The Force Report is a continuing investigation of police use of force in New Jersey. Read more from the series or search your local police department and officers in the full the database.

“Every time I wake up, I feel my blackness," Zellie Thomas told a room full of residents in Paterson. "I walk the streets not knowing if I’ll make it home or not.”

Thomas, a Black Lives Matter activist, was one of several people Tuesday who told their stories of living with police bias against black residents. “We need to rebuild a new system that serves us and not white supremacy,” he said.

Salvation and Social Justice, a coalition of black faith leaders and activists, organized the meeting at the Bethel AME church as part of a series to discuss The Force Report, an 18-month investigation into police use of force by NJ Advance Media that found broad racial disparities in how police hit, pepper spray and use other types of force against residents.

Marie Ligon from Center of Grace in Paterson said she was breaking up a fight among 13- and 14-year-olds outside a McDonald’s when an officer approached the group. “The kids said, ‘Don’t mace the preacher,'” she said. “He just started macing all of us.”

Ligon ended up in the emergency room with high blood pressure while her granddaughter went around the corner to a friend’s house to rinse the spray from her eyes. Ligon said she reported the incident to Internal Affairs, but the department said the security tape from McDonald’s was lost.

Jameek Lowery was on the minds of many who came to the podium. Lowery filmed himself at the police station saying he was afraid for his life on Jan. 7. He arrived at the hospital shortly after with broken bones and bruises and was soon pronounced dead. Paterson police said he died of meningitis. No autopsy results have been released to the public.

Lowery’s mother, Patricia, was in attendance, and those who came to speak expressed suspicion of the official story of what occurred. “The route from the police department to the hospital is three to five minutes,” Thomas said. “You said you used a compliance hold on him, and he died just five minutes later?” Experts consider compliance holds to be the lowest level of force.

The Paterson police department did not return a request for comment about Lowery’s case and other allegations by publication time.

Others continued to share how they had witnessed force used against black people. Angela Godfrey said cops shot her cousin with his son standing next to him. Now, “he doesn’t want to be next to his father,” she said.

Ashante Bynum said the police beat her stepfather until his eye popped out of his socket. “I haven’t seen a lot of happy in my life,” she said.

The Rev. Charles Boyer, executive director of Salvation and Social Justice and the organizer of the meeting, said the attorney general asked them to participate in the office’s “listening sessions.” But the reverend refused. “We’ll hear from our folks what needs to be done and go and tell you,” he said. “You can’t expect a slavemaster to bring about a more humane system.”

Speakers advocated for better bias training, better screening of officers and a civilian review board to investigate complaints. But Thomas said he doesn’t want to meet with the police. “They know the solution: Stop killing black people,” he said.

Salvation and Social Justice’s meetings will continue April 16 in New Brunswick and conclude with a May 21 meeting in Pleasantville.

Erin Petenko may be reached at epetenko@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @EPetenko. Find NJ.com on Facebook.