Essex County Executive Joseph N. DiVincenzo, Jr. hosted a ceremony on Tuesday, December 15th saluting the lifetime achievements of the late Raymond A. Brown, an iconic civil rights leader and attorney who represented some of New Jersey’s most high profile defendants. The County Executive announced a bronze plaque honoring Mr. Brown, who passed away on October 9, 2009, at the age of 94, has been placed in the promenade in the Essex County Government Complex to raise awareness about his contributions to Essex County and the State.
"Ray Brown was a champion of justice and left a legacy of fighting for people’s rights. He was a passionate advocate for all his clients, blunt in his arguments and never afraid to confront a judge or prosecutor when arguing for something he thought was right," DiVincenzo said. "Ray was also a civil rights pioneer who served as a role model for generations of attorneys and raised the standards for all lawyers," he noted.
The County Executive pointed out that Mr. Brown was retained to represent Essex County in two Federal Consent Orders that each lasted over two decades. Mr. Brown helped remove federal oversight from the old Essex County jails in Newark and North Caldwell and the old Essex County Youth House in Newark. "Our Correctional Facility and Juvenile Detention Facility went from being the worst in the State to being recognized as model institutions that generate recurring revenue through shared services agreements. Mr. Brown was an aggressive defender of Essex County and these accomplishments would not have been possible without his commitment," DiVincenzo said.
"This is a wonderful tribute to Ray," said his wife Jennie Brown. "Ray is the epitome that hard work will take you far and compassion will increase your reach," she added.
"To be here with this enlarged family and honoring my father is a wonderful feeling. This is a special occasion for our family," Raymond Brown, Jr. said. "He may be most remember for the high profile cases he worked on, but we will remember him for the regular people he represented," he added.
"My father always looked out for those who had less and taught his children the importance of giving back," his daughter Deborah Brown Bowles said.
Born in 1915, Mr. Brown moved from Florida with his parents and grew up in Jersey City. After fighting in World War II, he became one of the first black officers in the U.S. Army and achieved the rank of Colonel by the time he retired from the National Guard in the 1970s. Mr. Brown worked on the docks while attending Fordham Law School on the GI Bill. His law career spanned 59 years, beginning in 1949 when he was among the first African Americans admitted to the Bar. Throughout his career, Mr. Brown was known for his extraordinary work ethic, dominating presence, oratory skills and courtroom theatrics – all to provide the best defense for his clients.
"Mr. Brown humbled himself to represent people who lacked representation in the justice system," Assembly Speaker-Elect Sheila Oliver said.
NJ State Senator Teresa Ruiz described Mr. Brown as "compassionate, dedicated and tenacious." "Students walking by, attorneys and jurors entering our courthouse and other visitors will see this bronze plaque and witness the memorialization of a great man," she added.
"As hard as he fought in the courtroom, he fought for dignity and understanding," said longtime friend Calvin West.
He worked on a variety of cases that involved ordinary people and some of the State’s highest profile cases. These included bookmaker Joseph "News boy’’ Moriarty, Rubin "Hurricane’’ Carter, author Amiri Baraka, Camden Mayor Angelo Errichetti in the Abscam case, cop-killer Joanne Chesimard and singer Sara Vaughan. One of his most famous cases involved Mario E. Jascalevich, the so-called "Dr. X,’’ whose 1977 Bergen County murder case led to the jailing of New York Times reporter Myron A. Farber, who refused to reveal his sources or turn over his notes. He also took on a lot of cases for the NAACP and traveled the country, sometimes at his own expense, to represent blacks in civil rights cases.
"Ray Brown was the greatest Supreme Court Trial lawyer in New Jersey," Newark Attorney Frank Giantomasi said, noting he was an advocate for Essex County in several high profile cases involving the Youth House, Jail and Courts. "He saved Essex County because he cared about the people. He was always there to assist Essex County," he added.
"When Ray Brown walked into a courtroom, everyone stopped to see what he would do. He was a presence in the courtroom," Attorney Michael Critchley said. "It I could crystallize Ray, it would be that he respected everyone and feared no one," he added.
"He was one of the 20th century pioneers who placed New Jersey at the forefront of the Civil Rights movement," Rutgers University Professor Clement Price said. "We will not see someone with the same level of commitment at Ray Brown in our lifetime," he added.
Mr. Brown, a resident of Montclair, is survived by his second wife, Jennie Brown; a son, Raymond with whom he shared a law practice; a daughter, Deborah Brown Bowles; two stepchildren, Clifton Howell and Denise Randal; and seven grandchildren. His first wife Elaine died in 1968.
Several buildings and open spaces in the Essex County Government Complex have been named after prominent people who have influenced the development of Essex County. The park next to the Historic Courthouse is named for Barringer High School graduate and U.S. Supreme Court Justice William J. Brennan, Jr.; a plaza named for Civil Rights leader Rosa Parks is located in front of the Essex County Veterans Courthouse; the plaza behind the Veterans Courthouse is named for Congressman Donald M. Payne, who is the first African American Congressman in New Jersey; and the promenade on the south side of the Hall of Records is named for former New Jersey Governor and Essex County Prosecutor Brendan Byrne. The Veterans Courthouse and the Essex County Veterans Memorial Park are named as a tribute to the men and women who have defended our country and freedoms while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The former Essex County Jail is currently being renovated into a office building and is named the Essex County LeRoy F. Smith, Jr., Public Safety Building. Smith served as Deputy Director of Emergency Medical Services for the University of Medicine & Dentistry of New Jersey for 38 years before retiring in 2007. In Brennan Park is a monument recognizing the late Charles Cummings, who served as the official Newark historian and librarian with the Newark Public Library for over 40 years. The plaza in front of the Historic Courthouse is named for former Essex County Prosecutor James Lordi. There is also a bronze plaque in the promenade recognizing Lena Donaldson Griffith, a cultural arts and civil rights pioneer in Newark and Essex County.