NEWARK, NJ – Nobody is exempt from the violence that plagues America’s inner cities, not even the families of elected politicians who support groups like Black Lives Matter, which call for the defunding of local police departments.
Newark Assemblywoman Shanique Speight this week said her son was the victim of an armed robbery on the streets of the city.
“Pray over and for your children! Grateful Saturday my baby boy was robbed at gunpoint with 2 guns pointed at his head. Today could have been different for my family. He is alive and I still have my son,” she posted on Facebook. “This is traumatizing for him I will make sure he gets the help he needs to get through this. I will not normalize this for him. This is not a life lesson this is traumatizing. Thank you everyone for the phone calls and prayers they are needed.”
Speight is an Essex County Sheriff’s Officer. In June of 2020, Speight proposed a bill to make July 13th, “Black Lives Matter Day.
“Black lives matter, everywhere and every day. It’s time we in New Jersey show we stand in solidarity with this movement by designating a Black Lives Matter day of action each year,” she said at the time. “This fight doesn’t end when the protests wane or when corrupt police officers are brought to justice. We must always stand up to racism, bigotry and hatred.”