Why Newark's Weekend Demonstration Was Peaceful

Many demonstrations across the U.S. ended in violence over the weekend, including in New York. But in Newark, NJ, thousands of protesters peacefully took to the streets to speak out against the death of George Floyd and the broader issues of discriminatory policing and police violence. 

The thousands-strong demonstration in Newark was led by Larry Hamm, a longtime activist in the city and the founder of the People's Organization for Progress. Hamm has been speaking out against police violence for 40 years.

"What happened on Saturday, much of it was routine," Hamm told WNYC's Jami Floyd. "And we're glad that it had the outcome that it did because the narrative the next day was that thousands of people marched for justice for George Floyd."

The lasting image of Newark's demonstration was of protesters dancing in the streets of the city’s downtown. It was a stark contrast to videos of NYPD officers driving vehicles into crowds of demonstrators and the looting of SoHo boutiques that dominated local news coverage. And it's a notable change of optics for a city that spent half-a-decade wrestling with the legacy of the 1967 riots that forever transformed it.

Hamm said the peace was due to several factors, including improved relations between the police and community after a federal investigation found patterns of unconstitutional policing and the Police Department entered into a consent decree with the federal Department of Justice. Hamm also credited Newark's Mayor Ras Baraka, a longtime community organizer himself, who marched alongside demonstrators during Saturday's protest.

"People were glad to see that the elected leader of the city and the activists that called the demonstration were actually together on this," said Hamm