September 1, 2016

By Ryan P. Haygood 

Like me, I am sure you are still catching your breath from the tragic killings of Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge and Philando Castile in Minnesota — and from the heartbreaking deaths of police officers in Dallas, and just this week in Baton Rouge. 

Castile’s death marks the 123rd black person shot by law enforcement this year.

The killings of Castile, Sterling, Laquan McDonald, Michael Brown, Sandra Bland, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray, Akai Gurley, Walter Scott, and so many others underscore the necessity of ensuring that police officers serve and protect all of us.

Here in Newark, the recent FRONTLINE documentary, “Policing the Police,” on the Newark Police Department cements the reality that the issues of Baton Rouge, Falcon Heights, Chicago, North Charleston, New York City, Ferguson, Baltimore, and more, are our issues too.