Activists called for police accountability in a Jersey City march for the late Andrew Washington, who was fatally shot by law enforcement in August 2023 after picking up a knife in the midst of a mental health episode, yesterday.
By Daniel Ulloa/Hudson County View
The rally came together as part of the National Day of Protest Against Police Brutality, organizers said.
While the incident was about 14 months ago, the New Jersey Attorney General’s Office is still investigating and Andrew’s sister, Courtnie, filed a lawsuit against the city and the police department in August.
Local activist Evelyn Ibarra led the chant, “JCPD, what do we want to see? Accountability!” while Tina Nalls led chants of “Justice for Drew!
About 40 people, including some children, marches from the Public Safety Headquarters near the City Hall Annex to the steps of City Hall chanting other phrases such as “No justice! No peace!” and “Hey, hey ho ho, these racist cops have got to go!”
The group had a Jersey City police escort, varying between five and eight SUVs, as they made their way down Martin Luther King Drive.
Once they arrived at City Hall, Doris Toni Ervin, Washington’s aunt, then spoke on the steps of City Hall.
“We’re still fighting. There are so many things going on in our system that we need to make sure it gets corrected … It’s important we stand against these things and show we are not going to take it!” she declared.
Ervin continued that it was a day to recognize injustice against marginalized communities, noting that her nephew’s incident wasn’t unique in New Jersey, recalling the fatal shootings of Najee Seabrooks in Paterson and Bernard Placide Jr. in Englewood.
“We have seen it recently just a month ago, with Victoria Lee in Bergen County. It continues to happen! These are people suffering from mental health. These are people who were calling for help! And who showed up? The police! And then they were murdered! And they were not criminals,” Ervin explained.
She said those officers did not protect and serve anyone but themselves in these instances.
“There are some officers that do come to serve and protect. But there are lots of them that we need to make sure they’re vetted the proper way, trained the proper way,” Ervin further stated.
“People are dying at their hands, and they just go on to live their lives. Families have to get themselves back together! My family is still struggling! … No one is being held accountable. We called for help for our loved one. We didn’t get any.”
She also took offense to the fact that Mayor Steven Fulop and Public Safety Director James Shea called the incident a justified use-of-force less than 24 hours after it occurred.
Ervin further stated that something needs to be done, especially in peak election season, noting that former President Donald Trump, the Republican nominee, wants to give police blanket immunity.
“We were able as a count to get $2 million for Jersey City. Families came with that dealt with the things we dealt with. Our families and other families went down to Trenton to lobby.”
“We did receive the grant, and we did receive the finding,” Ervin said to some applause, thanking the Anti-Violence Coalition of Hudson County for their efforts.
She noted that Jersey City’s ARRIVE Together program is still being developed and mental health crises persist.
“There’s #4.2 million that’s been on the table. Please people, come to the city council meetings. You know everybody is running next year! If you don’t see what you like, pick someone else,” Ervin said.
She noted it has been in the works since before Washington was killed.
“We did apply for the community-led crisis response team. We got the grant. There’s no money we’ve gotten. We haven’t received the contract yet,” noted AVCHC Executive Director Pam Johnson, also a Ward A council candidate.
She said they still need to meet with the AG’s office and that’s it’s a long process.
“You don’t receive the money right away … We want to make sure that we have trained people from the neighborhood,” she said.
Johnson explained that they want to train people for at least a year and therefore program likely won’t be launched until 2026.
“We will respond to the calls with the trained folks and not with the police,” she declared to cheers and applause.
“I’m from the city of Newark. I’m here on behalf of Mayor Ras J Baraka, who is running for governor,” Lamont “True V” Vaughn said.
“Someone with a mental health crisis should never end up dead by the police!”
Among those showing support were Ward F Councilman Frank “Educational” Gilmore and former Jersey City Board of Education President Mussab Ali, a declared mayoral candidate.
