NEWARK, NJ – High school is a tough time for many kids, especially in the post-pandemic era after so many disruptions and distractions have interfered with the mental health and well-being of many children. This is more evident in New Jersey where students were faced with repeated closures, remote learning and the stresses of catching up. This doesn’t include all of the personal and social issues outside of school.
While kids have it hard today, back in 2011, things were also no picnic for many children in Newark trying to find their right path to the future.
This week, a Newark grandma thanked police officers for being a voice of concern and guidance to her granddaughter more than a decade ago. This week, she graduated from college.
Kim Wilson was in the community room at the 6th Precinct, telling family and friends yesterday how two Newark Police Officers changed the course of her granddaughter’s life.
“Flanked by colleagues, Officers T. Rich and V. Murphy sat in the front row as Wilson, 64, talked about their humanity and compassion when she first met them on the steps of her home in 2011. They were there to see about Wilson’s granddaughter, Inayah Calhoun, a high school bound teenager with explosive behavioral and emotional issues that Wilson and Calhoun’s father didn’t know how to handle,” the Newark Police Department said of the engagement.
“They listened to her dad and I talk about the challenges that we were having and what we were going through,’’ Wilson said.
Officer Rich recognized similarities between Calhoun and her own son, whom she had evaluated by the Newark Board of Education Child Study Team. Rich shared this with Wilson.
“Father God somebody heard my cry,’’ Wilson said. “They took the time to listen to me, provide information, and now look at the results.”
She pulled out the Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology she received last May from Shaw University in Raleigh, N.C.
Wilson would have done this after each graduation, but in her search to find the officers for 10 years, she couldn’t remember their names when she returned to the 6th Precinct.
“I don’t even have words,’’ said Rich, a 17-year-veteran, who gave Wilson a bouquet of flowers. “I made an impact like that. I feel blessed.”
Murphy, a 24-year officer, was just as stunned to know that she was looking for them. “It feels good we were able to change someone’s life.’’
Wilson didn’t have anywhere to turn until LaVita Johnson, a retired Newark Police Officer and community leader knocked on her door. Johnson was running for a Newark City Council seat and needed signatures for her petitions. Wilson told her story to Johnson, and the officers were found when she contacted 6th Precinct Captain Christopher Brown.
Calhoun, now 26, is not surprised that her grandmother didn’t give up.
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