On Thursday, 1/9 there was a Community Listening Session on Youth Justice in Newark. Held by the Task Force for the Continued Transformation of Youth Justice in New Jersey, with more scheduled in Trenton and Camden, the listening sessions were mandated by Governor Murphy. He created the Task Force, which is collecting data, testimony, research, and ideas to distil into recommendations to the Administration on the future of youth justice in NJ. The public can submit comments here: nj.gov/oag/youthjustice

A citizen raised a very important point: "We want what's happening in the cities just next door where the kids don't look like ours and this doesn't happen to their kids. If it's lawyers we want those. If it's good teachers, we want those. If it's what's being poured into families, we want that."

Which leads to a related topic where the Murphy Administration is taking the opposite approach. The Administration is currently fighting a lawsuit that would help desegregate our schools, some of the most segregated in the country. NJ’s segregated schools and inequality in youth justice have the same racist roots. The issues are intertwined. Join me in asking the Governor to listen on both.