Earl Best Dies; Newark Mourns Legendary ‘Anti-Violence Pioneer’

NEWARK, NJ — A legendary anti-violence pioneer in Newark has passed away: Earl Best.

According to the Newark AntiViolence Coalition, the group he helped launch, Best died Monday evening, a day after his 74th birthday.

His peers offered a touching remembrance for Best, a former bank robber who returned to Newark with a mission of peace after serving nearly two decades in prison, earning the inspiring nickname of “The Street Doctor” along the way.

The coalition wrote:

“[Earl Best] was not just one of many fearless peacemakers who helped launched what became the Newark AntiViolence Coalition, he was well ahead of those bold violence interruption efforts in a very pioneering way. Although dubbed ‘The Street Doctor’ for his passionately addressing Newark’s homeless population – donning his famous doctor’s jacket when tending to that vulnerable population – his legend is more associated with being the leading presence of a number of former offenders who returned to Newark’s streets seeking to address its gun violence plague in ways that law enforcement simply couldn’t. An ex-bank robber who endured 10 years in solitary confinement, Street would leave prison and return to Newark’s streets to become a personal force that spared many from going to prison for over two decades.”

“From mentoring and addressing young men in state custody and hosting rallies against violence, ‘The Street Doctor’ would usher in a project called the Street Warriors,” the group recalled. “They were the first Violence Interrupters of the greater Newark area to seek to transition from courageous volunteer violence interruption on the streets to having a space and creating spaces to provide services, support and other direction for those in need of help operating their first office on Linden Street back in 2003.”

“Not much later, the Street Warriors would join forces with the New Black Panther Party and other organizations to form what was known as the Essex County AntiViolence Coalition, which did major antiviolence demonstrations in several Essex County communities and beyond,” the group continued. “It was the Essex County AntiViolence Coalition that foreshadowed what would later become the Newark AntiViolence Coalition.”

Best was later spotlighted on the 2009 five-part HBO Series "Brick City." He received many awards from local churches and civic groups, but also garnered international praise from the legendary Buddhist priest, the Dalai Lama.

“Street was a Newark original,” NAVC media advocate Zayid Muhammad said, fondly remembering his longtime friend and comrade.

“On top of all he did and all that he has been through, he was a selfless, fearless Black man who could also candidly express his emotions in ways that most men in this society simply do not know how to do,” Muhammad said.

“He was a Newark AntiViolence pioneer,” Muhammad added. “May he be honored and remembered as such.”

Keesha Eure, chair of the Newark AntiViolence Coalition, said Best’s life is a good example of the third principal of Kwanzaa – Ujima – which reflects “collective work and responsibility.”

“He made his brothers and sisters problems his problems,” she said. “He fed people, clothed people. He always gave a word of encouragement. He was a Street Warrior and always gave of himself. He was everything on any given day.”

“He brought laughter and joy to so many of our lives, and we will never forget that he always needed a couple dollars for something to help people,” Eure concluded. “Long live The Street Doctor.”

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