I attended the Black Lives Matter youth organized protest on Saturday, and I am writing to commend the young people of West Orange on the clarity of their demands for the police department and the town administration. I hope that the administration follows through and commits to all of the organizers requests. I hope that the township commits to antiracist training and antibiased training for all municipal employees and elected officials.

In the elections this November for school board and town council, I hope that we as a town try and vote in candidates who reflect the wonderful diversity of our town. Finally, I hope that on both the existing Human Relations Commission and the Civilian Review Board that the youth requested be separate from the town administration so that they can be effective, transparent, and independent in their recommendations.