North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. appeared on One-on-One with Steve Adubato on July 13 to talk about how Newark has been impacted by the public health crisis, the disproportionate number of minorities affected by the crisis, and the idea of reforming Newark’s police department.

Read this op-ed as it originally appeared on nj.com June 30, 2020.

By Anibal Ramos Jr.

Over the last few weeks, my City Council office has received numerous calls and emails asking me to “defund the police.”

This call to action is in response to incidents of police brutality, such as the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis and other incidents caught on camera over the past decade where police abuse is apparent. In response, the Minneapolis City Council recently sponsored a resolution dismantling its police department.

North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos Jr. issued the following statement about the Forest Hill Community Association's role in raising community awareness about PSE&G's upgrade of utility lines in the North Ward.

"I want to commend the Forest Hill Community Association for its advocacy on the issue of the installation of taller utility poles in the North Ward. PSE&G has been working to improve power delivery throughout the state by installing taller poles that carry 69kV of electricity.