Show Up to Support Youth Arrested at BLM March

A message from Rev. Preston Thompson, Jr. , as shared by Faith in New Jersey:

Greetings,

As you may or may not know, there was an incident during a peaceful Black Lives Matter march in Englewood, NJ. At the start of the march, an unrelated altercation began between several young ladies in the neighborhood. Several of the protestors intervened and de-escalated the situation. Unbeknownst to us, the law enforcement officers present and those that arrived in multiple cars, chose to escalate a confrontation with the protesters and tried to shut the march down. 4 of our organizers were arrested including the premiere organizer: Ainsworth Minott. The police response was both excessive and unnecessary according to myself and the Mayor of Englewood who was also present. The videos of the event have gone national with many including activist Shaun King, retweeting them. One of those videos is included in this email. 

This type of behavior is unacceptable from those that have sworn to "protect and serve" this city There are MANY issues involving the police department and we need support in showing that the system MUST be reformed! Bro. Ainsworth Minott and the activists that have been faithfully organizing the peaceful Black Lives Matter marches.  We will continue marching on Saturday, October 31 at 1:00 pm. It begins at MacKay Park. Would be great to have a strong show of support from those that believe in justice and equality for all. Englewood has MANY areas that need to be addressed. Your support will be GREATLY appreciated.

Click Here for Video of Incident Trigger Warning: Police Brutality 

Rev. Preston Thompson, Jr.

Pastor of the Ebenezer Baptist Church

Member of Faith In NJ