Rice Issues Statement on Passage of Police and Criminal Justice Reform Bill Package

TRENTON – New Jersey Legislative Black Caucus Chair Senator Ronald Rice issued the following statement on the passage of the police reform bills out of the Senate Law and Public Safety Committee:

“As a figure from the Civil Rights Movement, I have seen countless men and women from the Black community, and too many since then, who have suffered at the hands of police brutality and violence.

“We am tired of fighting the same battles we have fought for the past multiple decades. And the Black community will accept nothing less than the police and criminal justice system reforms we are demanding. This is the time to get these done.

“While I am happy these bills are moving forward in the Legislature, much more needs to be done. The Legislative Black Caucus will continue to be on the frontlines on these issues and I look forward to working with my Senate colleagues on furthering criminal justice reforms in New Jersey. I want to thank Senate President Steve Sweeney and Senator Greenstein for supporting and posting the legislation; we will always be thankful for our allies. We will finish what Martin Luther King, Jr. and John Lewis started when they stood up and fought against oppression and continue to do so until they died.”