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FOX DIGITAL REVIEW: Progressive Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras Baraka, 1 of the apical Democratic candidates for New Jersey governor, has a grounds of associating with alleged abusers of women and has been accused of fostering a toxic enactment situation for women successful his administration, a Fox News Digital reappraisal found.
Baraka, who has been politician of Newark since 2014, hired his brother, Amiri Baraka Jr., arsenic his main of staff. In June 2020, Sebrivious Scott, a pistillate who was hired done a captive reentry program, accused Baraka Jr. of silencing her aft she raised concerns astir being sexually assaulted.
Scott alleged that she spoke with Baraka Jr. astir being sexually assaulted by her brag and astir being denied full-time employment for refusing intersexual favors, Real Garden State reported.
Instead of helping, Baraka Jr. allegedly informed Scott that nary steps would beryllium taken to code her complaints and said, "Don’t beryllium coming present complaining astir discrimination. You should beryllium blessed you person a job."
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka speaks aft exiting the courthouse connected May 15, 2025 successful Newark, New Jersey. (Getty)
Scott further claimed that her inquiries astir her full-time exertion were ignored by her supervisors, including Mayor Baraka. Scott claimed galore men hired done the reentry programme obtained full-time positions upon completing the programme arsenic she waited.
In a 2020 Facebook post reacting to different idiosyncratic who posted enactment for Scott on with the Real Garden State nonfiction and a remark of "keep your caput up cuzzo," Scott wrote, "Cuzz I'm trying. Just request each the enactment I tin get against these monsters. I'm not afraid."
When Fox News Digital reached retired for comment, Scott said, "They really conscionable settled aft warring this since 2018." However, she declined to spell into details of the settlement, citing her lawyer's advice.
Baraka besides hired different brother, Obalaji Jones, arsenic a younker accidental coordinator who was aboriginal accused of intersexual assault. In 2017, Dannisha Clyburn, a erstwhile City of Newark employee, accused Jones of sexually assaulting her successful 2013 and attempted intersexual battle successful 2015, TapInto Livingston reported.
According to Clyburn, Jones called her into a acheronian country and inappropriately touched her without her consent astatine a 2013 governmental code by Baraka. She further claimed that Jones attempted to battle her again by calling her into a backstage country during a children’s lawsuit successful 2015.
Clyburn, who antecedently served clip successful prison, told the outlet she had been a governmental protagonist of Baraka but came guardant due to the fact that she did not privation to spot different women victimized.
"Your member Obalaji, he’s a full different monster," Clyburn posted connected Facebook, addressing Baraka directly.
"Your brother, you amended get him retired of here. He is simply a predator. He is simply a menace to our city. And if you know, you taught america best. If you spot something, you accidental something. I learned that from you, Ras Baraka," Clyburn said, according to Politico's New Jersey Playbook. "So I’ve seen something, I heard something, and I’m saying something. I’m speaking for each person, each female, each antheral that can’t travel guardant and are acrophobic to travel forward."
Former Newark Councilwoman Gayle Chaneyfield Jenkins, who ran against Baraka for politician successful 2018, accused Baraka’s medication of wide maltreatment successful which galore women were pressured into intersexual favors successful speech for jobs, according to a 2018 report from TapInto Newark.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka speaks during a quality league astatine City Hall successful Newark, New Jersey. (Yuki Iwamura/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Jenkins said during a assembly meeting, "I’m not connected Team Baraka for a fig of reasons, but 1 of the reasons is their maltreatment of power. I cannot judge that immoderate of my assembly colleagues...that nary of these women haven’t travel up to you and told you what they’ve had to spell done arsenic acold arsenic having to person enactment to get a job, oregon they’ve been abused, oregon they've been talked about, oregon they've been ridiculed."
Three years later, a suit filed by a erstwhile Newark metropolis worker said that Baraka ignored authorities directing him to name an autarkic task unit to analyse claims of intersexual harassment brought by Newark employees, according to Chaneyfiled Jenkins successful a report from NJ.com.
According to the suit, the authorities created an autarkic task unit to analyse claims brought by Newark employees. The five-member sheet was expected to beryllium appointed by the politician and see a retired constabulary serviceman from extracurricular Newark, a clergy member, 2 members of the nationalist and a last subordinate to beryllium nominated by Rutgers University. However, Baraka ne'er appointed a subordinate to the task force.
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka speaks astatine the "State of the People Power Tour" successful Newark, New Jersey. (Stephanie Keith for Fox News Digital)
Baraka has besides associated himself with alleged abuser Kiburi Tucker, who was arraigned successful 1996 successful a Newark municipal tribunal connected allegations that helium sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl, an archived mentation of the Star-Ledger reported.
The girl’s parents filed a complaint, and Tucker was charged with aggravated transgression intersexual contact, transgression restraint and endangering the payment of a kid for holding the unfortunate and fondling her body, according to online records reviewed by Fox News Digital. He would extremity up serving a four-year situation condemnation between 1997 and 2001 aft pleading blameworthy to aggravated battle and cause possession charges.
Tucker would aboriginal look much ineligible trouble, which led to him serving a 17-month situation condemnation for ligament fraud and taxation evasion aft racking up hundreds of thousands of dollars successful expenses for idiosyncratic usage utilizing resources from a childcare nonprofit started by his father. After leaving prison, Tucker told TapInto Newark that Baraka was his "best friend" and that helium was "doing a hellhole of a job."
Tucker has remained adjacent to Baraka, arsenic evidenced by several Facebook posts successful caller years and months. Tucker, who was reportedly concern partners with Baraka's woman for respective years, has posted successful enactment of Baraka's gubernatorial run respective times this period and arsenic precocious arsenic this week.
On May 9, Tucker posted respective pictures of Baraka and supporters astatine an event, saying, "Lets spell ! Post your V for Victory In Support of Mayor Baraka for Governor!"
Newark Mayor Ras Baraka speaks to protesters extracurricular of Delaney Hall, a precocious re-opened migration detention halfway successful Newark, New Jersey, connected May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)
Earlier this week, helium also posted a photo that appears to beryllium astatine a Baraka fundraiser successful Cranford, New Jersey.
Baraka's brother, Amiri, has besides remained supportive of Baraka's tally for governor, posting astir an upcoming governmental lawsuit conscionable past week.
In 2022, the politician besides endorsed Louis Weber, a erstwhile Newark constabulary serviceman who was moving for metropolis assembly and was accused of intersexual battle by a erstwhile pistillate partner. Weber has denied the allegation and was not charged criminally, Politico reported.
"It's absorbing to maine that these fabricated stories that are unsubstantiated and built connected innuendo are coming retired conscionable arsenic the politician is gaining successful popularity and the polls," Mark Di Ionno, a Newark metropolis spokesman, told Fox News Digital successful a statement.
Rep. LaMonica McIver demands the merchandise of Newark Mayor Ras Baraka aft his apprehension portion protesting extracurricular an ICE installation connected May 9 successful Newark, New Jersey. (AP/Angelina Katsanis)
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Baraka has dominated quality headlines successful caller weeks aft being arrested extracurricular an ICE installation successful Newark and yet being charged with trespassing.
After a tribunal quality past week, Baraka told reporters that helium was being unfairly targeted.
"We judge that I was targeted successful this," Baraka said. "I was the lone idiosyncratic arrested. That's right. You know, I was the lone idiosyncratic identified. I was the lone person, you know, they enactment successful a cell. You know, the lone person, I deliberation that was successful cuffs to the full process that's present this morning, going done this humiliation for these people."
On Monday evening, the complaint against Baraka was dropped.
Fox News Digital reached retired to Baraka's gubernatorial campaign, his 2 brothers, Tucker and Clyburn, and Jenkins but did not person a response.
Peter Pinedo is simply a authorities writer for Fox News Digital.
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