Hoboken Mayor Signs Obama's Pledge On Use Of Police Force
HOBOKEN, NJ — On Friday morning, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla signed President Barack Obama’s pledge to address the policies of use of police force in Hoboken. The move came in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis on Memorial Day. Four Minneapolis police officers have been hit with criminal charges in connection with Floyd's killing, and protests have been planned around the country, including one in Hoboken on Friday.
The locations of the Hoboken protest were changed on Thursday.
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Hoboken is a mile-square city of approximately 53,000 residents, directly across the Hudson River from New York City.
Obama's pledge is "A call for mayors, city councils, and police oversight bodies to address police use of force policies." The website explains, "The killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and the loss of far too many Black lives to list, have left our nation anguished and outraged ... mayors and other city council officials are uniquely positioned to introduce common-sense limits on police use of force. "
Bhalla gave this statement Friday:
<blockquote>Today, in consultation with Police Chief Ken Ferrante, I answered President Obama’s call for mayors to sign a pledge to review their city’s use of force policies in partnership with their local community. The pledge calls on cities to review their use of force policies, report its findings publicly, and seek community feedback within 90 days of signing the pledge.
Chief Ferrante and I fully intend on complying because we both understand, as President Obama pointed out, that official policy which actively encourages de-escalation has been found to lead to less death, keeping both our police and our community safer. For the past six years, Hoboken has neither had a civil suit nor a criminal complaint against any of its police officers for use of excessive force, but there is always room to improve and we intend to do so.
As the nation mourns and protests the unconscionable death of George Floyd and so many others, we remain deeply committed to translating grief into concrete action.</blockquote>
A group called Allies4Justice has been planning a peaceful protest of Floyd's death and police brutality on Friday at 1 p.m. in Hoboken.
On Tuesday, Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla and Police Chief Ken Ferrante expressed concerns about the protest, saying they were "concerned" that people may violate social distancing protocol for coronavirus (such as standing 6 feet apart in the small Maxwell Park), and about dangers from people coming to the protest for the wrong reasons.
Ferrante weighed in with a new statement on Wednesday night. He condemned both the killing of Floyd by Minneapolis police officers and their response to protests afterward, saying New Jersey and Hoboken will handle the protests better.
The organizers of the protest, a group called Allies4Justice, have been posting bios of their members and information on the rally. Read more about the planned protest here.
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This article originally appeared on the Hoboken Patch
