Newark

Newark Mayor Kicks Off City's Peaceful Protest Saturday; No Major Damage, Violence Reported

newark protesters
News 4 New York

Crowds in Newark gathered Saturday to hear the city's mayor address police brutality, the death of George Floyd, and the protests that have followed.

Hundreds lined the streets for a rally oreganized by "People's Organization for Progress." They chanted in front of the city's courthouse, yelling "I can't breathe" and "George Floyd."

The protest started with a rally in front of the Lincoln statue near the city’s historic courthouse. Mayor Ras Baraka joined the protesters on their march through Newark, holding signs that read "Justice for George Floyd."

Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose estimates the crowd drew more than 1,000 outside of the courthouse.

A short time later, crowds were gathered along Broad Street, cheering and dancing to the "Cupid Shuffle."

A separate protest gathered outside the 1st Precinct around 9 p.m., with several hundred pushing up against law enforcement nearly 10 blocks from downtown and the site of the deadly 1967 riots.

Ambrose said the second protest was made up of a different crowd than the crowd outside the courthouse earlier in the day. No reports of major violence or destruction were made by the end of the night.

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