The Jersey City Council adopted a resolution to amend the city’s 2020 municipal budget, which cuts allocations to the police department by about six percent.
This, despite public calls to divest the Jersey City Police Department.
The $658 million budget, reintroduced by the administration, will also not result in a municipal tax increase according to the city, despite a $70 million budget gap due to the pandemic.
Many favor reducing police budget
The majority of roughly 63 speakers during the Aug. 12 virtual council meeting opposed this year’s budget because they’d been calling for a 50 percent cut to the Jersey City Police Department’s budget since the murder of George Floyd in May.
“In the wake of the police murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and Elijah McClain, and the subsequent protests that have occurred in our city, I am deeply disheartened to see Jersey City attempt to expand the resources and scope of our police department,” said resident Mike McQuade who noted that the council agenda also included the hiring of 23 new police officers and a measure to station officers in public housing.
“We don’t need an investment into the police department; we need an investment in our community,” said Ward F resident Vanessa Thomas.
“You’re pouring money into a faulty institution that’s failing to do its job to protect the community,” said resident Andrew Zhang. “I think it’s a shame that the city can only spare six percent for police, while Youth and Recreation takes a 42 percent hit, and Health and Human services gets cut by 11 percent.”
According to the municipal budget, police salaries and wages decreased by about $7 million to about $102.9 million. Overtime and expenses were cut by about $80,000 to about $1.4 million.
The Public Safety Department, which includes the fire department, public safety director’s office, parking enforcement, and communications and technology, was cut from $206 million to about $193.5 million.
The Department of Youth & Recreation’s budget decreased by about $2.3 million, from about $5.4 million to about $3 million. The Department of Health and Human Services decreased from about $5.3 million to about $4.7 million.
‘Stabbed, shot, robbed, cracked in the head’
Ward A resident Barbara Camacho said she felt the police department was underfunded.
“When a south side resident calls 911, they are not calling because our dog locked us out of our 14th floor skyscraper,” she said. “We are calling because someone was stabbed, shot, robbed, cracked in the head with a bottle, or setting up an open air drug market in front of our homes.”
She said the south side needs a greater police presence and is already understaffed.
“I’m a Puerto Rican woman born of a black Puerto Rican mother, and I am married to a black man,” she continued. “I state that explicitly to declare that I’ve not benefited from racial privilege, and I’ve struggled to find my way in a country that values whiteness over brownness. Privilege is living in a relatively well-off area where you do not have to see a man stabbed, cracked in the head with a bottle on a doughnut run with your 11-year-old daughter while a group of no-snitching believers watch the man lie on the ground in a crucifixion pose in a pool of blood in broad daylight. That’s a Thursday up here. That’s why we need more police. ”
Budget amendment adopted
The council adopted a resolution for the new municipal budget in a 7-2 vote with Councilmen James Solomon and Rolando Lavarro voting against the measure.
Solomon said the budget was full of “gimmicks” which “kick the can down the road” in order for the city to keep taxes flat such as selling off assets like approximately $12 million in land sales.
While he did not concur with calls to abolish the police department, he believes it should be funded, and investments should be made in communities and community initiatives that prevent crimes from occurring.
“Frankly, this budget doesn’t do that,” said Solomon, highlighting cuts to the Department of Youth and Recreation.
Lavarro said more funding should be allocated to community-led anti-violence initiatives and that he would present a resolution to that effect at an upcoming meeting.
Councilman Jermaine Robinson, who represents Ward F, said his ward has the most homicides in the county if not the state.
“I do hear the concerns of citizens, trust me I hear it, and I hear the defund the police, but every day… I’m called to a block that’s looking for a cop. Every single day.”
“My ward cries out desperately for more policing,” he said, adding that he doesn’t think this should be an “ether or issue.” Both the police department and community anti-violence initiatives need to be funded.
The council adopted the resolution sending 23 police recruits to the academy as well as a shared-services agreement between the Jersey City Housing Authority and the city to provide police services to the authority.
The council will host a public hearing before it adopts the final budget at a future meeting, according to Council President Joyce Watterman.
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