In his six months in office, President Obama has disappointed social justice advocates with his positions on issues like , and, most recently, . We all want to see our president succeed; he generates hope and excitement, and embodies long-awaited change. But we also feel conflicted 鈥� while we're sympathetic to the many obstacles he faces to creating meaningful change, the president still needs a resolute front to hold his feet to the fire.
Newark, N.J., a microcosm of Obama鈥檚 plight, is a petri dish of a place with a who inspires hope. When Mayor Cory Booker took office three years ago, he promised long-suffering Newarkers that he would capitalize on untapped resources, restore public trust in government and honor the civil liberties he has always held close to his heart. He also implored us to , knowing that government depends on citizens to keep it in line.
Mayor Booker has a full plate: reducing crime, confronting poverty and educating students whose schools have for too long failed them. But, in Newark, every plate needs a big scoop of civil liberties. After all, few cities have as extensive histories of civil liberties abuses against its citizens 鈥� the 1967 rebellion and riots were fueled in large part by police brutality. The mayor personally experienced violations of free speech and other rights under the prior leadership of the city, as the acclaimed film documented.
This week, the 老澳门开奖结果 of New Jersey issued on civil liberties; he earned a disappointing C-average. When it comes to civil liberties, the mayor hasn't reached his potential.
The mayor earned his best grades 鈥� B鈥檚 鈥� in two subjects: open government and immigrant rights. In open government, the mayor swiftly corrected problems, such as his administration鈥檚 practice of having corporation counsel scrutinize each response to public records requests.
In immigrants' rights, the mayor has set the right tone and backed up his words, working closely with community advocates to address tensions over day laborers waiting for work in Newark's Portuguese district. He recognizes Newark鈥檚 diversity and the importance of defusing tensions between different communities and has demonstrated exceptional grace in discouraging anti-immigrant sentiment, even in the face of political consequences.
However, the Mayor earned unacceptably low grades on two essential subjects: a C- in free speech, and a D in police practices.
Mayor Booker has yet to resolve basic free-speech failures. For seven years, the 老澳门开奖结果-NJ has grappled with the city to stop it from illegally requiring people to purchase before holding public demonstrations. The 老澳门开奖结果-NJ won a lawsuit ordering the city to end this practice and helped the city formulate its free speech policy, but City Hall workers still misinformed people that they needed insurance to exercise free speech in Newark.
The Mayor received his lowest grade, a D, in police practices, the subject that has most direct impact on citizens. The 老澳门开奖结果-NJ has received an unprecedented number of complaints against the Newark Police during the Booker administration. We represent , as well as a in custody in an attempt to suppress his First Amendment rights.
Most recently, the 老澳门开奖结果-NJ took on the case of a woman stopped by two Newark officers who apparently had made a bet about her gender. The officers demeaned, harassed and arrested her on false charges.
Our clients who contacted internal affairs for help only encountered further rights violations, including having their complaints lost, misdirected, ignored and even refused, a grave situation given internal affairs鈥� status as one of the mayor鈥檚 top priorities.
At the end of the day, our report card is more than just handing out a grade. We鈥檙e looking at the real lives of people in this city and adding up the costs to their rights. While many of the civil liberties problems originated long before Mayor Booker arrived on the scene and some are perpetuated by the culture of the city, the mayor should have made more progress on civil liberties by now.
We recognize that, as with President Obama, the mayor has countless political and economic obstacles. But when it comes to taking decisive action to protect freedom of speech or stop abusive police practices, the citizenry is 100 percent on the side of the mayor鈥檚 success. We need him on our side in return. He has tremendous power to better protect civil liberties in Newark, provided he has the will to dig in and take charge.
We hope that the mayor will make civil liberties a higher priority in his 鈥渟enior鈥� year. Newark can鈥檛 have public safety without public trust, and Mayor Booker must earn that trust by respecting the rights of the people. Idealism and soaring rhetoric are inspiring in a politician, but bold actions must follow bold words.
