Things have been hard for Plainfield nonprofit Angels for Action recently, ever since a busted pipe ruined their West Second street location during a cold spell in the winter of 2022. The organization’s work continues without a space, but things have been much more tenuous – especially for their free English speaking classes, which have…
On Saturday afternoon, the Plainfield Public Library welcomed perhaps the most banned author in American history, Plainfield native and New York Times Best Seller George M. Johnson – author of All Boys Aren’t Blue and most recently We are not Broken. George had a wide-ranging discussion with County Commissioner Rebecca Williams – the first openly…
The City of Plainfield sponsored the Juneteenth Cultural Freedom Fair on Friday evening at the Plainfield Performing Arts Center on Park Avenue. The event, which emphasized “unity, music, and Black excellence in Plainfield”, was the first of a host of events planned for Juneteenth weekend in the Queen City. Local photographer Jerry Murillo (Instagram) took…
There was a jubilant scene at Plainfield Democratic Headquarters last night as Plainfield Mayor and Democratic City Committee Chairman Adrian Mapp reported the results to the crowd. Unofficial results show Mapp-endorsed Julienne Cherry defeating Cindelle Harris-Blackmon 756 to 454 in a landslide in the 1st and 4th Ward At-Large races. In the 2nd Ward, incumbent…
Yesterday, the Union County Board of County Commissioners hosted the annual Rhythm and Blues by the Brook concert that has come to Cedar Brook Park every June since the mid 2000s. This year, it was a lot colder and cloudier than usual, but that didn’t stop several thousand from enjoying the festivities. Local photographer Jerry…
Around the 6pm start to the Netherwood Heights Neighbors annual white party yesterday, the air was hot and skies were ominous. Heavy downpours followed, but they were short lived – and gave way to a perfect temperature for the evening occasion. The first 5 pictures were taken by Jeff Spelman (via Facebook), and all of…
After months of public discontent on the matter, the Plainfield City Council finally met in person yesterday evening for the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. This reorganization meeting took place exactly 19 months since indoor gathering limits were lifted in the state of New Jersey on June 4th of 2021. Attending…
Yesterday evening on Central Avenue in Front of Richard Wyatt’s House, Cindelle’s Bookstore, the Richard Wyatt Foundation, and PARC kicked off the first of six Free Little Libraries. “I would go around to surrounding towns, and I would see these [little libraries]. I would get upset because there are none in Plainfield,” bookstore owner Cindelle…
On Saturday June 4, Union County Commissioner Rebecca Williams took part in the latest march against gun violence in Plainfield. The Plainfield demonstration was part of a renewed national push, spurred on by the tragic shootings in Buffalo and Uvalde, towards solutions to the crisis. Commissioner Williams delivered a powerful, emotional plea for stricter gun…
270 votes. That’s all Richard Wyatt needed to win his 2021 bid for Mayor of Plainfield in the Democratic Primary, despite being outspent by a massive margin – $355,000 versus around $35,000. Incumbent Adrian Mapp literally held a 10 to 1 money advantage, with donations from a who’s who of vendors, consultants, politicians, city employees,…
I haven’t written a blog post in quite a while, but occasionally there is something I just have to sound off on. Last week I heard about one of the most disastrous school policies I can recall. This terrible policy will be implemented in the Plainfield Public Schools, and will potentially affect every K-12 student…
I apologize for the lateness of this post, which I planned to release it in late July when the official results were released. But recovering from the campaign grind – and taking care of the obligations that the longest ever primary campaign forced me to neglect – has been a herculean task of its own.…
The Plainfield Anti-Violence Coalition called for a local rally against the murder of George Floyd and police violence in general, and it took place today. While this was Plainfield’s biggest anti-violence rally, it was preceded by many others over this past decade. I have made sure to participate – and post about – every single…
In response to the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis Police – and police violence in general – the Plainfield Anti-Violence Coalition will be leading a march and rally in Plainfield on Saturday June 6, as announced on Facebook by its founder, Norman Muhammad. You can visit the coalition’s Facebook page here. Attendees who wish…
On Monday evening, I again took part in the nearest demonstration against the murders of George Floyd and so many others – this time in Asbury Park. You can see my photos from Saturday’s Newark demonstration here. The Asbury Park were largely peaceful when I was there, but escalated after nightfall – link here. You…
Plainfield View 