Some Paterson residents call for Mayor Andre Sayegh to step down in wake of community activist Najee Seabrooks' death
PATERSON, N.J. -- One day after the New Jersey attorney general announced that his office will be taking immediate control of the Paterson Police Department, the community rallied in front of City Hall during a City Council meeting.
Members from the community have been protesting and pushing for the AG's office to step in since community activist Najee Seabrooks was killed by police on March 3.
"It was the cries of the community, it was the phone calls, the emails, it was the rallies and the protests, it was the demands for justice," said Zellie Thomas, with Black Lives Matter Paterson.
New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin spoke with CBS News New York on Wednesday to discuss what comes next for the community.
"What I am saying to everybody in Paterson -- those who are on board and those who are still thinking about it -- we're here for the long haul. The state of New Jersey has come in, we've taken over the department, provided professional leadership, we're going to provide all the resources we have," he said. "I'm committed to being there as long as it takes, until we can ensure that public safety can be delivered in a way that the residents trust and our officers can be proud."
Watch: N.J. Attorney General Platkin on CBS News New York
Seabrooks called 911 for help while having a mental health crisis.
"He did not die just a natural death. They assassinated," a speaker said.
The attorney general says he will revise the statewide use-of-force policy to include protocols for people who are barricaded. That includes the Arrive Together program.
"Arrive Together pairs a plain clothes officer trained in crisis intervention with a mental health screener in an unmarked vehicle to respond to 911 calls for service related to mental health or behavioral health crises," Platkin said Tuesday.
READ MORE: Some residents say state takeover of Paterson Police Department was long overdue
Some say these changes are a step in the right direction but not enough. They have no confidence in their mayor.
"It's time for him to do the right thing and step down," a speaker said.
A motion of no confidence was shot down Tuesday night. It needed 100% approval from the council to go up for discussion.
Earlier Tuesday, Mayor Andre Sayegh spoke about the work being done to improve the department and the takeover by the AG's office.
"Our goal is to improve the way that we protect and serve our public," he said. "It will go a long way to being one of the best police departments we can be in this country."
CBS2 reached out to police for a response to claims from families Tuesday night. They told us to call back in the morning.
We also reached out to the mayor's office for comment on those calls to step down and have not heard back.
