Newark Advocates to Join Nationwide March for Nolan Wells on Nov. 1

The People’s Organization for Progress (POP), a Newark-based social justice organization, will join a nationwide demonstration Sunday, Nov. 1, calling for answers and accountability in the death of 18-year-old Nolan Xavier Wells.

The march and rally will begin at 1 p.m. at the Justice Statue outside the Martin Luther King Jr. Federal Building and United States Courthouse, 50 Walnut St. in Newark.

Organized locally by supporters of One March, Fifty States, a nationwide demonstration effort seeking answers about Wells’ death, the Newark rally is part of a series of protests planned across the country.

Wells went missing July 4, 2026, during a boating trip with friends to Horn Island off the Mississippi Gulf Coast. His body was recovered in the water near the island July 6.

The case drew national attention as Wells’ family and their attorney, civil rights lawyer Ben Crump, questioned the circumstances surrounding his death and called for further investigation.

On Sept. 21, a Jackson County grand jury declined to issue criminal indictments, finding no credible evidence of criminal wrongdoing and concluding that the circumstances surrounding Wells’ death were consistent with drowning.

However, both the Mississippi State Medical Examiner’s Office and an independent pathologist hired by the family classified his cause and manner of death as undetermined.

The state autopsy also documented bruising on the back of Wells’ head, although the medical examiner did not determine how the injuries occurred—a discrepancy that has fueled questions and suspicion among those following the case.

On Oct. 5, Wells’ family renewed its call for a federal investigation, asking the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice to review the case.

Lawrence Hamm, chairman of POP, said the organization supports the family’s efforts to obtain answers.

“We support the parents in their demand for a thorough, transparent, and honest investigation,” Hamm said in an Oct. 29 statement. “We want the whole truth, and all the facts related to his death to be brought to light.”

Organizers of One March, Fifty States are encouraging participants nationwide to wear black during the Nov. 1 demonstrations as a show of solidarity with Wells’ family.

For more information about the Newark march, visit POP’s website or call 973-801-0001.