Newark Mayor Ras Baraka Accuses Administration Of Targeting Him During Remarks Outside Courthouse

On Thursday, Newark Mayor Ras Baraka (D-NJ) spoke outside a courthouse after attending a hearing on trespassing charges.

Transcript

00:00We cannot arrest people simply because they disagree with us.

00:05We cannot target people because their political views are separate from ours.

00:09We cannot subjugate people, take their pictures, mug shots and fingerprints

00:14because we believe that somehow they oppose to our position.

00:18That, ladies and gentlemen, is authoritarianism.

00:24We believe that I was targeted in this.

00:28I was the only person arrested.

00:31That's right.

00:32You know, I was the only person identified.

00:35I was the only person, you know, they put in a cell.

00:39The only person that was in cups and the only person that's here this morning

00:43going through this humiliation for these people.

00:49They need education because they say, oh, you're defending immigrants.

00:54Well, if you walk around the city, you'll see this is the city of immigrants.

00:59And they pay taxes here and reside here and work here and raise their children here

01:03and do it the same thing everybody else dealt with here.

01:06I'm when they say meal

01:16in eight minutes here, where do they deal with in eight minutes here,

01:18or how do they deal with the county?

01:20Well, the schedule that has been mentioned to me.

01:21Have a good day,

01:23or how.