To say these past few weeks have been challenging for Hoboken is an understatement.
It has been a week since we had a community meeting on public safety and many neighbors continue to share their fears and concerns. I want to start this newsletter by saying: I hear you. I share your concerns, and I am committed to doing everything I can to make you feel safer.
SAFETY IS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL RESPONSIBILITY OF AN ELECTED OFFICIAL
Last Monday’s Public Safety Community Meeting drew an extraordinary response, with approximately 200 residents packing City Council chambers at City Hall, 500 others watching live online that night, and an additional 3,300 views since. Unfortunately, the feedback I have received is that the lack of any meaningful response at the meeting that has only added to the growing crisis of safety and confidence.
“Fed-up residents came … demanding what many called overdue solutions to restore a sense of safety to city parks. Many only grew more frustrated in the process, where they felt they were given excuses rather than solutions.”
Throughout the evening, residents shared concerns ranging from feeling unsafe in parks and public spaces to the lack of visible police presence. Calls for immediate and actionable steps to address these issues, such as adding foot patrols and enforcing existing laws, were met with explanations about long-term obstacles, including staffing limitations, budgetary constraints, and bail reform laws.
The meeting left many feeling unheard and more concerned about the lack of a clear, actionable plan. With two additional incidents since the meeting—a middle school student pursued by a man near Church Square Park and a woman randomly punched while walking along the waterfront—it is more apparent than ever that we need action now. The meeting made one thing abundantly clear: we are in a crisis, and our community expects solutions.
My colleagues, Councilmembers Ramos and Presinzano, and I have been pushing the administration to take the following immediate steps:
- Increasing foot patrols and community policing, particularly in and around high-risk areas like Church Square Park during hours when children are present.
- Enforcing our existing laws to address issues proactively.
- Expanding partnerships with county, transit, and state law enforcement to bring additional resources and support to Hoboken.
- Improving transparency and communication on safety-related issues so residents are informed and reassured about actions being taken.
We have a City Council Public Safety Subcommittee meeting today with Chief Aguiar and Public Safety Director Ferrante to discuss these priorities further including a specific focus on police resources. I am also meeting with my colleagues and school leaders to listen to concerns and explore solutions tailored to their needs.
Before her recent passing, Councilwoman Jen Giattino had been working with neighbors near Church Square Park to establish a neighborhood watch program. I am stepping in to continue this effort. Once in place, I hope to expand this model to other areas of Hoboken as needed, fostering stronger partnerships between residents and law enforcement.
In addition to these policing-focused steps, we need a centralized and strategic approach to social services and housing support. This includes improving access to Hudson County resources and better coordination between the city, library, and Hoboken Hospital to provide more effective services to our most vulnerable neighbors. Addressing these underlying challenges is critical to ensuring a safer community in the long term.
Finally, regarding bail reform, a critical provision gives judges latitude in deciding whether a person poses a public safety risk and should be detained until trial. I recently spoke with Hudson County Prosecutor Esther Suarez, who expressed optimism about the recent appointment of a new judge who is expected to make decisions that better align with community safety concerns. That said, I believe we need to reduce the subjectivity in these decisions. We need to lobby for changes to this provision to make it more objective and consistent.
In my opinion, the immediate solutions lie within Hoboken and sit squarely with our mayor who sets the strategy and directs city resources for Hoboken. The issues like bail reform and staffing levels that Mayor Bhalla, Police Chief Aguiar, and Public Safety Director Ferrante raised are valid. But our public safety team has one job: to ensure we feel safe. If we feel their approach is not delivering this, then they must consider a change to their approach.
NAVIGATING THE POLITICS OF SAFETY
The phrase I’ve heard most often this week from frustrated neighbors is that Team Bhalla seems "tone deaf" on this crisis. Why? Press and communications from the mayor and his City Council allies have ignored the community meeting or follow up, focussing rather on everything but the issue at hand: the day after the meeting, Mayor Bhalla released a reflective piece on lessons from President-Elect Trump’s victory, later he republished his newsletter from the day of the Community Meeting touting past accomplishments, and he pivoted and launched a media blitz about enforcing one small part of e-bike laws—after over a year of inaction. Similarly, Councilwoman Emily Jabbour—often following the mayor’s lead and who took credit for organizing the meeting—published her “Hoboken Happenings” newsletter the morning after, listing a dozen upcoming community events but failing to acknowledge the meeting, the safety crisis, or residents' concerns.
Is this what crisis management looks like to you? To me it feels more like campaign management—publicly avoiding controversial topics and hoping they blow over. This is not leadership, and it’s certainly not what Hoboken needs right now. I will not allow this issue to “blow over.” I will continue to push for the solutions our community deserves and for the transparency and accountability you expect.
UNITING VS DIVIDING
This week, Mayor Bhalla—on his own—scheduled a flag-raising event for the Palestinian flag today at noon inside the Municipal Courtroom at City Hall. The request for this event reportedly came from a Jersey City group, but its impact has reverberated within Hoboken. While the intent behind the flag-raising may have been to honor a cultural, or more likely political, request, this decision is deeply divisive at a time when many residents are already grappling with the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. Symbols matter, and actions like this have the potential to create unnecessary divisions within our community.
I reached out to him to express my concerns with the event and to ask for reconsideration. Here is the email I sent on Saturday:
Any color you can give the City Council behind why you are hosting the Palestinian flag raising? I would ask that you reconsider doing this not just as a member of the Jewish community but a member of the Hoboken community. I know you’ve shared with some of our Jewish neighbors your strong opposition to antisemitism, which I believe, but this action can only be construed by many as being inconsistent with that position. Not because all who are pro-Palestine are anti-Semitic—we know that isn’t the case. But because we don’t know that all who are pro-Palestine aren’t.
This is a difficult and divisive topic for many reasons, which is why the City Council unanimously took the position that we didn’t want to take any action that would bring divisiveness to our community. Unfortunately, we are already feeling the impact of this proposed action as only being divisive within Hoboken.
I hope you reconsider this decision and choose not to have this event on Monday.
Unfortunately, as of this writing, the event is proceeding as planned, with Mayor Bhalla, for his own reasons, putting Hoboken in the middle of this fight. I want to hear your thoughts: How can we ensure that Hoboken continues to be a place where all members of our community feel supported and respected?
What would Jen do? I, and many, think about this often. I know she would work tirelessly to ensure her neighbors felt safe. She loved our Hoboken community more than most and as the original sponsor to the City Council resolution with regard to the Middle East crisis that promited unity over division, I know she would push for this today as well.
Last week at our City Council meeting, the City Council all gave some words in her memory. These were mine that shared with the public the incredible contribution she gave to our community. As a reminder you can honor Jen’s memory by making a contribution to non profits that were close to her heart including the often overlooked Family Promise of Hudson County, New Jersey, the Hoboken Homeless Shelter, and Garden State Community Development Corporation | - all organizations who help the most vulnerable members of our community with a focus on those who are, or are at risk of becoming, homeless. As a reminder, please send your of Jen stories to [email protected] (click to send) so they can be gathered and shared with her family and our community in the future. #LiveLikeJenGiveLikeJen
As always, please share this with everyone you know who may be interested and reach out any time on any issue important to you: 201-208-1764 or [email protected].
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