After his first court hearing regarding his arrest last week on charges of trespassing, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka delivered remarks on the steps of the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, Thursday, May 15th.
“We believe I was targeted in this. I was the only person arrested, I was the only person identified, I was the only person they put in a cell,” said Newark Mayor Baraka. “This is not about specific people. It’s not even about me. This is about systems that were put in place to protect all of us, every last one of us. And there are individuals who want to ignore that.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office confirmed it will proceed to trial, with a tentative date expected for mid-July.
At the press conference following the hearing, Mayor Baraka called the charges “unwarranted” and emphasized that the larger issue at stake is the fight to protect the constitutional rights of all Americans.
Also check out State of Emergency: The Arrest of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka | State v Federal Power by BW Publisher Damon K. Jones.
AJ Woodson is the Editor-In-Chief and co-owner of Black Westchester, Host & Producer of the People Before Politics Radio Show, An Author, Journalism Fellow (Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism), Rap Artist – one third of the legendary underground rap group JVC FORCE known for the single Strong Island, Radio Personality, Hip-Hop Historian, Documentarian, Activist, Criminal Justice Advocate and Freelance Journalist
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