As Newark community leaders and residents gathered for the mayor’s annual State of the City speech last night, a video featuring EJUSA’s Police-Community Trauma Program played on a loop in the lobby for all to see. The 7-minute video was produced by The Grio, one of the largest online news sources for African Americans, and shows our efforts to bridge the divide between police and communities in order to foster trust, healing, and action.
“This program has been transformative because the trainings facilitate honest conversations about trauma, violence, and racism,” said EJUSA Executive Director Shari Silberstein.
Efforts to reform Newark’s police department took center stage in Mayor Ras Baraka’s speech. “We are deeply focused on rebuilding the trust between our police department and the community,” he said. Baraka highlighted Newark’s improved public safety efforts, the need to keep the voices of the community front and center, and plans to continue to “build systems of trauma-informed care, because violence is a public health issue.”
“We are so grateful for the Mayor’s leadership and support for the Police-Community Trauma Program,” added EJUSA Deputy Director Fatimah Loren Muhammad, who has worked with the police department on the program’s expansion. “Together, community members and police officers have the opportunity to speak openly, build understanding, and envision new solutions to break the cycle of violence.”
Since 2016, EJUSA’s Police-Community Trauma Program, funded in part by the Healthcare Foundation of NJ, has trained 117 police officers and 163 community members in Newark. A new series of trainings will begin later this spring.
