Readers of The Daily Newarker might remember that in late July, the Star-Ledger published an essay by Mayor Cory Booker in which he urgently called for reforms to a correctional system that often does more harm than good to the inner-city youth it intends to serve. On the latest installment of “Newark Today”, broadcast last night on WBGO, the mayor again delved into the issue, along with Deputy Mayor of Public Safety Ron Salahuddin. We can all argue exhaustively about why young people go of track in the first place and why it is so hard to take former juvenile offenders and make them over into productive citizens. I think most of us can agree that the breakdown of solid family units, and the absence of reliable fathers are largely to blame for the broken way that some of these kids see the world. Others say that if the city had more enrichment and recreational programs available to children and their families, then young people would not wax idle and destructive.
Whatever the case, the city finds itself with a huge job on its hands when it comes to guiding its young people. The administration has been steadily calling for everyone from all walks of life in Newark to take an interest in young people through mentoring, tutoring and any other way in which we can share our time and experience with children outside our own families.
“I think that all of us that live in Newark and know a kid on our block that might have one parent … take them to the movies, take them to a ball game. Ask them if they need a ride somewhere,” Salahuddin says on the program.
That includes folks like ‘Angelina’, who phoned in last night under the pretext of airing grievances about ‘DYFS’. She briefly aired some petty and vague complaints and then she got to the real purpose of her call: supporting the ‘Recall Booker’ campaign.
I suppose that odd, off-topic comments from people with motives other than constructive comments about what is best for Newark are to be expected on a radio call-in show. That doesn’t make the pettiness any less annoying. It was particularly galling during last month’s program. There was the administration and the city, still stunned after the triple homicides in Vailsburg, when a couple of of people called in to sing the ‘recall’ tune and complain about job cuts at city hall. Honestly! I have to give the administration credit for dealing with those types of aggravating distractions, that counterproductive foolishness, in a restrained and civil way.
Don’t forget: If you like ‘Newark Today’ and other programming at WBGO, support the station with a contribution.
One Comment
The Recall Booker movement could be called “Revenge of the Parasites.” The city & Board of Ed payrolls are bloated with lazy ass useless Sharpe James & even some older Ken Gibson people, & everybody who works around them knows who they are. Unfortunately, they can’t be singled out & fired on lousy job pefformance. So you get layoffs instead.