by Ken Walker
Hope Sparks in the City?
August 14, 2007 in Uncategorized by Ken Walker
??New York Times??: “After Killings, Sense of Unity Surprises Newark”:http://www.nytimes.com/2007/08/14/nyregion/14newark.html. The paradox of Newark continues: in spite of the execution-style shooting that took place ten days ago, Newark has seen a revival of unity and hope as rival civic leaders work together with the city administration to stop violent crime. Reporter ??Andrew Jacobs?? does an excellent job deconstructing the political impact of the past several days, noting that Booker has been able to identify with a city in mourning that, “only very recently”:http://dailynewarker.com/2007/08/02/paysnubs-and-booker%e2%80%99s-flubs/, had heightened its criticism of him as an outsider.
Outside of the city, Booker has been using his media savvy to rally support from around the nation. The city has seen donations totalling $3.2 million for a cutting-edge surveillance system. The project will launch with a $100,000 gunshot-detection system, which will be announced in a press conference this afternoon.
After the election, we’ve seen unity crumble quickly. Let’s hope, for Newark’s sake, that this attitude of unity continues.
An unexpected thing has happened to this crime-weary city since three young friends were shot to death in a school playground nine days ago.
Political rivals have promised to work together, young men in gang attire have signed pledges to put down their weapons, and a mayor who was facing criticism from even his most devoted allies has been buoyed by a wave of sympathy and support.
Last week, as investigators desperately scoured the city for the six men and teenagers believed responsible for the Mount Vernon School killings, mayoral aides met with local corporate leaders in search of $100,000 to buy gunshot-detection technology — 50 cameras that would swivel toward gunfire — for Newark’s most violent neighborhoods.
They walked away from the meeting — scheduled weeks beforehand — with $3.2 million pledged for a surveillance system that would be the most advanced in the nation, an effort scheduled to be announced here on Tuesday.
“I’ve done a lot of fund-raising in my day, but I was astounded by the outpouring of generosity,” said Bari Mattes, a mayoral adviser who was at the meeting, which included executives from Prudential Financial and Raymond Chambers, a Newark philanthropist. “Everyone around the table recognized that this is a unique moment and they responded.”
