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T h e N e w a r k M u n i c i p a l C o u n c i l O f f i c e o f C o u n c i l P r e s i d e n t M i l d r e d C . C r u m p

For Immediate Release Monday, August 20, 2007

Contact: Owen Petrie — 973-930-1207

Newark Council President Praises Police Officers & Community

NEWARK— The sixth and final suspect in the Mt. Vernon Street School massacre was arrested in Elizabeth, N.J. on Sunday morning, although authorities say that more arrests of peripheral targets may be coming. Newark Municipal Council President, Mildred Crump, herself a mother of two, says that while it is unimaginable to associate anything positive with the murder of Newark’s children, it is incumbent upon all Newarkers—elected officials, law enforcement and residents—to ensure that the deaths of Terrance Aeriel, 18, Dashon Harvey, 20, and Iofemi Hightower, 20, no matter how senseless, won’t be in vain.

“Words like ‘unity’ and ‘accountability’ have been uttered a lot the past two weeks, but for those words to mean anything we each, as individuals, have to ask of ourselves what we are doing to make our communities better. We must honor the memory of Aeriel, Harvey, Hightower and every other victim of violence, by holding ourselves accountable for the well-being of our neighbors,” President Crump said.

“I would also like to commend the Newark Police Department for their outstanding work. In the face of a crime so horrific that merely calling it ‘evil’ seems woefully inadequate, law enforcement agencies from the ATF, Essex County Sheriff’s Office, the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, the United State’s Marshall’s Office and FBI operated with a level of collaboration that I hope will remain the standard for inter-agency cooperation,” Mrs. Crump said.

“Through this unspeakable tragedy, the seeds were sown for us to do great things. Let’s honor the memory of all the fallen in our city streets by rising to the occasion and seizing the opportunity to do better and be better and be an examples and role models for our children who are so troubled,” Mrs. Crump explained.

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