After a prolonged period of dormancy, the Chambers Family Carousel at Newark’s Military Park reopened on Oct. 23rd at $450,000, bringing back an attraction that has been absent from the downtown park for years.

The small carousel claims a 26-foot diameter on the 6-acre park in the heart of the business district. With very few children-centered playgrounds in the city, the carousel presents an opportunity for families and children to make the heart of Newark a family-friendly space.

Feature image: Newark’s Military Park carousel at night. (Photo credit, Ryan Novosielski for Public Square Amplified)

The homes were built as Newark continues to face affordability challenges. Research conducted by Rutgers Law School’s Center on Law, Inequality, and Metropolitan Equity (CLiME) found that rents in Newark have risen faster than incomes, increasing concerns about housing stability and homelessness. The report highlights differences among Newark’s five central wards, with the East and Central Wards experiencing new construction, which is driving rapidly rising rents.

They founded RCSG in 2017, and now, nearly a decade later, they’ve built a space where returning citizens can transition back into their communities. RCSG is both a resource-sharing organization and a union that advocates for humane conditions and rights for people who are incarcerated, having successfully advocated for several new laws under former Governor Phil Murphy, including restoring voting rights to people on probation and parole and allowing former felons to serve on juries.

A quiet Sunday unfolds in a meditation on home, empathy, and mutual aid. Through time with family and a prayer service at Delaney Hall, Halashon Sianipar and his kids realize community in simple acts of care.

Newark, NJ - U.S. Representative LaMonica McIver returned to court on Oct. 21 as she continued her heated legal battle against the Department of Justice. This ongoing case began after federal officers arrested Newark Mayor, Ras J. Baraka, during his oversight visit to Delaney Hall with McIver, Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, and Rep. Rob Menendez Jr. on May 9.