The political process is rough and tumble by definition, and being grounded in faith in a Higher Power has proven helpful in navigating the difficult terrain.

We are the in midst of a bipartisan moment as it relates to criminal justice reform and dealing with mass incarceration in America which disproportionately impacts the African-American community.

These acts of terrorism are being committed by American citizens in this particular instance at a Planned Parenthood site, certain with a political agenda, fueled by the extremist rhetoric that we`ve seen from some on the hill and from people all across the country as it relates to a woman`s right to choose.

Another bigger problem is the fact that these incidents of police violence continue to occur because far too often the officers on the force rally around the one who committed the act of violence and, in this particular instance, may have engaged in a cover-up that itself should be prosecuted.

This is not a legitimate congressional exercise. This is not a fact-finding hearing. This is theater. This is a charade. This is stage craft. This is nothing more than a political hit job on a women`s right to choose. Which, by the way, is constitutionally protected.

Decade after decade, the police culture has been just the very opposite. And that`s been to ignore or to rally around. And that`s something that systematically we are going to need to break this blue wall of silence if we`re ever going to dramatically change and end the culture of police violence.

My job in Congress is to identify projects with federal or some other public component and then to push developers to provide employment opportunities to neighborhood residents.

Newark might be one of few the places where the politics is tougher than even Brooklyn.