Gov Sherrill Must Take Stronger Action to Close Delaney Hall
And Assume Accountability for Law Enforcement Overreach
Gov. Mikie Sherrill must take forceful, immediate action to halt inhumane and deadly conditions at Delaney Hall, where detainees last week were beaten and threatened for speaking out (Thursday, May 28th) and engaged in a hunger & labor strike that began on Friday, May 22nd.
Public officials must act NOW.
We were disappointed that instead, Sherrill and her administration focused on restricting and suppressing protestors under the guise of protecting them and “ensuring everyone’s safety.’’
Sherrill dispatched the New Jersey State Police to Delaney Hall, and armed with riot shields, tear gas, and rubber bullets, they guarded the property, where protestors had attempted to block vans used to transfer hunger-striking detainees to other facilities.
Instead of “lowering the temperature,’’ which Sherrill announced as her goal, State Police used tactics that inflamed tensions and left several protestors injured, including those who were obeying commands.
Be clear: Protestors are there because lives are at stake, and no one has effectively intervened. Some detainees have medical conditions that could be fatal if left untreated. There is a severe lack of medical care, which is sometimes withheld as a punitive measure, according to reports.
Family members say their loved ones, who began hunger and labor strikes last week to draw attention to their abuse, have been bludgeoned, assaulted and pepper sprayed for refusing to eat or perform the $1-a-day “voluntary” jobs they are coerced into accepting. They use the money to buy toilet paper, toothpaste and sanitary napkins, which are missing or undersupplied - even though the GEO Group has a $1 billion contract to run Delaney Hall.
The detainees want basic human and constitutional rights:
A meeting with the governor inside Delaney Hall
Immediate release of medically vulnerable, elderly, pregnant & young detainees
Meaningful review of immigration cases
An end to coercive pressure to sign deportation papers or voluntary separation documents
We understand that Sherrill has limited authority in challenging a vindictive and authoritarian federal government. But both the governor and her administration must demand oversight of Delaney Hall, release all detainees and shut it down permanently.
And they must commit to using restraint when law enforcement is deployed at protests so that conflicts are defused instead of heightened.
Gov. Sherrill insists that she is “protecting constitutional rights” but law enforcement from the state, county, and local offices have continuously violated the rights of New Jerseyeans AND other members of the public over the course of 3 nights (5/29-5/31). These moments have been captured by independent media sources who continuously livestreamed every interaction and witnessed by legal observers on the ground.
Statements made by the Office of the Attorney General have included many falsehoods that push a narrative to justify their repression of free speech and the right to peacefully assemble.
Both the Governor’s statements and the OAG’s about the “violence” of “outside agitators” mirror right wing talking points/myths used to undermine the legitimacy and mission of peaceful demonstrations—setting a dangerous precedent for protestors throughout our state that law enforcement can use such force with little to no justification.
After seeing small clips of the clash between police and protesters this weekend, the public might believe the state had no choice but to quell an unruly, destructive mob. They saw State Police confronted by furious protestors who hurled insults as a pile of debris burned in the distance.
But from the ground, we also saw an elderly man playing cello in an attempt to restore some peace before he was shoved behind the riot line and forced to the ground as he tried to walk away. Moments later, they confiscated his instrument.
We saw medics being chased and pushed as they tried to help injured protestors.
We saw peaceful activists who were trying to retreat blocked from all sides — a controversial crowd control technique known as “kettling,’’ in which protestors are herded into one area and prevented from entering or exiting.
It’s a situation that can create panic and ratchet up tensions rather than ease them, according to civil rights experts. And it can provoke protestors into fighting back, resulting in images that seem to justify their suppression. They claim protestors were ordered to disperse and given time to comply but that in and of itself was a violation of their rights.
According to the ACLU, “Shutting down a protest through a dispersal order must be law enforcement’s last resort. Police may not break up a gathering unless there is a clear and present danger of riot, disorder, interference with traffic, or other immediate threat to public safety.” There was no such threats on any night—despite what the official statements say—and it was not their last resort.
One of the most haunting scenes from these past few nights was the image of a journalist whose knee was hurt badly enough to require a wheelchair. Illuminated by glaring lights, she approached a grim line of State Police armed with riot shields, asking to be allowed through so she could get to a hospital—complaining that she was in excruciating pain. As colleagues assisting her begged permission to pass, officers stood and stared for up to five minutes before moving aside.
This can’t happen again.
We demand Gov. Sherrill and her administration:
Assume accountability for applying use-of-force tactics that historically escalate rather than defuse conflict.
Monitor vehicles entering and leaving the facility and provide an accounting of which ones are transferring detainees.
Scale back excessive police presence at protests. An additional layer of law enforcement between protestors and ICE does more harm than good.
Communicate with safety marshals from organizing groups so law enforcement can find alternatives to use-of-force at protests.
When measures outside of the Governor’s jurisdiction can’t be achieved, we want her to stand alongside peaceful protestors, demanding entrance to Delaney Hall. We would like a temporary office established nearby.
Approve funds to immigrant rights organizations providing free legal assistance to the detainees—that would entail fully funding the Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative at the $20 million needed to meet the explosion in ICE apprehensions.
Help us get these demands to Gov. Sherrill. There is a protest planned in Trenton today at 2PM outside of Governor Sherrill’s office. Find more details HERE.
Want to assist with legal fees for those arrested at last night’s protest? Donate HERE to Cosecha New Jersey which is an organization that also supports the detainees and their families.
Please share this article and spread the word. We can’t let the truth of what has happened here be rewritten by institutions that ignore us when we talk quietly and punish us when we yell with our hearts on our sleeves that they need to end the suffering of those detained at Delaney Hall. Free them all and shut it down.
Want to help the people held at Delaney Hall and their families? You can donate to any one of these efforts!
🔗Direct to Families: Linktr.ee/SupportOurFamilies
🔗Grocery Store Gift Card Fund: GiveButter.com/GroceryCards
🔗Commissary Fund: GiveButter.com/commissaryfund
🔗Pantry Bags: Food4NJ.org
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