Black Newarkers: Is Delaney our fight? Community Forum Recap and CMB-Newark Takeaways
On Saturday, June 26th, Community Movement Builders – Newark held a community forum to get a better understanding about how Black Newark residents felt about the intensified fight to shut down Delaney Hall.
Just a month earlier, on May 22nd, Delaney Hall detainees launched a labor and hunger strike which triggered brutal repression and violence from GEO Group staff, local, state and federal law enforcement officials, especially Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
GEO Group and law enforcement agencies targeted those protesting Delaney Hall from the inside AND the outside.
The confrontation between GEO Group/law enforcement and protestors put Newark and Delaney Hall in the (inter)national spotlight for weeks.
In conversations with Black residents, members of CMB-Newark encountered a wide range of opinions—some very strong—about what an appropriate response to this struggle should be.
Some folks were saying Delaney Hall is not our fight. Other were saying it very much is. Still others were saying that while the fight against Delaney Hall is important, we should prioritize ensuring safe and affordable housing Black elders and educating Black youth.
Grounded in our politics and core values, and in response to the perspectives we were encountering, CMB Newark convened a Community Forum that centered on a simple question:
Black Newarkers: Is Delaney our fight?
Below you will find 5 key themes we heard and our commentary in response.
Theme #1: "Didn't see anyone fight for me at Delaney." "Delaney was where you wanted to go so that you could have better conditions."
What we Heard: In the forum, we were able to hear from folks who had been held at Delaney Hall when it served as a halfway house, before it became a contract detention facility for ICE. They expressed that when they were held at Delaney, they didn’t hear about all this support for them while they were inside nor did they hear about a fight to get Delaney shut down. Additionally, we learned the insight that folks saw Delaney Hall as a better alternative to Essex County Correctional Facility because the conditions inside were better.
CMB-Newark’s Commentary
As we approach our Delaney Hall work, we must be cognizant of and analyze the historical context of Delaney. This allows us to be better prepared to fight misconceptions around Delaney and to acknowledge the experience of folks who have been detained there. Delaney Hall is currently under contract with GEO Group, who was not the contractor previously, so conditions (for example, food) may have been better than what they are now. However, we still understand that Delaney was previously a cage for our folks. There is no such thing as “good” prison conditions. This is why we must connect the current struggle of Delaney to the historical context of Delaney (and the current conditions at Essex County Correctional). Jean Wilson Brutus was the first person in ICE custody to die at Delaney Hall. However, two other Black fathers—Derek West Harris and Garrison Bryant—died at Delaney Hall when it wasn’t operating as an immigrant detention center. For us to expand the struggle at Delaney, we must expand our analysis of it as well.
Theme #2: "A lot is going on under our noses."
What we Heard: Many folks spoke of their previous understanding of Delaney and were surprised about it being used as a detention center for immigrants. One community resident noted that these specific changes at Delaney have not been clearly communicated to the public. Delaney Hall has changed purposes so many times that it is difficult for folks to keep up.
CMB-Newark’s Commentary
This sentiment speaks to one of CMB’s key values: Self-Determination. We understand Self-Determination to be “having the ability to govern our own destiny, control our communities, and create institutions that serve our people.” This has clearly been violated with the imposition of Delaney Hall on the people of Newark. Folks in Newark have had no say on GEO Group’s presence or Delaney Hall’s use as an immigrant detention facility. Delaney Hall does not serve us.
Theme #3: "Yeah, I'mma still go back" "I'm against all oppression."
What we Heard: At the forum, we had Black folks that spoke of their experiences at Delaney Hall. One black community resident was detained for protesting at Delaney Hall and noted that they were treated more harshly because they are a community resident who is Black. They understood this treatment to be a clear message from the powers that be to Black community residents: “Don’t come to Delaney.” The (local and state) powers that be are worried about Black Newarkers coming to Delaney Hall to protest. Despite this experience, this community resident said that they have been back and will return again and again because they are against all oppression. Similarly, other folks in the room did note that we are all apart of a similar struggle and that we must internationalize it and fight these various forms of oppression.
CMB-Newark’s Commentary
This sentiment speaks to one of CMB’s values: Solidarity. “We fully recognize that the forces that maintain our oppression are the same forces that oppress other marginalized groups. We stand in solidarity with all oppressed peoples.” Like some community residents, CMB understands the fight at Delaney Hall to be a part of larger liberation struggle for Black, Brown, and oppressed folks everywhere. We don’t see Delaney as a one-sided issue but as a fight that is necessary for us to reach our objective of African / Black self-determination.
Theme #4: "When this is over, will you still fight for us?"
What we Heard: Some Black folks expressed the worry that even if they fight for those at Delaney, once the struggle is over, they will be forgotten. They worry that those who come from out of town will not come back to assist with their own issues and struggles.
CMB-Newark’s Commentary
This is a critique that must be taken seriously. Unity is important and CMB will continue to work with those who are fighting oppression. As one resident said, “We’re against all oppression”. However, we do challenge those who come to Newark from other places. When you come to fight for those detained in Delaney and their families, take time to learn about the larger liberation struggle in Newark. Come tap into community organizations. We must develop trust and build together. Even when we Shut Down Delaney, the fight will continue.
Theme #5: "I have so much else to worry about."
What we Heard: We heard from folks at the forum that it is hard to advocate or fight for those at Delaney because of the ongoing struggles that they have in their own lives. While Delaney Hall is getting all of the news attention, some folks feel that these other, longstanding struggles in Newark, struggles that folks have endured even longer, are not getting any attention.
CMB-Newark’s Commentary
The system of capitalism oppresses us all—Black/African people especially. It individualizes our struggles so that we will not unite against the ruling class. CMB maintains that all of these struggles are connected. The issue of housing affordability, the issue of “immigration,” the issue of food and clean water, and so on and so on, are all connected. They are all direct results of the racist economic system that we live in. If we unite our struggles and fight against the ruling class, we ALL will win.
Much has been said about Delaney Hall this year. More people have died after being ripped from their families and detained there.
Edwin Lopez-Cornejo and Jose Chajon-Raxon are the latest victims of the ruling class collusion between GEO Group and the (bipartisan) U.S. investment in white supremacist domination.
As we said in our statement on the death of Jean Wilson Brutus, “Newark is not an imperialist dumping ground for Florida’s capitalist corporations to line their pockets while white supremacists in DC fulfill their fantasies of ‘ensuring safety.'”
Because we believe that Black people have a right to self-determination…
Because we believe this right means having the ability to govern our own destiny, control our communities, and create institutions that serve our people…
Because we believe all life has value…
Because we believe the ability to exist in a world free of oppression is a human right…
Because we believe that the forces that maintain our oppression are the same forces that oppress other marginalized groups…
We will continue to do our part to organize Newarkers to shut down Delaney Hall as if Black lives depended on it. Because as we have already witnessed, they do.
If you are still reading this, we encourage you to join (or continue) the fight to Shut Down Delaney Hall. There are plenty of ways to join the struggle. And not all of them involve being right outside Delaney at 451 Doremus Ave.
If you are looking to work directly with CMB-Newark, click on the button below and fill out the interest form.
