Changes continue all around the Top 20 this week.

The U.S. Department of Justice will grant $1.7 million to programs in the Garden State that officials said will be used to fight the state's opioid crisis.

NEWARK -- Four programs in New Jersey have been awarded federal grants to fight the state's opioid epidemic, a crisis that has claimed the lives of more than 7,000 people since 2012. 

NJ Advance Media has learned that the State Parole Board will receive $600,000 to start a pilot program that would provide parolees with a history of opioid abuse anti-addiction medication for the first time.  

The State Parole Board grant comes after the U.S. Department of Justice announced $1.1 million in grants to the Garden State last week to develop a data-sharing network between authorities and provide assistance to people in Camden County. 

"Considering the severity and death toll of the heroin, and now the fentanyl crisis, it's incumbent on us to seriously examine every possible instrument that can lead individuals to recovery," said former Gov. James McGreevey, whose non-profit, NJ Reentry Corporation, will partner with the State Parole Board. "The time for debate is over. To not offer every means of recovery is to do a disservice to those suffering from addiction in New Jersey."

The Parole Board program will be unique because it will involve prescribing parolees in Ocean County medication assisted treatment, like Suboxone and Vivitrol. Medication assisted treatment has yielded promising results, but remains somewhat controversial because some view it as replacing a drug with another drug.  

'F--- you opioids:' A funeral director's response to deadly epidemic

The 36-month pilot program aims to reduce reoffending by adult parolees with a history of addiction by 25 percent in the three years. Officials called the program an additional device in the state's toolbox for fighting the opioid crisis. 

"If somebody told me we would have heroin on every corner, in every county throughout the United States for as low as $3 a hit ... I mean, it's just mind-boggling," State Parole Board Chairman James Plousis said. "Never in my career in law enforcement did I think we'd get here."

At least 1,901 people in New Jersey died from opioid overdoses last year, more than twice the number of people from the state who died in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. Since 2013, deaths in the Garden State involving heroin have more than doubled while fentanyl-related deaths have spiked 2,000 percent.

In 2016, at least 64,000 Americans died from drug overdoses, an increase from 52,000 the year before, the Justice Department said. The majority of those deaths can be attributed to opioids, including illicit fentanyl.

"Today, we are facing the deadliest drug crisis in American history," Attorney General Jeff Sessions said of deaths nationwide. "These trends are shocking and the numbers tell us a lot -- but they aren't just numbers. They represent moms and dads, brothers and sisters, neighbors and friends."

Three of the New Jersey-based opioid abuse programs received the funding as part of a $58.9 million effort from the Justice Department to address the nationwide emergency.

Of that funding, the state Department of Law and Public Safety will receive $600,000 to collaborate with state agencies to develop a computerized, data-sharing dashboard that will leverage data on drug arrests, naloxone administrations and fatal and non-fatal overdoses, among other information. 

Camden County was awarded $400,000 to implement an opioid abuse diversion program to improve treatment and support services for people with a history of opioid misuse, officials said. 

And the law and public safety department was given another grant -- this one $100,000 -- to create what officials called a coordinated plan to assess how best to leverage resources and funding to expand programs and add another point of entry to treatment for people addicted to opioids.

Doctors raked in cash to push fentanyl as N.J. death rate exploded

In its pitch for the funding, the State Parole Board said of the people released from the criminal justice system, those who abuse illicit drugs are three times more likely to have their parole revoked. They are also twice as likely to be rearrested on a new charge.

Parole officers working in the county will be recruited for voluntary participation. Some of their training will be provided by the New Jersey Reentry Corporation, which will supply recovery coaches to support treatment plans and manage drug testing.

McGreevey said it is necessary for the state to examine every possible tool that can lead to a person's recovery. In the last month alone, the former governor said he has attended seven wakes or funerals.

"It's literally a march of death," he said.

An NJ Advance Media investigation in 2015 revealed there were at least 128,000 people addicted to heroin or prescription opioids in New Jersey.

Staff writer Stephen Stirling contributed to this report. 

Luke Nozicka may be reached at lnozicka@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @lukenozicka.

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Which players have emerged as the leaders in statistics in boys soccer this year?

Photos we've snapped since 2010, and we want yours too.

Some are adorable. Some are kind of scary. Some are a little puzzling. They're almost all fuzzy.

These are New Jersey's high school mascots. The ones we've photographed since 2010 are in the photo gallery above, and, we know - we're a little heavy on cardinals, or Kardinals, as the case may be.

RELATED: Nominations open for the NJ.com HS Mascot Challenge

We know there are more out there than these for the 37 schools represented above, so we're looking for some help from you. When you're out there over the next few weeks enjoying some high school sports, scan the venue for something bigger, brighter and fuzzier than your typical athlete.

When you find something, snap some pics and then use the form below to send them to us, and we'll add them to the photo gallery.

And while you're at it, think about shooting some video, because a video is what's needed to nominate that mascot for the NJ.com HS Mascot Challenge. All the details about that project, including the Oct. 23 deadline for videos to be posted with the #NJmascotchallenge hashtag, are at the link above.

Police released photos of the suspected attacker.

NEWARK -- Authorities on Wednesday asked for the public's help to identify a man wanted in a sexual assault on a Newark street last month.

Police released a photo of the man they said is wanted in a Sept. 19 sexual assault in Newark (Photo: Dept. of Public Safety) 

The assailant lifted a 22-year-old woman's skirt and touched her on Bank Street on Sept. 19 around 1:30 p.m., according to police. The man fled and was last seen near Broad and Bank streets.

Police released photos of the man they said is wanted in the attack.

"While police are actively searching for the suspect, we seek the public's assistance in quickly locating and removing him from our streets," Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose said in a statement. "This investigation is continuing."

Anyone with information can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-877-NWK-TIPS (1-877-695-8477) or 1-877-NWK-GUNS (1-877-695-4867), or using the police division website or smartphone app.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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The City Council passed an inclusionary zoning ordinance Wednesday requiring new developers to set aside affordable housing.

NEWARK -- After months of debate over how to keep housing affordable for residents, the City Council on Wednesday adopted a much-anticipated measure that requires new developments provide low- and moderate-income units. 

The inclusionary zoning ordinance mandates new projects with 30 or more residential units set aside 20 percent as affordable.

"This is a groundbreaking step in housing development in Newark and a pioneering step for all of America's cities," Mayor Ras Baraka, who has long advocated for the ordinance said. "Once again, Newark is leading the way, defining to the nation how a city cares for its residents, and what a city should be."

Members of the public, many of whom advocated for the passage of the inclusionary zoning ordinance, cheered after the vote. 

"This may not be perfect and could be strengthened to a more idealistic level but I absolutely support the passage of this here today," said Joseph Della Fave, executive director of the Ironbound Community Corporation. "This is part of the puzzle of how to address the future of Newark in terms of equity."

"We all know more needs to be done," added Richard Cammarieri, a housing advocate who works at New Community Corporation. "If somebody is looking for this ordinance to completely solve the problem, it's not going to happen."

Others supported the concept of inclusionary zoning but questioned whether the ordinance would benefit current Newarkers. 

"We're the largest city in the state of New Jersey, why should we take the same percentage as small townships?" asked Felicia Alston-Singleton, a tenant advocate and the city's Fair Housing Officer. A series of court rulings requires non-urban municipalities to meet certain affordable housing quotas and developers usually set aside 20 percent of their units as such. 

"We need to set the example for small cities, something more than 20 percent," said Alston-Singleton, urging the council to require developers provide 40 or 60 percent affordable units. 

The approved ordinance sets aside housing for those earning from 40 percent of the area's median income to 80 percent. 

But Alston-Singleton said it does not consider additional costs that come with moving into new developments such as parking and electricity, and was not based on a comprehensive look at the city's housing needs.

"Where is the evidence that's saying we only need 20 percent?" she asked. 

Developers can also pay into the city's affordable housing trust fund in lieu of providing low- and moderate-income units. East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador said he would propose amendments to ensure the money benefits residents in the wards seeing development.  

"I'm all for affordable housing development," North Ward Councilman Anibal Ramos said, adding that the city had to balance affordability with progress. "We can't muscle out small- and medium-sized developers in this process because they are going to be the ones that rebuild our neighborhoods."

New housing heights approved

The City Council also approved a proposal allowing buildings in a section of the Ironbound near Newark Penn Station to reach 12 stories, up from eight stories, despite strong community opposition. Amador was the sole no vote; he argued the administration should take into consideration community concerns before moving forward. 

Ramos said the proposal, like inclusionary zoning, came from the administration.

Ironbound residents said they weren't properly informed of the zoning changes and finally received answers at a Monday meeting with the mayor. 

"It was the first time that many of us had an opportunity to engage in civil conversation and discussion about this," Della Fave said, asking the council to defer the plan. "It is overwhelmingly from the community's perspective that high rises are not in the future of the Ironbound."

A measure to amend the redevelopment plan for the Riverfront and allow buildings to increase their maximum heights from 10 to 25 stories in one area and from 30 to 40 stories in another was deferred to the Oct. 11 meeting. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

Amazon's HQ2 could bring 50,000 jobs.

Four New Jersey cities advanced to the next round of consideration to receive the state's backing to apply to become the home to Amazon's second headquarters, ROI-NJ.com reported Wednesday.

The cities -- Newark, Jersey City, New Brunswick and Camden -- lead the approximately 20 locations that sent proposals to state officials and have been asked to provide more information about their applications by the end of the week, an unnamed official told ROI-NJ.com, a business-focused news site.

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will vet the applications and pass them to Gov. Chris Christie, who could put forward one or a mix of locations for consideration by Amazon, according to the report.

New Jersey municipalities may still apply to Amazon directly without the state's official blessing. An EDA representative could not be immediately reached Wednesday night to comment on the report.

5 reasons N.J. could land Amazon's new HQ (and 50K jobs), and 3 reasons we won't

Officials across North America are vying to become the second home for the Seattle-based online giant.

Called "HQ2," Amazon's second headquarters is expected to bring as many as 50,000 jobs and $5 billion in spending to the area it selects.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Where weird is a compliment.

Ask someone who isn't from New Jersey what makes the state unique and you'll likely hear a litany of the same old cliches. Ask some who IS from the state, and you most likely will get a variant on this theme: we're unique because we don't mind being unique.

"Weird NJ" began in 1989 as a personal newsletter sent to friends by Mark Moran and Mark Sceurman, pasted together on a kitchen table and run off on copiers. Today, it's a semi-annual magazine that spawned books about New Jersey as well as "Weird" coverage of Florida, Illinois, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Texas, California and New England. In 2005, there was a series on the History Channel starring the two Marks.

MORE: Vintage photos around New Jersey

This gallery offers something similar, though not the same. Here, we have culled together photos from some "unique" places that spot the state. We like that these places make us different from every other state in the union. We hope you do, too.

Here's a gallery of some of the unique things in New Jersey. And, here are links to other galleries you might find interesting.

Vintage N.J. photos that deserve a second look

More vintage N.J. photos that deserve a second look

Vintage scary photos from N.J.

Greg Hatala may be reached at ghatala@starledger.com. Follow him on Twitter @GregHatala. Find Greg Hatala on Facebook.

Yanira Cortes, a tenant at Pueblo City apartments in Newark, said she's taking her landlord to court after months of no repairs and rats that terrorize her four children.

NEWARK -- At a recent City Council meeting, a short, wiry woman approached the podium with her four young children. Yanira Cortes told the council her daughter had a question for city leaders. 

"Why do my mom and my brothers and sisters have to live in an apartment with rats?" the little girl asked, stretching on her tippy toes to reach the microphone.

For years, Cortes said she's lived with her children in a leaking, rat- and cockroach-infested apartment and has been battling her landlord to fix the uninhabitable conditions.

Cortes filed a class-action lawsuit against Pueblo City Housing Company, which that owns the federally subsidized building, alleging a host of health and safety violations and the landlord's failure to fix them. 

"1 a.m., 4 a.m. my children run into my bedroom and tell me, 'Mommy, there's a rat running in my room.' 3:45 a.m., on a school night," Cortes said during the September meeting. "How can I provide them a good education when they have to worry about rats?"

The lawsuit filed last month alleges, among other things:

• Uneven floors that lead to cracked floor tiles 
• Windows that do not latch properly
• Leaks in the living room and bathroom
• Improper security allowing illicit drug use in the area
• Rat and cockroach infestations

A woman who answered the phone last week at the offices of Virginia-based Realty Management Associates, which manages Pueblo City Housing, said she could not comment on the allegations because the company had not been served with the suit. She declined to give her name but said she was a company employee.

Cortes and her attorney declined to comment on the lawsuit. 

"It's a positive move as far as quality of life, sustaining housing for everyone," said Felicia Alston-Singleton, the city's Fair Housing Officer, who has worked with Cortes to fight for better living conditions. "It's going to inspire a lot of people to raise the bar on their standards. She is brave and courageous to step out there. Everyone knows that these (landlords) are notorious, their behavior is so egregious, they are over the top."

The 20-unit building on 86 Brunswick St. at the center of the suit receives federal subsidies so low-income residents can afford to live there. Tenants pay about 30 percent of rent and the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department (HUD) pays the landlord the rest of the unit's fair market price. 

The building has been cited in multiple inspections by the Bureau of Housing Inspection for unhealthy living conditions, infestations and hazardous violations, the lawsuit said. The Real Estate Assessment Center, which inspects properties on a scale of 1-100, gave the building a score of 10. A passing score is 60. 

The class-action suit extends to those who have lived in the building in the last six years. The suit is asking a judge to grant rent abatements and place the property in receivership which would appoint a receiver to oversee rehabilitation and rents. 

'I've never seen anything like it'

Sen. Jennifer Beck, R-Monmouth, who is spearheading efforts to overhaul housing conditions for low-income families, described Cortes' apartment as "beyond deplorable."

"I've neer seen anything like it ... literally the kids stomp their feet before they go into the kitchen" to scatter the rats, she said. "There is a systemic failure of this landlord to propertly care for these units."

Beck, together with Sen. Ronald Rice, D-Essex, have proposed the Safe Sanitary Subsidized Rental Housing Bill of Rights that would hold landlords accountable for poor housing conditions by withholding federal subsidies until such repairs are made. It also improves coordination between federal, state and local agencies to ensure properties are being routinely inspected and tenants are protected.

Beck cited the investigation by The Asbury Park Press that found HUD continued to pay rental subsidies to landlords despite deplorable living conditions and failed inspections. 

"It should be a shot across the bow to all those bad actors and slumlords that have been taking advantage of our families for decades to know that we're coming for them," Beck said. "And give families hope and strength that they can speak out and see results and see change."

Wayne and Denise Fox, lead executives at Realty Management Associates, also operated Aspen Stratford Apartments at 2 Stratford Place. Mayor Ras Baraka condemned the building in 2015, citing ongoing problems at the property that stretched on for decades. 

But it took months to transition residents to new homes and secure housing vouchers for them. Wayne Fox also sued the Baraka administration, claiming his company was being blamed for conditions in the building caused by crime and other social ills in the area.

The case was settled and dismissed in 2016. The Foxes own at least 18 other properties in the city, housing advocates said. 

Alston-Singleton said better city and federal coordination would have prevented the well-intentioned effort from taking so long to help residents and could have prevented the low-income building's closure. 

"We need to start at the federal level and each government agency should be responsible," she said. 

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

See how the boys soccer Top 20 looks in October's first edition.

We make our predictions.

A look at the top 75 juniors in N.J. girls soccer.

Some residents of the public housing complex have been fighting against the property's closure for years and were surprised by the move.

NEWARK -- The Newark Housing Authority will move to demolish a public housing complex in the East Ward that a group of residents had fervently defended in an attempt to derail its closure.

But last week the Board of Commissioners agreed to ask the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for permission to close and demolish Mildred E. Terrell Homes, a 275-unit complex, citing environmental and structural concerns.

"What will they accomplish if they demolish Terrell Homes? I've been there since 1972," Terrell Homes resident Dorothy Brazell said during a City Council meeting Wednesday. "If they demolish Terrell Homes, I don't know what I would do. I'm safe there. They talk about it like it's nothing but it's something to me because I've been living there for 50 years. Don't blow it up, fix it up."

East Ward Councilman Augusto Amador said he, too, was surprised by the vote. Amador promised residents at the last City Council meeting he'd arrange a meeting between Terrell Homes residents and the new executive director of the housing authority set to begin his term Oct. 10. 

"I was under the impression that no action would be taken until a plan is presented," Amador told NJ Advance Media. "To me, it was a surprise the vote they took."

He said he planned to continue working with the housing authority and the city on an alternate plan, especially for long-term residents. 

"We really had no choice but to go ahead and demolish it," said board chairman Charles Bell. "We can take every nickel that we have, put it all in Terrell Homes and it won't have a real impact and it wouldn't be fair to the other 23 sites we have."

Bell said a majority of the residents of Terrell Homes want to leave the building, but he can understand why residents who want to stay are upset.

"I've been very sympathetic with their concerns," he said. Asked why the vote happened before the new director started, Bell said it was time to act on the property in need of $65 million worth of repairs to address flooding, environmental contamination and disrepair.

"We finally said, 'Let's move it' ... we've got to make some decisions about the people living there," he said. But he added he was open to working with residents and city officials for alternate solutions -- and accompanying funding. 

"By all means, we're open to work with anybody who can come up with the money but we can't keep going on and on," he said. 

The housing authority receives federal funding and HUD must grant any demolition plans. In April, the Board of Commissioners failed to put the application for a vote after increasing pressure from residents who wanted to stay put. 

The application for demolition needs approval from the board and a letter of support from the mayor before being submitted.

Mayor Ras Baraka signed a letter of support on Feb. 2, writing that "the physical buildings of Terrell Homes have outlived their useful lives, given the crumbling infrastructure, lack of quality amenities, physical isolation of the complex and outdated systems" and that the "demolition of the buildings is the most cost-effective measure."

On Wednesday Terrell Homes residents spoke during the City Council meeting railing against the mayor's support for demolition as the council approved a measure to ensure affordable housing in the city. 

"Who wants Terrell Homes, who is in whose pocket and who do we believe?" asked Rosemary Horsely, who moved into the complex when she was 3 years old. "Who do we trust?"

"This is our home, where we live, we are a community, we are family," said tenant president Rita Fortenberry. "We have a conviction. We're not going anywhere."

Karen Yi may be reached at kyi@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @karen_yi or on Facebook. 

A Newark man was shot and killed in May, authorities said.

Samuel and Johnson. (Courtesy Essex County Prosecutor's Office)
 

IRVINGTON -- Two men have been arrested in the May shooting death of a Newark man.

Kyshan Samuel, 24, of Irvington was arrested Wednesday, and Wykeel Johnson, 20, of Newark, was arrested in August, both on murder and weapons charges in the killing of 22-year-old Jawad Smith, of Newark, Acting Essex County Prosecutor and Irvington Police Drector Tracy Bowers announced in a release Thursday.

Authorities said Smith was walking in the 400 block of Grove Street at about 7:30 p.m. on May 27 when he was approached by two men and shot several times.

The men fled, and Smith was later pronounced dead at the scene of the shooting, authorities have said.

Officials have not identified a motive in the shooting, or said whether or not Smith knew Samuel and Johnson. Authorities said the investigation into the killing is continuing.

Jessica Mazzola may be reached at jmazzola@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @JessMazzola. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Dog taken to area shelter.

NEWARK -- Troopers rescued a German Shepherd from along a busy stretch of Interstate 280 in Newark and found another dog dead in the area Thursday, New Jersey State Police said.

Totowa Station troopers first received a call of two dogs in the shoulder of the highway and found the German Shepherd lying next to a deceased pit bull, according to a statement on the State Police Facebook page.

"With no owner in sight, [troopers] knew they had to get the Shepherd off the highway, but she did not want to leave the other dog's side," the statement said. "They eventually were able to get her out of harm's way and into the back of a troop car."

Neither of the dogs had collars and troopers brought the German Shepherd back to the station.

"They gave her water and maybe, just maybe, played a quick game of fetch," State Police wrote in the post.

"Exactly how the dogs ended up on the side of the highway remains under investigation. We are deeply saddened by the passing of the other dog, but we're elated that we were able to rescue the Shepherd," the post said.

Police contacted a local shelter to take the Shepherd. 

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Bergen County resident appeared in federal court Thursday.

NEWARK -- A Wallington man admitted in federal court Thursday that he bought live webcam shows of children engaging in sexually explicit conduct from individuals overseas, prosecutors said.

Stephen Hallett, 66, appeared in Newark federal court after he was charged with receipt of child pornography, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. He was released on $125,000 unsecured bond.

Hallett purchased the explicit online shows from unidentified people in the Philippines, according to court filings. He admitted to buying the online streams of children engaged in sexual conduct in dozens of cases between 2013 and 2015.

Officials said Hallett faces a maximum up to 20 year in prison and a potential $250,000 fine when he is sentenced early next year. He will also be required to register as a sex offender after pleading guilty.

In a statement, Acting U.S. Attorney William E. Fitzpatrick credited agents with the Newark division of Homeland Security Investigations for handling the case.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Teen arrested Thursday at school.

NEWARK -- A 15-year-old boy was arrested after he was found with a loaded gun at the Newark charter school he attends Thursday, authorities said.

Police were called to a report of a student with a weapon at M.E.T.S. Charter School on Broad Street around noon, according to Newark Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose, who said officers arrested the boy without incident.

Ambrose said police recovered a loaded 9MM handgun from the student. The boy was charged with unlawful possession of a weapon in an educational institution.

Capt. Adolph Perez, commander of Newark's 3rd police precinct, is set to meet with school officials to discuss security and "ways to improve security with the goal of reducing the likelihood of similar incidents," the public safety director added.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Two alleged drug dealers face charges.

NEWARK -- Essex County Sheriff's detectives seized three semi-automatic handguns, $2,500 worth of heroin and crack cocaine, along with $1,600 in an operation that led to the arrests of two alleged drug dealers in Newark, officials said Thursday.

Narcotics investigators were watching the area near Weequahic Avenue and Clinton Place after complaints about drug sales in the area Wednesday, according to Sheriff Armando Fontoura.

They spotted Eugene Williams, 33, of Newark, and Jesse Tullies, 52, of Hillside, loitering on Weequahic Avenue authorities said. With detectives watching, a car pulled up and the driver, John Potts, started talking to Williams and Tullies.

Williams took items hidden under the back bumper of a Chevrolet Lumina in a nearby driveway, handed them to Tullies, who exchanged it with Potts for cash, according to authorities.

Sheriff's officers stopped Potts nearby and found him with two heroin-filled glassine envelopes stamped with "black jack," in black ink, authorities said. Police recovered 198 decks of similarly-marked heroin, 19 bags of crack cocaine and three 9mm handguns, each loaded with hollow point rounds in the Chevrolet bumper.

One the guns was reported stolen in Washington, D.C. early this year, Fontoura said. Williams and Tullies were charged with various drug-distribution and weapons offenses.

Potts, of Rahway, was charged with drug possession.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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Trauma is real for Newark residents and police officers.

The picture of a large hand-held gun on the screen triggered a painful memory that Janice Kettles had not talked about in 15 years.

After driving a friend home from dinner one night, Kettles stopped for the traffic light at Clinton Place and Keer Avenue in Newark, her hometown. She heard a tapping noise on the driver's side of her window and when she looked up, Kettles saw a police officer with his gun drawn.

"I was terrified. I was scared to move," Kettles said.

The officer accused her of soliciting drugs in a high-crime neighborhood, she said, and after questioning her, he let her go, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.

Kettles hasn't gotten over the experience, which brought her to tears on Tuesday. She shared the haunting flashback during a training program designed to get community members and police officers talking about how trauma impacts their relationship.

The Police/Community Initiative on Trauma-Informed Responses to Violence is run by Equal Justice USA, a national criminal justice reform organization that's been doing this work in Newark for more than a year to break down barriers and reduce violence.

Since 2016, nearly 200 participants - Newark police officers, residents and community leaders - have taken the three-day course so both sides can understand each other's perspective.

Unscripted and emotional, Kettles story was an unexpected gateway into a painful discussion about race, the history of policing in communities of color and the various forms of trauma.

"I didn't do anything,'' said Kettles, wiping away tears. "I didn't have a record.''

Inside a room at the Broadway House of Continuing Care, the 26 participants were quiet as they listened to the soft-spoken retired Newark school employee. This was the second time she had told the story to anyone.

"That's trauma,'' said Fatimah Muhammad, the director of the trauma initiative for Equal Justice, who is also the facilitator.

"Police don't get to hear that every day,'' Muhammad explained later.  "They don't get to hear the impact of their actions on civilians.''

Civilians, however, must turn the page, too, and grasp  what police officers endure. They need the community to see them as individuals, not scapegoats for officers who have mistreated the public decades ago.

"When I come to a scene I don't want to be looked upon like I'm part of the problem when I'm actually here trying to be part of the solution,'' said police officer Navasha Rawa.

Still, she sympathized with Kettles.

Rawa said she was stopped by police before joining the force 22 years ago, and that it's also occurred while she's been off-duty.

"When I take this uniform off, I get stopped like everybody else in this room,'' she said.

Officers say they face the same challenges in life as residents do. The job has caused them to miss birthdays and their children's ball games, only to find themselves grappling with traumatic situations from their police work that doesn't go away.

Detective Pete Bumanlag says that, even after five years, he still sees the face of the 16-year-old teenager with light skin and red hair who was bleeding from a gunshot wound. Bumanlag said he performed CPR on the youth, hoping the kid would live.

"He was looking at me, eyes half open.'' Bumanlag said. "C'mon breathe.''

Paramedics took the boy to the hospital, Bumanlag said, but he died from his injuries.

Both sides understood each other's plight on Tuesday as they took the first step toward bridging a chasm that has widened from years of mistrust. They still have work to do, however. One of the participants noted that community members sat together at different tables; the police officers did, too.

Endelea Meadows, a Newark parent, said she wished officers lived in her neighborhood so her children could have a relationship with them.  Some officers said it's difficult to reside in the city where they work. There's never a time to unwind and get away from the job.

Misty Camacho liked being the neighborhood cop on the block. A gang member she arrested changed that. He told her that he knew where her son attended high school.

"That's horrible,'' Meadows said.

"I had to take my son out of school immediately,'' Camacho said. "I had to move.''

MORE CARTER: Newark girls tackle football and one of them makes history

Sakinah Cotton, a former police officer, said she was pleased to see the department involved in the program. Something like this, she said, could have helped her handle the trauma she faced when she worked the 2003 case involving 7-year-old Faheem Williams, a little boy found dead in a storage bin at a house in Newark. To this day, Cotton said, she won't use storage bins at her home.

She's hoping the trauma initiative can help in her position as operations manager for the Newark Street Academy, a program that works with high school dropouts, ages 16 to 24. Many of them, she said, are suffering emotionally and trying to survive day-to-day.

"In order to get them back in school, we have to find out what's wrong with them,'' Cotton said. "How can we help them make it to their 21^st birthday.''

After five hours, many in the class said the training was needed. The next session is Tuesday.

For her part, Kettles still seeks closure on what happened that night 15 years ago.

"I want to know what makes them (officers) tick,'' she said.

By part three, perhaps, she'll be a little closer to releasing that pain.

Barry Carter: (973) 836-4925 or bcarter@starledger.com or 

nj.com/carter or follow him on Twitter @BarryCarterSL

Suit alleges the drug companies concealed the risk of addiction from opioids and overstated the drug's benefits.

NEWARK -- Newark Mayor Ras Baraka on Thursday announced the city has sued 11 opioid manufacturers -- including the maker of the painkiller OxyContin -- in a lawsuit that accuses the companies of deceptive advertising.

The city's suit, filed in Essex County, alleges the companies concealed the risk of addiction from opioids and overstated the benefits of using the drugs long term for widespread chronic conditions, including for back pains and migraines.

It comes on the heels of sources' comment that state Attorney General Christopher Porrino would likely file suit against two drug makers, also for deceptive marketing.

The defendants, the suit claims, wanted to market addictive opioids for long term use rather than short term, acute pains. Purdue, which developed OxyContin in the mid-90s, knew it needed to change perceptions of the drug in order to "expand its market and profits," city officials said in a statement, citing the lawsuit.

"The city seeks to hold the manufacturers financially accountable for the damage they have caused and to force them to stop their deceptive practices," the statement added.

N.J. sues major opioids maker over 'evil' practices

Baraka said prescription opioids have had a "catastrophic" impact on the city.

"Every aspect of our city has felt the severe ramifications of the opioid epidemic, not just the substantial financial impact, including all the services we provide to residents, including public health, public assistance, law enforcement, emergency care and services for families and children," the mayor said.

For its part, the city accused Purdue of "deceptively and unfairly" failing to report to state authorities illicit or suspicious prescribing of its opioids.

The Connecticut-based pharmaceutical giant's owner, Beverly Sackler, previously defended the company's practices in a brief interview with NJ Advance Media this week.

"I don't know what I can say about the company except that they've been so careful always to keep from harming anybody," she said Tuesday.

A company spokesman issued a statement in response to Newark's lawsuit Thursday night.

"We are deeply troubled by the opioid crisis and we are dedicated to being part of the solution. As a company grounded in science, we must balance patient access to FDA-approved medicines, while working collaboratively to solve this public health challenge.

"Although our products account for approximately 2% of the total opioid prescriptions, as a company, we've distributed the CDC Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain, developed the first FDA-approved opioid medication with abuse-deterrent properties and partner with law enforcement to ensure access to naloxone," spokesman Robert Josephson said.

"We vigorously deny these allegations and look forward to the opportunity to present our defense," he added.

The lawsuit names Purdue Pharma, L.P.; Purdue Pharma, Inc.; the Purdue Frederick Company; Teva Pharmaceuticals USA; Cephalon, Inc.; Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Janssen Pharmaceutical Inc.; Endo Health Solutions Inc.; and Endo Pharmaceuticals Inc.

Newark's announcement came after New Jersey Attorney General Christopher Porrino's office accused Purdue and pharmaceutical company Insys of similar business practices that fueled the state's opioid crisis. Last year, the state's rate of opioid overdose deaths was 2.5 the national average.

Several other states, including Louisiana and Washington have filed similar suits against drug companies for their claims about opiods. 

Michael Moore, whose law firm is currently advising the Ohio, Mississippi and Washington state attorneys general in their own suits filed against Purdue earlier this summer, said states will likely see some kind of monetary resolution with drug companies, which will fund drug addiction treatment and prevention efforts.

Staff writer Claude Brodesser-Akner contributed to this report.

Noah Cohen may be reached at ncohen@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @noahyc and on Facebook. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

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