NEWARK -- Public Safety Director Anthony F. Ambrose credited his police with using a “remarkable restraint” after about a dozen protestors interrupted Mayor Ras J. Baraka’s “State of the Water” Town Hall meeting Monday night.
The small group began shouting during the panel discussion portion of the meeting. Rather than have them immediately removed, the Mayor tried to engage them, while pointing out some were not Newark residents or failed candidates for office.
“These people don’t want you to have the right information,” the Mayor said as the group continued to shout, much to the dismay of the 1500 people in attendance.
After several minutes, Newark Police began to walk the protestors out.
“Our officers showed remarkable restraint,” Ambrose said. “The protestors were extremely confrontational, calling our police ‘pigs’ and invading our officers’ body space all while filming with cellphone cameras.
“It was clear to anyone watching that these protestors were trying hard to incite our officers, so they could claim to be victims of police brutality,” Ambrose said.
Once moved outside, the protestors continued their verbal assault of officers, at times, even making threatening movements toward the horses of the mounted unit.
“This is part of the same group we had to deal with at the Video Music Awards,” Ambrose. “They want police to act in such a way that they can further aggrandize and victimize themselves. We’re not taking the bait.”