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New Jersey Division on Civil Rights

Police & Fire
'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (UPDATE) 'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (UPDATE)
'Reprehensible': Crimefighters Unite To Pursue Rutgers' Islamic Center Attackers (Update) The overnight trashing Wednesday of the Center for Islamic Life at Rutgers University in New Brunswick -- which coincides with the end of the holy month of Ramadan -- is being treated as a bias crime, authorities said. Someone forced their way in sometimes before 4:30 a.m. April 10, broke glass and destroyed artwork and various other possessions, Rutgers Police Chief Kenneth Cop said. The attack came on Eid al-Fitr, the Islamic holiday commemorating the end of sunrise-to-dusk fasting during the holy month of Ramadan. "Today we witnessed art pieces with Quranic verses, shattered window…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients
State Slams Paterson Handyman Who Refused To Serve Jewish Clients A handyman from Paterson was ordered to immediately stop refusing to serve Jews and take several remedial steps or face serious charges, state authorities in Trenton said on Thursday. Melquisedec Francis must satisfy eight specific demands to keep from being prosecuted, including announcing that he no longer discriminates against Jewish customers, attending training on anti-Semitism and paying a fine, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew Platkin said on Nov. 30. In advertisements on TaskRabbit and elsewhere last month, Francis wrote: "I am expressing my solidarity with the Palestinian Peopl…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
State Charges Millville Court With Discriminating Against Spanish Speakers State Charges Millville Court With Discriminating Against Spanish Speakers
State Charges Millville Court With Discriminating Against Spanish Speakers State authorities filed a complaint Tuesday accusing the city of Millville of violating the law by discriminating against Spanish-speaking defendants. The municipal court in Millville required those who “were or were perceived to be Spanish-speaking” prevented them from participating in court proceedings virtually between June and December 2022, New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin said on Aug. 8. Instead, they were required to attend court proceedings in person, the attorney general said. The situation was brought to light by Municipal Court Judge Jason Witcher, who accused the …

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Jackson Township Officials 'Weaponized' Zoning Laws To Suppress Orthodox Jews, State Charges Jackson Township Officials 'Weaponized' Zoning Laws To Suppress Orthodox Jews, State Charges
Jackson Township Officials 'Weaponized' Zoning Laws To Suppress Orthodox Jews, State Charges Jackson Township officials “weaponized” zoning laws against Orthodox Jews, making it difficult for them to practice their religion while discouraging others from moving in, state authorities charged Tuesday. Mayor Michael Reina and members of the township council, planning board and zoning board of adjustment devised the anti-Semitic scheme to stop what a former official called “the tsunami of orthodoxy that is mounting at the border," alleges a lawsuit filed by the state. The group was trying to appease a number of intolerant residents who complained to them at public meetings and in hatef…

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by Jerry DeMarco & Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Paterson Co-Op That Threatened Eviction Over Grieving Daughter's Support Dog Must Pay $20,000 Paterson Co-Op That Threatened Eviction Over Grieving Daughter's Support Dog Must Pay $20,000
Paterson Co-Op That Threatened Eviction Over Grieving Daughter's Support Dog Must Pay $20,000 A Paterson co-op and its property management contractor will pay a former tenant $20,000 for trying to evict her and her daughter over an emotional support dog the girl got after her father’s death. Jerrica Spence had given the Brooks-Sloate Terrace Cooperative Association and its property management contractor a physician’s letter explaining that the dog, who was a gift, was critical to the daughter’s “ability to heal,” state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal said Friday. The girl suffered from “conduct disorder,” which Grewal said was “exacerbated by the death of her father.” State …

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by Jerry DeMarco
Police & Fire
New NJ Civil Rights Director Rachel Wainer Apter Of Englewood Boasts Prestigious Law Record New NJ Civil Rights Director Rachel Wainer Apter Of Englewood Boasts Prestigious Law Record
New NJ Civil Rights Director Rachel Wainer Apter Of Englewood Boasts Prestigious Law Record Rachel Wainer Apter of Englewood already had a distinguished resume when New Jersey Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal appointed her Thursday as the new director of the state Division on Civil Rights. Apter, 38, most recently has served as Grewal’s counsel on civil right and immigration – and led the New Jersey team that defeated a motion by Texas and seven other states to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). “This is a unique time for civil rights law in New Jersey,” Apter said. “While civil rights are under siege at the national level, the New Jersey legislature has been dram…

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by Jerry DeMarco