Briana: Tonight on NJ Spotlight News -- A federal ruling allows the state's last immigration detention center to stay open.

>> It really shows us that they actually are putting profits before the heart and soul.

Briana: Plus, Jersey City in mourning.

Residents cope with the shooting of a New Jersey man experiencing a mental health crisis.

Advocates demanding change.

>> There's absolutely nothing justifiable about ignorance paired with deadly force.

Briana: Also, school equity code.

New changes to school regulations star of controversy as advocates and lawmakers pushed back.

Hannah: arguing that parents should have more say over what is going on in the classroom and the policy.

Briana: And it is back to school.

A school Drive supplying families with backpacks, school supplies, haircuts, and more.

>> It's critical for kids to have the resources they need to start be your right.

You cannot learn if you do not have the supplies.

Briana: NJ Spotlight News begins right now.

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♪ From NJ PBS, this is NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi.

Briana: Good evening and thanks for joining us on this Wednesday night.

I am Briana Vannozzi.

Advocates are taking to the streets, demanding the shutdown of the Elizabeth Detention Center, now the only remaining jail in the state to house and profit from detaining immigrants.

It was scheduled to close in less than 24 hours, but on Tuesday, a federal judge ordered it to remain open, halting the Murphy administration's effort to formally end immigration detention in New Jersey, and giving the way for I.C.E., integrations and customs of war Smith, to renew it contract with the -- customs enforcement, to renew its contract with the operator.

Today, activists, along with those who spent time detained inside the prison's walls, spoke out demanding action.

Ted Goldberg reports.

>> When I say abolished, you say I.C.E.

Abolish with black ice -- Abolish -- >> I.C.E.

>> The Elizabeth Detention Center was such a close this week under a New Jersey law passed two years ago, which prohibits immigrations and customs enforcement from starting or renewing contracts with private detention centers.

Federal Judge Robert Kirsch calls the law unconstitutional, adding that the state law is "a dagger aimed at the heart of the federal government's immigration enforcement mission and operations."

He also said if neighboring states passed a comparable law, it would be nothing short of chaos.

Sally: It's a blow to what we have been doing for the past two years in trying to shut down this is out of you.

-- this facility.

Kathy: We cannot stab a dagger into the heart of I.C.E.

It has no heart.

That's what we should be concerned about.

Molly: The federal government has an interest in detaining people for immigration purposes.

Not to mention that there is immense profit interest in the detention of noncitizens for these private companies.

Ted: the Biden administration supporting core civic.

Many are arguing that Biden is breaking his campaign promises.

Molly: When he came in to office, he held true to some of that, but he did not touch the dissension facilities.

>> He's doing politics when people hear our organizing for our communities, for our lives, for the lives of our brothers, sisters, and our children.

Li: private detention centers did not exist prior to 1990, and they should not exist moving forward.

We need to fight with all the energy that we have.

We have to make sure that Biden knows that he picked a fight in the wrong state and we are not backing down.

Ted: Representatives and others from the Staples a congressional delegation recently sent a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland urging the , Department of Justice to drop its support for the lawsuit by .

The congresswoman sent a statement which reads in part, "it's reference to the difficulty of I.C.E.

to find a smitten facility in the given time ignores the fact that 805207 was passed more than two years ago.

The horrible conditions at the Elizabeth Detention Center further erode the trust people have in a fair justice system."

>> We will continue to fight, and every time we can, we will be at the Elizabeth Detention Center.

We will challenge the renewal of their leases and call on Biden to shutdown the facility.

Ted: The state Attorney General's office says it will appeal the ruling and will continue to try to close down the Elizabeth Detention Center.

In Newark, I'm Ted Goldberg, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Family of Andrew Jerome Washington turned out in droves to support the laws of the 52-year-old who was shot by Jersey City police while suffering from a mental health episode in his home.

They contend the city failed him.

Now his death is really calls from activists over how these calls are being handled.

Senior correspondent Brenda Flanagan has the story.

Brenda: Folks linked arms and pray for the soul of 52-year-old Andrew Jerome Washington, who was shot and killed by Jersey City police while he was suffering a mental health crisis this past Sunday.

They were among about 200 mourners who attended a vigil Tuesday evening in front of his home, where he called the system for help.

Doris: We were trying to work with the system, how they told us.

And it didn't work.

And now Drew is not with us.

We are so saddened.

Brenda: his aunt Doris Ervin called Andrew a kind heart and a loving person.

In 2012, police shot her nephew in the arm during a similar confrontation.

Doris: we knew he needed assistance, so we did reach out.

We were so concerned he would harm himself, not others.

Brenda: ervin said she watched the tragedy unfold Sunday, that after paramedics summoned police, the family pleaded with officers not to use lethal force.

Police said claim Washington lunged at them with a knife.

Doris: and they lied to us telling us they were just trying , to defuse the problem, "and we're going to put him in the mobile unit."

"Oh, just wait.

We have a report for you guys to do."

Brenda: Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop, who viewed police body-camera videos, said officers acted appropriately, according to protocol.

Advocates question that, noting that one officer carried a taser but the other drew his gun.

wesley: One officer thought lethal force was justifiable and the other didn't, or he wouldn't have tased him.

It represents an inconsistency.

And it represents an inconsistency the mayor thinks we are too stupid to pick up on.

Brenda: Washington's cousin noted bitterly that police did not see his cousin as a person.

Wesley: They are not a person, not a brother, they are a speedbump on the road to the governor's desk.

Brenda: Phillips campaign did not pick up prior to our deadline.

Toney: there's nothing justifiable about ignorance paired with deadly force.

Let us fight for Drew, not with mere words, but with action.

Let's fight for a world where police are not the judge, the jury, and executioner for those battling mental illness.

Brenda: Advocates point to Najee Seabrooks, the Paterson man who was shot and killed by police during a similar mental health breakdown in March.

>> The person in crisis does not trust the police, and the very presence of the police exacerbates the crisis.

So we can train police all day long.

When we are in a mental health crisis, it is not the police we want to see, it family, friends.

Brenda: Reforms to minimize police involvement.

The state Attorney General's office is creating new response teams that partner plain clothed cops with mental health reps.

The AG is investigating this case and has not announced if or when bodycam footage will be released.

I Brenda Flanagan, NJ Spotlight News.

Briana: Controversy continues over a newly adopted school equity code by the state Board of Education.

Accusations not from a chorus of parental rights advocates and lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, claiming the policy violates religious liberty and makes changes to curriculum without parents being involved.

That is despite repeated explanations from state officials that the updated regulations won't change what is taught in schools.

So what does the policy change?

I'm joined now by education and child welfare writer Hannah Gross.

Hannah, there has been so much uproar over this issue, and I think it would really be helpful if people just understood what this equity code is and what it means, are there changes to curriculum here?

Hannah: Yeah.

The equity code has been in place since 2003 to make sure students have equal access to educational programs and activities regardless of race, gender, and other protected characteristics.

What is different in these codes won't really make a huge difference in the actual list is just changes happening at the state level.

Some of those changes include moving the language to focus on equity rather than equality, using gender-neutral terms instead of gendered ones.

Briana: OK.

So if I have a student who is starting school next week, what changes might they expect to see, or as a parent, should I anticipate anything happening differently in thinking about language used in the classroom, sports, you know, just general how it will affect children.

Hannah: yes, so districts do not have to change the language used in their policies.

The biggest difference students might see is if a district uses two separate students when they are learning about human sexuality.

In the past, that separation would have been done on the basis of sex, and out will be done going forward on the basis of gender identity.

But that is only going to matter in schools where they are separating students.

Some schools choose to keep students altogether.

Briana: If those schools already have those policies in place, nothing changes there.

Hannah: Yeah.

So they will not be allowed to separate based on sex, it would have to be based on gender, but whether or not they choose to separate will be up to the district.

Briana: Talk to me about some of the pushback, because we seem folks like the Republican Senator Boko, my test, saying they will work to repeal this, but we've also had the Senate President and assembly Speaker, both Democrats, saying they are not necessarily happy with the way that this happened.

What is going on here?

Hannah: There's been a lot of pushback, and a lot of the pushback is on parental rights, arguing that parents should have more say over what is happening.

It is possible some legislators are calling for a reveal, for lawmakers to return to Trenton, to see what will happen there.

Briana: becoming a sort of political football.

Hannah: Yeah.

Briana: All right, the next meeting that comes before the Board of Education in September 6.

What are you here, because this is where they will be here in public testimony.

Hannah: Jayes, there will be public testimony in the afternoon for a few hours, and that will be public testimony, some members of the public can testify about anything they want.

It does not need to be tied to a specific item to the agenda, and a lot of parental rights advocates and groups are mobilizing people to show up on this.

Briana: What are you hearing from parents?

Hannah: Parents seem kind of mixed on it.

I think some of the most vocal parents are the ones who are arguing parental rights and a repeal of the changes.

But from speaking to board members and speaking to regular parents who are attending some of the school board meetings across the state, it seems like people kind of fall on both sides.

Briana: All right, Hannah Gross, education and child welfare writer for us, thank you so much.

Hannah: thank you for having me.

Briana: Nearly three dozen members of New Jersey's elite search-and-rescue team have been deployed to help with Hurricane idalia recovery efforts.

The 45 members are staging in South Carolina.

They are made up of police, fire, and other emergency personnel specializing in both water rescues.

Idalia made landfall this morning on Florida's Gulf Coast as a powerful Category 3 storm, the strongest storm to hit the Big Bend region and more than 25 years.

In been unleashed in Georgia and part of the Southeast with catastrophic rain and stained winds up to 85 miles an hour, leaving death and destruction in its path, record flooding, and storm surges.

Hundreds of thousands of people in the region are without power.

According to the New Jersey state police, task force one is at the ready to provide immediate lifesaving operations.

Right now, the group is scheduled to return home by September 12.

In our spotlight on business report, workplace discrimination has been illegal for decades, yet reports and data show it remains a disturbing reality for thousands of private and government employees.

A new national survey conducted by Rutgers University explore the experiences with racial and ethnic discrimination.

He finds black workers are twice as likely to face workplace discrimination, a major problem in the U.S., compared to white workers, and significant percentages of Asian American, black, and Latino workers say they have been treated poorly or discriminate against in their current job because of race and the -- because of race or ethnicity.

Ron Quincy is a visiting senior fellow for diversity studies.

Professor Quincy, thanks for getting us some of your time.

Walk through the findings.

It is interesting because this is all despite the fact that inclusion, diversity, equity has become very common phrase is thrown about the workplace, and yet your findings show workers are not necessarily experiencing that.

Prof. Quincy: Well, exactly.

What our findings clearly show is that diversity, inclusion, belonging in the national workforce is lagging the ambitions and the vision of an equity place.

Briana: What stood out to you the most?

I'm thinking about the demographic groups you survey who reported much higher incident -- instances of having discrimination happen?

Prof. Quincy: Great question.

What surprised us most, the environment in which Asia workers find themselves in.

They find workplaces coronation higher than we investigated, higher than some other studies have identified, so it is an area of workplace that really needs to be focused on.

Secondly, I would say, with respect to Hispanic, African-American workers, we knew that there was widespread discrimination from other studies, from government reports, but we were surprised at the extent of that discrimination.

Reforms varied.

The feelings of being disrespected, slighted, not being supported by supervisors, being ignored by fellow workers, even the reporting of fear for one's safety in the workforce, very troubling results of this study.

Briana: What do we know, Professor, about the relationship between how these incidents a car and that impact on a worker, especially being able to advance.

Prof. Quincy: Well, it has a direct impact on the whether you are African-American, Hispanic, or Asian, they felt that their opportunity to advance was all too often associated with their race, national origin, ethnicity.

And that has got to stop.

We have to have a fair and equal access to promotional opportunities within the workplace and one's gender, religion, national origin, or any other aspect of their backgrounds should not play a role in that.

Briana: Rutgers University Professor Ronald Quincy on a new national study, looking at work is this combination, thank you so much -- workplace discrimination, thank you so much.

On Wall Street, markets are heading to a four-day winning streak.

Here is how stocks closed today.

♪ And finally tonight, the countdown to the end of summer break is just about over, and the state is in the midst of a sales tax holiday for other back-to-school supplies.

But for a lot of families, that will be enough to help pay for what is expected to be one of the most expensive school shopping seasons ever.

In one county, educational leaders are focused on giving kids more than just pencils and notebooks to start their year off with success.

Melissa Rose Cooper has the story.

Melissa: 11-year-old Brady is looking forward to a couple things this year.

>> A good teacher, great classmates.

Melissa: And he's excited to get some supplies, like notebooks and folders to start your right.

>> The folders for your homework and other stuff in them.

I don't actually have a folder, so this would actually help me out a lot, keep my homework organized.

And notebooks, well, obviously would help me write down, like, stuff that would help me.

Melissa: The giveaway is part of the back-to-school event hosted by the Boys and Girls Club.

Kids ages five to 13 can get everything they need to start the first day of class, like backpacks, books, and school uniforms.

Wendy: We held this event in the past, but we made it bigger this year, make sure give more researchers -- resources to the kids, like socks and sneakers.

Typically we only pass out backpacks.

Melissa: Not only can kids get items for classrooms, but the events also offering grooming services, where kids can get their hair done.

Wendy: It is critical for students to have the resources they need to start the year right.

You cannot learn if you don't have supplies or you don't feel comfortable because you don't have uniforms.

We want to make sure parents are feeling comfortable to send their kids to school, the kids feel comfortable going to school, and that everybody looks their best and is ready to go.

Melissa: Since the cost of going back to school can add up, the is also an opportunity to ease the financial strength of families face.

Brady's mother said it is a big help for her as well as other parents.

Lisbeth: it's great for the kids, because many of the kids needed, like, suffer the school, you know, because not a lot of their families have money to buy uniforms, to buy stuff, divide bags and everything.

I understand that, you know, right now, is very difficult, because a lot parents don't have a job, you know, so this is great, and very grateful.

Melissa: The superintendent says she knows how significant an event like this can be.

>> I remember when I was a child, starting the school year with new items, you know, it is such a boost in your step, and you are ready for school.

I think it is excellent, it is awesome, it is an excellent way to start off the school year, to see our youngsters here getting all the supplies they need to start the school year, so they can really hit the ground running for their academics.

Wendy: Our club kids in passaic are awesome.

They are funny, intelligent, and they have so many strengths today is about making sure they have what they need further strengths to come to the forefront and be their best selves.

Melissa: Organizers say they cannot wait to do it again next year.

For NJ Spotlight News, I Melissa Rose Cooper.

Briana: That's going to do it for us tonight, but don't forget to NJ Spotlight News podcast, so you can listen to us anytime, anywhere.

Don't forget we will be starting the time at a different time beginning September 4, 6:30 p.m., same dependable coverage, new time to watch.

I'm Briana Vannozzi.

For the entire NJ Spotlight News team, thanks for being with us.

We will see you right back here tomorrow.

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