Manalapan Juneteenth Rally Will Close Main Roads, Says PD

MANALAPAN, NJ – A Juneteenth rally scheduled for Friday evening will cause road closures, according to Englishtown police. Between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m., the police department advises drivers to avoid Monmouth County Route 522 (Tennent Avenue) between Monmouth County Route 527 (Main Street) and the Manalapan Border.

The rally will consist of a peaceful protest to commemorate Juneteenth, a holiday to commemorate the end of slavery in the United States. Marching will begin at 6 p.m. at Manalapan Rec Park, according to a Facebook page for the event. The route will begin at the park’s new football field and continue to Harrison Street in Englishtown.

Friday marks 155 years since the Emancipation Proclamation reached Texas, freeing the last slaves in America more than two years after the proclamation was signed.

While the gathering was initially listed as taking place between the Manalapan police station and the Englishtown police station, the starting point of the rally has since been updated to Manalapan Rec Park.

“A gathering in the area will necessitate the closing of CR 522 between CR 527 and the Manalapan border between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. and may further necessitate the closing of CR 527 between South Main Street/Park Avenue and Water Street,” reads a statement released Thursday by the Englishtown Police Department.

Officers will be stationed at traffic posts and will accommodate access to and from residential homes during the road closure. “Please be prepared to provide the officer with your address within the affected area so that he may best help you get to your home,” the statement reads.

To read the full statement, click here.