Christopher S. Porrino, partner and Chair of Lowenstein Sandler’s Litigation Department, 60th Attorney General of New Jersey and Chairman of the Newark Police Foundation, joined Newark Mayor Ras J. Baraka, Public Safety Director Fritz G. Fragé, and New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin, at the Foundation’s first official “Empowerment Dinner,” a community policing initiative created by the 6th Precinct as part of the Newark Police Foundation’s “Cops and Kids Community Policing Contest.”
Through the Cops and Kids Community Policing Contest, the Newark Police Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, funded grants to each of Newark’s six precincts to develop and implement a community policing initiative with youth engagement as a priority. Earlier this year, Newark community members and the Foundation evaluated each initiative for creativity and effectiveness in building trust between law enforcement and young civilians. The winners of the contest were the Sixth Precinct’s Empowerment Dinners and the Seventh Precinct’s Theater Day for Youth with Special Needs.
On November 10th, with the support of Avenue A Club in Newark where the event took place, 35 students, police officers, local business professionals, and community members came together over dinner in a relaxed, social, and educational setting, which promoted direct conversations and meaningful interactions between the officers and the youth they serve. The Empowerment Dinner featured a hands-on fine dining etiquette presentation and workshop by Tami Claytor, the Owner of Always Appropriate: Image & Etiquette Consulting. Officers and youth engaged in icebreakers, used conversation starters to encourage discussion, and were asked to speak about what they learned during the event. Officers also presented certificates to each child in attendance. These interactive activities allowed officers and youth to engage in constructive and vulnerable dialogue and to build stronger bonds. Members of the business community were invited to dine alongside the youth participants as well.
The Empowerment Dinner will be replicated in each Precinct with funding from the Foundation and through private donations. The Theater Day for Youth with Special Needs held its first official event on Saturday, November 12th, when youth enjoyed a sensory friendly screening of Wakanda Forever at CityPlex12.
“Relationship building requires commitment and face to face engagement — one police officer at a time, one resident at a time, one day at a time — over and over for years and years, and not only in the wake of tragedy,” Chairman Porrino said. “These winning initiatives will build trust by allowing hundreds of police officers and children to connect in a friendly way. I commend the men and women of the Newark Police Division for their hard work and dedication to their community.”
“We thank the Newark Police Foundation’s Chairman Christopher Porrino and his team for their visionary leadership in steering these successful community service projects,” Mayor Baraka said. “The City of Newark is impressed by both winning initiatives created by Newark Police Community Service Officers from the 6th and 7th precincts. Each project brilliantly partners Newark’s youth with caring police officers who are fully invested in offering creative programs that provide lasting, positive experiences to the next generation of Newark leaders.”
“The Newark Police Foundation is taking the next step and bringing innovative youth engagement efforts to our State’s largest city,” said Attorney General Platkin. “It was my pleasure to join Mayor Ras Baraka, Newark Police Director Fritz Fragé and former Attorney General Chris Porrino who serves as the Chair of Foundation to be part of the Sixth Precinct’s Inaugural Empowerment Dinner. Bringing young people together with law enforcement, and business and community leaders for engagement opportunities will have a lasting benefit to the community and our youth.”
“I highly commend the Community Service Officers of both the 6th and 7th precincts for their outstanding work in devising two meaningful programs that support the cultural and educational growth of Newark’s youth,” Director Fragé said. “I am most grateful to the Newark Police Foundation for providing an effective vehicle for devising excellent youth-oriented community service programs that perfectly align with our ongoing work to strengthen police-community relations in our great city.”
The Empowerment Dinner was also featured in NJBIZ.
