Local officials gathered to discuss federal initiatives in Newark after President Barack Obama left the city Monday.
Mayor Ras Baraka commenting after Obama's visit to Newark Monday. (Vernal Coleman | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com) NEWARK -- Winning the city's ongoing battle against violent crime will depend, in part, on efforts to prevent recidivism, said Newark Mayor Ras Baraka following President Barack Obama's Monday visit.
Speaking just prior to an afternoon roundtable discussion at the Prudential Financial tower, Baraka drew a direct connection between crime prevention in Newark and the state, local, and federal anti-recidivism efforts Obama came to the city to discuss.
"We think that ultimately we can bring crime down without arresting as many people as we possibly can," he said. "We think we can do it holistically, by providing opportunities for people so that they don't go back to jail."
MORE: Obama visit adds to reforms already happening in Newark, Baraka says
Earlier in the day, Obama in a speech at Rutgers-Newark announced plans to work with the New Jersey Institute of Technology and local employers like Audible and Prudential, to offer coding and other job training programs designed to help former prisoners transition back into their communities.
Following Obama's visit, Baraka gathered with other dignitaries at Prudential Financial's new headquarters on Broad Street to discuss the federal My Brother's Keeper initiative and other support programs for the formerly incarcerated.
Specifics of the program and other efforts announced by Obama Monday were not immediately made clear.
Broderick Johnson, Cabinet Secretary and Chairman of the My Brother's Keeper Task Force, said the dignitaries gathered for the discussion were scheduled to talk about local My Brother's Keeper programs, and how the private sector can engage with them.
Since MBK launched, the private sector has donated a half-billion dollars in aid for crime prevention and community re-entry programs, Broderick said.
After a round of short remarks, city officials and others headed into a separate room to start the discussion, which was not open to the press.
Vernal Coleman can be reached at vcoleman@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at @vernalcoleman. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
