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It began with a post by a fellow firefighter of a photo taken during a protest in Leonia against the death of George Floyd.
A young woman in the photo holds a sign that says “F(***) THE POLICE”.
"To my Leonia people, who is this and how do you think this is peaceful?" a comment attached to the photo asked.
A thread of nearly 300 comments followed -- many sharing the poster’s anger -- before the June 8 post was removed.
Several of the comments were also racially and sexually insulting.
These included references to what some call the sexual completion of a massage, as well as the way someone thought the woman in the photo might pronounce the word “police,” among other derogatory comments.
It remained unclear whether the young female is an adult or juvenile, which also raises potential legal questions about the original post.
Although it was her right to hold the sign, the firefighter “shared the photo with malicious intent… in order to identify her,” Hanna Kim told Daily Voice.
“Racist and sexist comments flooded his post,” Kim added. “She was harassed by people who are old enough to be her parents. ADULTS had the audacity to mock Asian accents and demanded that she ‘get the hell out of our country'."
“It terrifies me to wonder what would have happened” if the June 8 post hadn’t been removed and “people ended up finding out who she is,” Kim wrote.
The thread included the massage reference, made by Jack Peters, a fire lieutenant who was president of Leonia Fire Company No. 1.
Peters was among those criticized harshly for some of the comments, particularly given that he and others in the thread serve a town with a large Asian American population.
Peters -- who is employed as the construction and zoning officer in Closter -- suspended his own Facebook account.
He then wrote an apology that was posted online by Leonia Mayor Judah Ziegler.
It said:
“The comment that I made in response to a Facebook post from another Leonia resident was clearly not acceptable; I was angered by the sign shown in the picture that was part of the post, but that in no way excuses the comment that I made about the person who was holding the sign. I apologize both to the individual who was holding the sign, as well as all who had to read my comment.
“Although I will state clearly here that my comment doesn't represent my beliefs, I realize that just saying this won't make anyone believe that I'm being sincere.
“The only way to ensure this is, both through word and action, to conduct myself in a way that shows I am living up to my belief that there is no place for either racism or chauvinism in our community or in general.
“As a parent, I am, in hindsight, even more aware of just how inappropriate my comment was; again, I offer my heartfelt apology to the individual who was holding the sign, and to all who had to read my inappropriate comment.”
Peters later stepped down as lieutenant and fire company president but remains a Leonia firefighter.
"The vast majority of the individuals who had commented were not from Leonia,” said Ziegler, the mayor. “This in no way mitigates the fact that all of the comments denigrating the protester’s gender, mental health, age, and/or ethnicity were repulsive and cannot be in any way defended.”
At the same time, Ziegler said he felt that Peters was truly remorseful for the “indefensible” comment.
Fire Company No. 1's executive committee met Sunday (June 14) with Peters in attendance and took no action.
The Leonia Fire Department has its own meeting planned for Monday to discuss the situation.
The mayor and council also meet Monday night.
Officials with Company No. 1 said that they are also emphasizing mandatory sensitivity training for all members:
"While these comments were made through mediums not affiliated with the Volunteer Fire Department, we understand that the comments of our members can and do reflect on the Fire Department," they wrote in a post, "and we further understand that at least one comment was insensitive, inappropriate, and indeed, offensive.
"The Fire Dept does not condone racism or sexism, and supports the right to peacefully protest."
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