Two prominent activists stand with the only black officer of a New Jersey police department in lawsuit claiming racial discrimination.
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“Right is right and wrong is wrong,” Mr. Walter Hudson, a New Jersey activist whose name and face has been associated recently with several high-profile cases of fatal officer-involved shootings where unarmed black men were the victims, said today in defense of him preparing to stand in support of Mr. Mark K. Hunsinger, the only black cop working for the Medford Township Police Department, who’s suing his employer for racial discrimination, claiming that, among many things, he’s been prevented from obtaining the training and promotions that his white counterparts enjoy.
Mr. Hudson – who along with civil right activist Mr. Lawrence Hamm and others earlier this year organized a massive anti-police brutality march in Newark, New Jersey – said at the conclusion of this afternoon’s press conference where he and the President of the New Jersey NAACP will express their support of Mr. Hunsinger and call on the Mayor to take action against the police department, he expects push-back and criticism for appearing to side with law enforcement, but will contend that “black officers, too, face injustice” and are often treated with the type of indifference that many black citizens complain about.
Among the ‘Statement of Facts’ in the civil action re-filed by Mr. Long in October of this year are several allegations that paint a less than flattering image of Mr. Hunsinger’s employer.
A common phrase used in the workplace, according to court documents, was “F*ck your couch, nigger,” an utterance originating from the ‘Dave Chapelle Show.’
The ‘Statement of Facts’ also noted that patrol officers often referred to blacks as animals and gorillas, and in 2011, during roll call, “Corporal Zane referred to Maple Shade as Maple Spade.”
Spade is an outdated derogatory term for African-Americans.
Despite Mr. Hunsinger filing his original lawsuit last year, the case, Mr. Hudson said, has gotten little traction, thus virtually no change within the department has occurred.
Today’s presser aims to be the proverbial show of force – Mr. Hudson and Mr. Richard Smith of the NAACP are first to stand in solidarity with the 15 year veteran who refuses to quit the “hostile work environment” he claims exist for fear of losing seniority – and to, amidst nationwide scrutiny of police departments, re-introduce this narrative to the public with hopes of gaining national attention that’ll put pressure on the Mayor to, at the very least, diversity the police force, which today is believed to have a body count of less than fifty.
“I’m doing God’s work,” Mr. Hudson told Techbook Online in an exclusive interview this morning. “I’m always going to get push-back.”
Mr. Hudson was bought onto this case by Mr. Hunsinger’s new attorney, Mr. Douglas M. Long of Long Marmero & Associates, LLP.
“There’s no proof these things were said,” Mr. Hudson concedes, but, he added, “I’m quite sure if we do some digging we’ll find emails.”
Beyond this case, Mr. Hudson said he hopes to stay connected to Mr. Hunsinger, who, as insider not afraid to speak against the department, could be of value in the fight for police accountability and transparency.
“We need officers like Mr. Hunsinger,” Mr. Hudson said. “We have good officers that look like us and come from where we come from, and we as a community have to support them.”
‘Exploring Generations of Black Activism,’ a live broadcast featuring black male thought-leaders on Saturday, December 19th, 2015 beginning at 1pm EST and heard exclusively on www.TheDrVibeShow.com, will be moderated by Christopher “Flood the Drummer” Norris.
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