Thread: MAYOR BOOKER (Newark, NJ) BARES FUNERAL FURY

MAYOR BOOKER BARES FUNERAL FURY
By LORENA MONGELLI, SUSANNAH CAHALAN and LEELA de KRETSER
http://www.nypost.com/seven/08122007/ne ... retser.htm

August 12, 2007 -- A seething Newark Mayor Cory Booker pounded his fists and screamed "Enough is enough!" yesterday, capturing the fury of rage-blinded mourners who asked why authorities left an accused child rapist free to massacre a trio of promising young people.
Tears and grief gave way to anger and outrage at the funeral services for Deshon Harvey, 20, Terrance "T.J." Aeriel, 18, and Iofemi Hightower, 20, held at churches throughout the crime-stricken city still reeling from the senseless murders last week.

"We should not look for someone to blame. We should all take responsibility," Booker said, his voice booming through the Metropolitan Baptist Church.

"We should raise our children. We should all stand together.

Less than an hour later, at the service for Aeriel, Booker said, "I will not break, I will not bow, I will not give in. This issue will not define us."

Booker then apologized for not doing enough to protect the city's children.

"I want to repent to this church. I've made mistakes in this city," Booker said.

The mayor wasn't the only leader to apologize to mourners yesterday.

"I bring an apology that we did not prevent this tragedy," Newark Police Director Gary McCarthy said at Hightower's funeral, before vowing to bring all of the monsters who executed the college-bound teen to justice.

"If I personally have to chase people across the country and across the earth, I will," he said.

An emotional Gov. Jon Corzine was also repentant.

"We have failed our children," Corzine said.

But the politicians' apologies were little consolation for Hightower's father, Willie Garvin Jr., who broke down in sobs outside the church when asked about the bungling that allowed illegal immigrant Jose Carranza, 28, free to allegedly massacre his daughter.

"They better pray they keep them in jail and catch all of them," the devastated dad said. "They all need to pay.

"Don't let my child die in vain. I remember her smile. Remember all the good times. Remember all the good she did."

lorena.mongelli@nypost.com

They have themselves to blame for being a sanctuary state!

Violence binds Newark in mourning
The N.J. city honors three friends who were slain in a schoolyard shooting, and vows to stand against such brutal crime.
By Erika Hayasaki, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
August 12, 2007
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld ... &cset=true


The mayor


Loss


Friends

NEWARK, N.J. — A woman kissed the dead young man on his cheek as his body lay in a casket of silky white lining. From the church balcony, someone wailed. The casket closed, and the choir rose to its feet, rocking in song and shaking tambourines.

Speaking at his first of three funerals Saturday, Mayor Cory A. Booker's voice rose to a roar as he said of 20-year-old Dashon Harvey, a former drum major whom friends called Shawny: "He was a musician, he was a model, he embodied hope.

"We must stand up with his beauty, with his boldness, with his courage," he continued. "We must let his spirit continue to live in this city!"

The crowd cheered and shouted: "Yes!" "Amen!"

There was nothing joyous about the way Harvey and two of his friends died Aug. 4 -- forced to kneel on the ground in a schoolyard before being shot in the back of the head.

But with each funeral on Saturday, there was joy. It came in wistful smiles, when the mayor spoke of the young man who admired his dad and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. It came in wild applause, when friends talked of the other young man, who had become an ordained minister, or of the young woman, who loved to sing, rap and dance.

Harvey, Terrance Aeriel, 18, and Iofemi Hightower, 20, became the 58th, 59th and 60th homicides in this city of 240,000 people this year. Their funerals were held one after another at different churches, giving mourners an opportunity to grieve for each of them separately.

Aeriel's 19-year-old sister, Natasha, was also shot in the head but survived. She is helping police with the investigation from her hospital bed.

The friends shared a love for music and a desire to make their imprint on this world. All four planned to attend Delaware State University in the fall.

An art display of music notes and records sat near Harvey's casket inside Metropolitan Baptist Church, and pictures of the part-time model posing in a sweater with a fashion book appeared on an overhead screen. He was a junior in college, pursuing a psychology degree.

At Terrance Aeriel's funeral a few miles away, a photo slide show flashed on a screen: Aeriel as a baby; as a marching-band member; on his way to prom. He played French horn, but his real passion was preaching. Friends said he recited Bible verses from memory.

At Hightower's funeral, a display showed a large picture of her in a flowing gown. The young woman who loved playing drums had also worked two jobs, at the airport and at a nursing home. She had recently been accepted to Delaware State.

Throughout the day, a spirit of urgency to stop the violence and death that has held this city hostage for years swept through churches and the community, with people spilling out into lobbies and onto sidewalks to pay tribute to the three shooting victims.

"I have a broken heart," said Gov. Jon Corzine, standing before a crowded church at Harvey's funeral.

Corzine asked the audience to use this tragedy as a motive to "pull our communities together, and that we stand together and that we reject the violence."

Police have arrested two 15-year-olds and 28-year-old Jose Carranza, who pleaded not guilty Friday to murder, attempted murder and weapons possession.

A warrant is out for one suspect. Community members and law enforcement officials have organized a $150,000 reward for information leading to arrests in the case.

At the time of the schoolyard killings, Carranza, an illegal immigrant from Peru, had been free on $150,000 bail on charges of aggravated assault and sexual abuse of a child. Newark residents have expressed outrage that he was allowed to walk the streets again.

Law officials have said that Carranza fell through the cracks of an overburdened system. On Friday, Essex County Prosecutor Paula Dow acknowledged that the bail system needed to be reevaluated and said that Carranza would not be deported until his cases in Newark are resolved.

Carranza is being held on $1 million bail in the schoolyard killings.

Protesters last week marched on City Hall and called for Booker to step down. The 37-year-old mayor had made promises to curb violence in the city during his campaign more than a year ago. But despite his moves to put more police on the streets and launch an anonymous tip line, crime remains high.

On Saturday, Booker's impassioned speeches at all three funerals brought audiences to their feet in applause. Booker spoke of Aeriel, who had preached sermons at a local church and had spoken to friends about his faith in God.

"He inspired me to go back to the drawing board and see what I must do to continue his work," Booker yelled over the cheers. People stomped their feet and exclaimed, "Praise God!"

A few miles away at Grace Temple Baptist, reporters and community members crowded outside waiting for Hightower's casket to be driven to the burial. Inside the small white-stoned church, mourners honored the elected officials who showed up in a motorcade together.

Outside, some community members demanded a change. Some held a sign: "How many body bags will it take?" Members of the New Black Panther Party talked of holding a rally to unite black and Latino residents wanting to end the violence.

Standing in the sun, Thomas Ellis, 48, who was attending his second funeral for the victims that day, wondered why it took so long for all the attention to come to Newark. He has worked on curbing violence here for more than a decade, dedicating his life to community programs and activism.

As the last funeral of the day came to an end, the mayor, governor, City Council members and senators streamed out.

"We've been losing people all year. Where were they?" Ellis said of the politicians.

The family came next, some in tears, some held up by others. Then volunteers brought out the posters filled with photos, one for each victim, and stood before the cameras.

Men lifted Hightower's white casket into a white hearse and closed the door. As reporters took notes, a yellow butterfly flew over the hearse. A few minutes later the funeral procession departed for the cemetery.

erika.hayasaki@latimes.com

We should not look for someone to blame. We should all take responsibility," Booker said

Sorry, I am not responsible. The illegal alien is responsible, you Mayor Booker for running a sanctuary city are responsible, Gov Corzine, Sens Menendez and Lautenberg, Jorge Boosh are all responsible. Commie judges who give illegals more rights than citizen are responsible.

We are all NOT responsible. Those who refuse to enforce our laws and rid this country of the scum-they are responsible.

Originally Posted by zeezil

MAYOR BOOKER BARES FUNERAL FURY
August 12, 2007 -- A seething Newark Mayor Cory Booker pounded his fists and screamed "Enough is enough!" yesterday, capturing the fury of rage-blinded mourners who asked why authorities left an accused child rapist free to massacre a trio of promising young people.
*
"We should not look for someone to blame. We should all take responsibility," Booker said, his voice booming through the Metropolitan Baptist Church.
"We should raise our children. We should all stand together.

Booker then apologized for not doing enough to protect the city's children.
"I want to repent to this church. I've made mistakes in this city," Booker said.

The mistake he needs to repent for is making Newark a sanctuary city.

The mayor wasn't the only leader to apologize to mourners yesterday.

"I bring an apology that we did not prevent this tragedy," Newark Police Director Gary McCarthy said at Hightower's funeral, before vowing to bring all of the monsters who executed the college-bound teen to justice.

"If I personally have to chase people across the country and across the earth, I will," he said.

Unless they are illegal aliens, that is. In that case I will let them go with a smile and a wave of my hand. And if I am forced to bring them before a judge, the judge will say, "Set them free!".

An emotional Gov. Jon Corzine was also repentant.

"We have failed our children," Corzine said.

That has to be the understatement of the year.


These are the words of people with blood on their hands. Their hands are literally drenched in blood and they know it. So they will talk about guns and violence, protecting children and chasing criminals (as long as they are US citizens) to the ends of the earth. What they won't talk about is that these cold-blooded execution style murders were committed by the very illegal aliens that they have allowed to live freely in their cities and to whom they have ceaselessly pandered. And they will talk about the need to 'heal' and 'move forward' becasue they want this to be shoved under the rug and forgotten about as quickly as possible.

So very sad for these dear people who have paid the price for corrupt officials with federal dollar signs in their eyes.

It sounds like none of them are willing to admit the problem and the solution.

Where are the Revs. Sharpton and Jackson?
I don't have a TV, but I haven't heard their comments - what have they been?

Originally Posted by nntrixie

It sounds like none of them are willing to admit the problem and the solution.

Where are the Revs. Sharpton and Jackson?
I don't have a TV, but I haven't heard their comments - what have they been?

They're currently down somewhere in a small Louisiana community to rally blacks against a school that has been alledged to support racial discrimination.

Where's La Raza and the other radicals?Why aren't they outraged at such a heinous crime ?

This just proves what we already have said La Raza only cares about illegals even if they are monsters..........

Look at the uproar over the Duke case and the racial attacks, but nary a word here about illegals. They should be outraged that these illegals weren't deported when they had the chance. Are people still being PC in this horrible tragedy??!