Newark’s Mayoral Race: Baraka maps out new Strategy to Reduce Violence & And Restore Healthy Neighborhoods

A mega political blue print for the City of Newark has been released by the campaign team of Mayoral candidate Ras Baraka. In it the affable Baraka maps out plan to stem violence in the city, facilitate excellence in education and a strategy to create more employment for depraved Newarkers. The document points out that violence has become a crippling public health epidemic destroying the City of Newark. This
historic violence against African Americans, Latinos, and recent immigrants has morphed into a
culture of self-destruction and desperation. The quality of life of every Newarker is affected by the
culture of gun violence. Mr. Baraka says his purpose in seeking to become mayor of Newark is to build a broad base movement of people and institutions empowered to transform the city. “Transforming opportu
nities for our youth is an
integral part of our vision.
The theme of my campaign is Believe in Newark. This is not just a political slogan. It is a statement
of the truth that we, the people of Newark, have the power to transform our city if we do it collectively.
This Blueprint is a work in progress. I challenge you, the people of Newark, (because you are the experts), to participate in this process by responding to the ideas presented here and by joining my campaign to reduce crime and violence in our city. The principles of empowerment and collective action are at the core of my proposed strategies for education and economic development. These principles are at the heart of my strategy to reduce crime and violence. The strategy is holistic and comprehensive.

Using a public health approach, we will engage and coordinate the people of Newark, leaders in education, criminal justice, community development, local government, housing, workforce development, public health, mental health, substance-abuse treatment, religion and victims’ advocates, to address our public safety challenges and make the people of Newark safer in their daily lives.

Every institutional stakeholder must be at the table, including universities, small businesses, public schools, corporations, nonprofits, and philanthropic organizations. But the most important participants are the citizens of Newark.
The evidence and history tells us that principles of collective action, self-determination and self-empowerment coupled with structural changes offer a lasting solution to the plague of violence and crime.

The most effective way to reduce violence and crime is to ensure that all Newark residents capable of working have a job and the ability to become self-sufficient. There is a direct correlation between crime and unemployment. I have a comprehensive strategy to put those without jobs in Newark back to work. It can be found in my Blueprint for Jobs and Economic Development which can be found at http://www.rasjbaraka.com/policy/jobs/

It is irrational and futile to think that Newark can be a safe community if only one or a few of us are safe. If the woman next door is abusing her child, and we turn our backs, then we are a contributor to the illness of domestic violence. If a person is shot in broad daylight in front of us, and we pretend that we did not see it, then we are a contributor to the illness that is gun violence.Violence is one of the leading causes of death and has reached epidemic proportions in urban communities. Typhus, Pneumonia, Yellow Fever and Diphtheria have been controlled by changing environments, isolation of the disease, immunizations and application of new medical techniques.

We must fight violence in the same way that we summon our resources to wipe out AIDS and other deadly diseases.
The U.S. Surgeon General, the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have all identified violence as a priority public health issue challenging local, national and global communities by it’s negative influence on morbidity, mortality, and quality of life.
As a Councilman, I sponsored a resolution passed unanimously recognizing that violence is a public health problem requiring a strategic, long-term, and multi-faceted response. As Mayor, I will implement that mandate of the Newark City Council. The power of law enforcement agencies can be used to prevent violence in addition to prosecutingand jailing those who commit violence. Project Chill will be built on the three principles of exercising law enforcement authority to prevent violence, rewarding gang members with significant opportunities for ceasing violence and community involvement.

Similar to programs that successfully reduced gang violence in Boston, Mass. and Stockton, California, Project Chill will target the relatively small group of chronic gang offenders. Similar programs have been highly rated by the U.S. Department of Justice and recommended by the U.S. Conference of Mayors. A major share of the violence in Newark occurs among members of a handful of gangs who are constantly on the watch for each other and as a result carry guns to protect themselves as well as to retaliate against others.We will step up and invest in what works to keep Newark’s most vulnerable children from becoming our most wanted adults using a strategy that involves partnering with the school district, philanthropic organizations, existing agencies and the people of our city to carry out a comprehensive plan.”

Posted by admin on May 5 2014. Filed under top stories. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry