareness to these issues and stand together for what’s right,” event organizer Elliot Bell said. He and fellow township resident Danny Niblack created the Facebook page Jackson NJ Peaceful Protest to organize the June 7 rally held in Johnson Park.
The thousand or more attendees were reminded to wear a mask for COVID-19 precautions and to be peaceful. Noting that violence, vandalism and looting has occurred at some of the larger protests held in major cities around the country including Trenton and Atlantic City, the organizers stressed that, “we not only wanted everyone safe but we wanted to be the example of what a peaceful protest is,” Niblack said.
Bell said that he saw protests being held closer to Jackson such as Toms River, Freehold and Asbury Park, “but it wasn’t here yet so I popped the question on Facebook, ‘When are we protesting in Jackson?’ and got a few positive responses. My close friend Dan called me later expressing those same feelings and that we needed to protest here in Jackson because there is and has been an issue with racism here.”
“I came to the realization that we definitely needed to put this into action. Dan called the police station and told them what the plan was and after that I e-mailed the chief of police and he gave his approval and offered his help,” Bell said.
Bell has lived in the township since 2002. “My parents had a house built in Hampshire Hills. I went to school here and graduated from Jackson Memorial High School. There were always kids doing or saying hurtful things even when I was young but I had always been a friendly person. Living here now you notice a lot more things from the residents here,” Bell added.
Bell said that police profiling has happened in the township before, “and has happened to me in my younger days and even more recently but I know a lot of our police – old and new – and many of them are good people and I am glad to know some of the people policing my town now.”
Jackson resident Leila Renouf is a member of the Facebook group and attended the rally. She shared her views on the subject saying “to me it’s simple: murderers should be punished for committing homicide, looters should be punished for stealing, and citizens must be left to protest peacefully.”
“Guilt should not be assumed, by one’s physical attributes or career choice,” Renouf added.
Jackson Memorial High School senior Christopher Rush came to the protest wearing his graduation cap and gown and a sign that his mother made. His mom also joined him at the event. “I’ve been watching the news and seeing what is going on and it is overwhelming. I do support black people and everyone should have the right to be themselves and have equal rights. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, we can do this without violence.”
Al Gressey, 62, has lived in Jackson for 26 years and he came out wearing a T-shirt with the protest’s own design. This was hardly his first time attending a protest for civil rights. “My parents brought me to many of them in the 60s and 70s. I am originally from Long Island City and I was in a riot in Jamaica Queens in 1971 or 1972.”
He said that while a white man, he grew up “with Black Panthers and Bella Abzug stopping by to our house. My mom was very politically charged. I watched her nearly get knocked down by a police officer. It is good to see that this is happening here in Jackson.”
Jackson Memorial High School student Alina De Zoysa, 17, the president of the Rays Of Hope Youth Organization spoke about the need for strong new leadership and for people to be in engaged in making change. She explained that her organization is a grass roots youth organization “focused on developing future leaders through community service and advocacy.”
“The fight here is nothing new. Black Americans have been facing oppression for over 400 years in this country. We need to start uncomfortable conversations about the state of our country. A discussion that so many people are afraid to have.” She also urged those present to exercise their right to vote.
Another speaker, Toms River resident Shaniyah Taylor, 21, said that was the case in 1954 when the Civil Rights movement began, “It doesn’t look different from 2020. The pictures look the same and we are still fighting for the same things. We are still fighting to not be racial profiled and be murdered, fighting to breathe. I grew up in Ocean County my entire life and I remember my brother was 16 years old when he was pulled over right in Ocean County because he fit the description, in the pouring rain. These are things we all experience.”
Police Chief Matthew Kunz also spoke during the protest providing background on the Constitution and its provisions to allow for peaceful assembly, speech “and the right of the people, peaceably to assemble. I stand with you today on the common ground that the men and women of the Jackson Police Department, the elected officials of the township and all of our community members share in the belief that all men are created equal as penned by Thomas Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence.”
“We stand with you for equality we stand for you for dignity. We stand for you for peace,” the chief said adding in recognition to a member of the crowd adding, “and for justice.”
Tom Bradley just completed 32 years of teaching in Jackson. He started off sharing a story from 1993-94 “I was teaching at Goetz Middle School. I was teaching 6th grade and it is the third day of school. Building principal says I have to talk to you. She says to me Johnny’s being taken out of your class. She says do you know why. I have no clue. She says do you know why Johnny is being taken out of your class? I say again, no I have no idea. She looks at me one more time and says do you know why he’s being taken out of your class? It hit me that in 1993 a child is being taken out of my class because he had a black teacher.”
Rev. John Craddox who serves as presiding bishop and pastor of Praise Temple Ministries of Neptune said growing up in Colts Neck and going to school there he “was reminded every day that I looked different than everybody else. That was not the problem. The problem is about what we are talking about here today. Even though I went to people who were in authority, people who were in jobs like teachers and principals, who I told my story and about my pain, nobody heard me. That is what we are dealing with today.”
He added, “we are dealing what is called an uncommon pain. There is some pains you know about but there is uncommon pains. Those are the pains you aren’t used to, you are not accustomed to because you never felt it. Because a pain wasn’t common to people, they acted like it didn’t exist. We aren’t here because we are against police. One of my sons is a policeman. I have seen both sides of this thing. I am not here because I am against policemen but I will always be against what is wrong.”
The protest ended with a march around the area of the park. “I just wanted everyone to have a safe event and to get home safely and support the community coming together,” Chief Kunz said as officers were directing traffic at the close of the event. Four Ocean County Sheriff’s Office vehicles had arrived prior to the start of the event and a K-9-unit sniff was made for safety reasons checking for explosives according to one officer at the scene.
