Politics & Government

National United Youth Council Asks Freeholders to Adopt Street Violence Resolution

The National United Youth Council is campaigning in 11 counties in New Jersey to have violence in urban areas declared a "public health emergency" as per the guidelines of the CDC.

National United Youth Council director Salaam Ismial went before the Middlesex County Board of Chosen Freeholders on Thursday night to request the council again consider adopting a resolution that would declare community violence a "public health emergency" in Middlesex County.

Ismial said he was responding to a letter from the Freeholders that said the Board was not planning on adopting the resolution presently.

Ismial said Union and Hudson Counties had adopted the resolution, and Essex County may adopt it at a future meeting. The Elizabeth-based organization is campaigning in 11 counties in New Jersey to have violence declared a public health emergency.

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Ismial said that the problem of street, domestic and police violence in Middlesex County was becoming too big of a problem to "play politics with it."

He said the Freeholders must convene a panel to study the origins and causes of violence, or it will continue to worsen.

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Freeholder Director Christopher D. Rafano said to Ismial that he included in the letter an invitation for Ismial to call him to discuss ways of addressing violence in the county, and offered another invitation for him to do so.

Beverly Marshall, a 17-year resident of New Brunswick and a Democratic Committeewoman for the city's Second Ward, spoke about her experience on Jan. 1, when her home was broken into, and she was assaulted by three assailants in the wee hours of the morning.

"I am worthy of the freeholders, the city council, to help (with) what is going on in this city," she said.


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