Have you heard? There’s some grumbling going on in the streets of Newark.

“What’s going on with the Newark Police Department?”

You don’t know what’s going on?

Well, before jumping to answer the first question, recent incidents have occurred in Essex County to lead African-American residents in the direction of asking the question if Black men should fear for their lives when it comes to police in Newark?

Let’s take a look at two recent cases.

First, it was the two Pop Warner football players Faheem Loyal and Tony Ivey Jr. along with their coach Kelvin Lamar James filing a lawsuit against Newark Police that accused several officers of holding them at gunpoint last summer.

The suit, which was filed with the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, also alleged the police force mishandled the complaint the plaintiffs filed with Internal Affairs.

Now, authorities are investigating the arrest of a man who died in custody early Friday in Newark after he allegedly attacked police officers, who were trying to subdue him after receiving a call of a disorderly person in a local bar.

According to a report by The Newark Star Ledger and the police department, Basire Farrell, 30, went into cardiac arrest as he was being transported to a hospital.

And, according to the very report there are contradicting statements from witnesses of the incident and the police department.

Newark officials noted after their officers got out of the vehicles and tried to subdue Farrell, he kicked and punched them and bit one of the officers. Police later subdued him, took him into custody and had emergency workers transport him to Beth Israel Medical Center.

“Preliminary findings from the city medical examiner have concluded that the prisoner did not suffer any physical trauma as the result of the struggle with officers that would have caused or contributed to his death,” said Newark Police Detective Todd McClendon.

But eyewitness are recalling something different.

Emily Reid, who lives on Tillinghast Street a block from the bar, said she was awakened by a loud noise and saw from her living room window two or three police officers beating, kicking and punching a screaming man across the street.

Reid said police continued to beat the man after placing handcuffs on him.

"I don't know what this man did, but nobody deserves to be beaten to death," she said.

Official evidence has not been released that will prove if Farrell died of his injuries from the police or if he died from his cardiac arrest.

But evidence may prove that once again, police in Newark have used unnecessary force on an individual, who happens to be, yet again, a Black man.

The incident with the two teens unfolded when James, an assistant football coach for the teens’ Pop-Warner team, the North Ward Scorpions, took Ivey and his friend Loyal to a Burger King in Irvington in James' Dodge Magnum.

A Star Ledger report stated when the teens and their coach drove down South 18th Street and approached the Clinton Avenue intersection at approximately 9:30 p.m., James stopped the car at a red light where there were two vehicles in front of his car.

After the light changed green and the vehicles did not budge, James signaled that he was going to move and started to drive around the two cars.

One of the vehicles swerved in front of James' car and blocked his way. Six police officers in street clothes came out of the two vehicles and surrounded James' car with guns drawn.

Mental note: Six officers with guns, drawn on boys, the ages of 13 and 15; officers beating one intoxicated man to the ground – he later dies.

Now do you see the problem?

These cases will continue if the Black community here continues to sit idle while our brothers and sisters are being harassed and beaten by the city’s finest.

Regardless if Farrell was intoxicated during the altercation with the police – his death may prove it was the dramatic encounter he had with police that triggered his cardiac arrest.

And, who is to say another Black man or teen will not be subjected to this type of abuse from Newark’s police force again?

Absolutely nothing has been said on precautions being crafted to prevent these types of occurrences from happening.

Reason why it’s up to the community to put in demands that it can no longer take this abusive treatment.

The community has been beaten.

“I'm really, like, numb with disbelief,” said Farrell's uncle, Racheim Farrell.