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Last night we had Newark Mayor Cory Booker on the program to talk about a milestone for his crime-plagued city: March was Newark's first murder-free calendar month in 44 years.
That got me wondering: who was the last homicide victim before the relief of March? His name was Rodney Anthony Johnson, and he was killed during what Newark Police believe was an attempted robbery on Sunday, February 28th. The Newark Star-Ledger has the story of his death:
Officers responding to a 911 call around 2:40 a.m. on Sunday found Rodney Johnson bleeding from a gunshot wound to his upper torso in the 1000 block of 18th Avenue, said city police spokesman Detective Hubert Henderson. The 32-year-old was taken to University Hospital, according to Henderson, where he was pronounced dead a short time later.
A Newark PD public information officer told me the crime remains unsolved.
Johnson's family laid him to rest on March 11th. Here's how they described him in his obituary:
Rodney Anthony Johnson fondly called "Tony" departed this life on Sunday, February, 28, 2010 in University of Medicine and Dentistry Medical Center, Newark, New Jersey. Tony the son of the late Lauriston and Chineta Johnson was born June 2, 1977. He attended the public schools of Bridgeton, New Jersey. He received his GED from the Job Corp. Tony worked at Wal-Mart in Bridgeton, New Jersey as a Front End Manager. He also worked at Burlington Coat Factory in New Brunswick, NJ, in a Managerial Position. His last place of employment was with Kelly Temp Agency in the Mail Room. Tony knew the Lord as he attended Bethel Pentecostal Church with his parents. As a child it grew on him to praise the Lord in song and dance. While at Bethel he was a member of the choir an excellent devotional leader, and he learned to play the tambourine, he attended Sunday School with his father who was the superintendent. He loved attending Mount Sinai Holy Church of America National Youth Convention, in fact Tony loved the Lord and His people. In addition to his parents Tony was preceded in death by one sister, Gloria. He leaves to cherish his memories: one brother, Richard Johnson of Bridgeton, New Jersey; one sister, Yvonne Jennette of Bridgeton, New Jersey; two aunts, Cutie Mae Ellis of Bridgeton, NJ and Aunt G. of London, England; several other relatives and friends.
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I hope he runs for Governor of N.J.
I hope Cory Booker runs for Governor of N.J.
What an impressive guy!
Cory Booker is great, and everything, but what was up with him sitting there with his mouth hanging open?
If I were that close to Rachel my mouth would be doing the same thing.
Hizzoner the Mayor has a terrific political future in store for him...but as i40west says, he needs a media consultant.
Congratulations, Newark! If Mr. Booker is reading this, I really hope he can work with the city of Baltimore at some point to help them do the same. I love that place, and they can benefit from his work.
I live in Newark and am glad to have Cory as our mayor.
Cory Booker is one of those guys you look forward to seeing on TV, because he always seems to make sense. I'm glad to see Newark in such capable hands.
Cory Booker is an object lesson in the difference between a politician and a political leader. Instead of the "Do as I say, not as I do." message we get so often from pols, Mayor Booker says "Follow me. Join me and let's work together to get the job done." It's a common political message, but when this guy says it you know that he means it.
Cory Booker isn't one of those Mayors who'll show up for a five minute photo op and then disappear, as anyone who follows him on Twitter knows. When he says he'll get your driveway shoveled that means he's coming himself. He reads and writes his own Twitter posts, he picks up the phone himself and takes care of business.
Newark is damn lucky to have this guy as its Mayor. As a New Jersey resident, I do hope he runs against Christie in '12 for Governor. He's got exactly the kind of attitude and perspective we desperately need in Trenton, not only as a hands-on political leader, but also as one who understands that not everyone in New Jersey lives in a nice two-story colonial with a late-model BMW in the garage and 2.3 children.
In the meantime, I plan to support him in his reelection bid. He's good, no, great for Newark, and what's great for Newark is great for New Jersey as a whole.
I say let's do whatever we can to support Cory Booker and send a clear message that he's the kind of leader Americans want and need in office.