My name is Khaliah Fitchette and I am running for Congress in New Jersey’s 10th District. With all the turmoil this country is facing this community needs someone who is from the community and understands exactly what it needs. I am a Newark native, a Cornell graduate, and I am vehemently against police brutality and am calling for the end of it. Police brutality is by no means a new issue to me after an unfortunate incident with the police 10 years ago. I am grateful to the ACLU for teaching me my rights and showing me my power, and I aim to provide the same freedoms for all 10th district residents.

When I was 16, an Honors student at University High School, I was illegally detained by two police officers because I was recording them arresting a man on the bus. The officers told me to turn off my phone and I refused because I was worried that I would miss a call from my mother. I was dragged from the bus and arrested simply for exercising the civil rights the Constitution gave me. I learned an important lesson that day, if a police officer ever tells you to stop recording an incident you must never stop recording. Your recording should have no effect on how a policeman acts because as long as he is acting legally, he or she has nothing to worry about.

I am sure you all have seen countless videos of police beating and murdering countless unarmed civilians, a worrying example of the overwhelming power the police have in this country. In the 60s the Newark Riots raged for 5 days. 5 days of violence, rioting, looting and property destruction that led to great social change for the betterment of the city and the state such as the EOF program and the Pre-Legal Institute, programs that ensured that minority students had more of a chance to go to a college instead of a prison. Not only do we deserve a chance at opportunity, police officers must be held accountable for their actions. As your next Congresswomen, I will Redesign the Police and work vigorously to end Qualified Immunity.

We are in the midst of a period of major social change and it is our job to take it into our own hands and make sure this change is one for the good of ourselves and generations to come. This is not only limited to the treatment of the police. This means holding the healthcare system accountable, the same one that gives us poorer care only on the basis of our skin color. This means holding men accountable, the ones who are the reason why women are told to dress a certain way and are afraid to walk back home by themselves. Times like these will only bring great change, but it is up to you whether that change helps you and your family. Remember, a vote for me is a vote for your community. Vote 3C to elect Khaliah Fitchette to Congress.