I processed into the Army out of the Newark MEPS. The night before we shipped, we were put up in a motel in East Orange. There were Marine Corps MP’s on our floor. I asked one if they were there to make sure no one went AWOL, he said “No, we are here to keep them out” apparently it was a Section 8 dumping ground and they liked to rob the recruits at night.
I could absolutely believe it; supposedly when Route 280 was built (separating north Newark from the rest) the overpasses were designed so a sideways APC could block them (though the roadway underneath seems too wide).