NEWARK—Monique Rodwell sat in Essex County courtroom 1102 on Thursday morning, awaiting yet another court proceeding. Her son Justin Rodwell — currently detained — and his three brothers, Branden Rodwell, Jaykil Rodwell, and Jasper Spivey, accompanied by their attorneys, appeared to hear any outstanding discovery demands, plea negotiations, or motions on the four cases against them.

MONTCLAIR-NEWARK, NJ—On Friday, Oct. 8, members and supporters of the People's Organization for Progress, or POP, began their 'Long March for Justice' in Montclair. The 67-mile march will span 22 towns and cities and culminate in Trenton on Saturday, Oct. 16. With the support of organizations including Newark Communities for Accountable Policing, Black Lives Matter of NJ, the National Action Network's Atlantic City Chapter, and the Trenton Anti-Violence Coalition, POP is marching for police accountability and social justice, and economic progress.

In this interview, Public Square co-founder Linda M. Carter speaks to Matthew Barry Johnson, Associate Professor of Psychology at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, CUNY, about the impact of the 2016 consent decree in the City of Newark, related criminal justice issues of interrogation, confessions, and wrongful convictions, and how police reforms can help build community trust.