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Can West Orange Town Council ever ponder: “What to the oppressed is America” 250?
Matt Dragon
Can West Orange Town Council ever ponder: “What to the oppressed is America” 250?
Matt Dragon

During May 2026 in West Orange, town employees were instructed to powerwash the rainbow flag off the Town Hall steps. The belated, nonsensical explanation referenced America 250, stating the steps needed to be fixed for the Memorial Day celebration as part of the 250th Anniversary events. Sure, repairing masonry might require a thorough cleaning first; however, it was clear the town had no plan to put it back after the repairs. The unwritten part of the explanation was that someone (the Mayor, the Memorial Day planners, bigots?) didn’t want to see a rainbow flag in their America 250 Memorial Day photos.

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Matt Dragon

News Poem

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In lieu of flowers
Matt Dragon
In lieu of flowers
Matt Dragon

In lieu of flowers,

shout down the anonymous cowards, 

and those who speak without knowing.

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Matt Dragon

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Law & Justice

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Supporters march 103 miles to demand medical care and freedom for political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal
Rory Pasquariello
Supporters march 103 miles to demand medical care and freedom for political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal
Rory Pasquariello

Supporters of political prisoner Mumia Abu-Jamal led a 12-day, 103-mile march demanding an end to medical neglect and elder abuse in prisons, as well as to free Abu-Jamal. 

The march began on Nov. 28 in Philadelphia where Mumia was a member of the city’s chapter of the Black Panther Party and ended on Dec. 9 at the SCI Mahanoy Corrections Facility in Frackville where he is now incarcerated.

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Rory Pasquariello

Democracy & Politics

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Delaney Hall, from largest East Coast facility to a hunger strike: How did we get here?
Demi Guo
Delaney Hall, from largest East Coast facility to a hunger strike: How did we get here?
Demi Guo

To understand Delaney Hall’s growth and conditions, one has to go back to the 1980s, when the United States began rapidly expanding its prison system, and governments turned to private corporations to meet demand. This spread to immigration policy, resulting in the detention of Cuban refugees in the Mariel boatlift and Chinese migrants in the Golden Venture shipwreck. GEO Group had been in charge of the facility from 2011 to 2017, housing 450 immigration detaineesduring that period.

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Demi Guo

Arts & Culture

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An afternoon at Johnson Park
Shriaditi Kancherla
An afternoon at Johnson Park
Shriaditi Kancherla

This is the first installment from the 2025 Citizen Journalism class: a photo essay by Shriaditi Kancherla titled “An afternoon at Johnson Park”. In this series, Kancherla captures both the activity and the serenity of the park. 

Piscataway, NJ - Johnson Park lands at the crossroads of urban sprawl, where populated towns Piscataway, Highland Park, and New Brunswick fade into acres of trees and the scent of grass. 

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Shriaditi Kancherla

Opinion

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Can West Orange Town Council ever ponder: “What to the oppressed is America” 250?
Matt Dragon
Can West Orange Town Council ever ponder: “What to the oppressed is America” 250?
Matt Dragon

During May 2026 in West Orange, town employees were instructed to powerwash the rainbow flag off the Town Hall steps. The belated, nonsensical explanation referenced America 250, stating the steps needed to be fixed for the Memorial Day celebration as part of the 250th Anniversary events. Sure, repairing masonry might require a thorough cleaning first; however, it was clear the town had no plan to put it back after the repairs. The unwritten part of the explanation was that someone (the Mayor, the Memorial Day planners, bigots?) didn’t want to see a rainbow flag in their America 250 Memorial Day photos.

Read more →
Matt Dragon

Community News

Community News
A city in motion: Newark’s rhythm of travel
Jennah Cherry Romain
A city in motion: Newark’s rhythm of travel
Jennah Cherry Romain

Newark, NJ - The way Newark moves is layered and every movement tells a story of patience, perseverance, and adaptation. Some wait at bus shelters, leaning against glass panels or resting on benches, watching cars stream past. 

Others ride through intersections on scooters or bikes, slipping between traffic and construction as if it’s second nature. Inside the bus, rows of seats frame the rhythm of daily life, people boarding, sitting, exiting, all sharing the same ride. 

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Jennah Cherry Romain

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