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Petition Seeks Garfield Columbus School Name Change Petition Seeks Garfield Columbus School Name Change
Petition Seeks Garfield Columbus School Name Change A former Garfield resident spent Columbus Day campaigning to rename a public school in town. “Christopher Columbus did not discover America, but[,] rather, stole and destroyed the land and history of [i]ndigenous [p]eoples who continue to suffer from his actions today,” Venise J. Salcedo wrote in a change.org petition that seeks to rename School No. 8. Salcedo, who works for Thomas Jefferson University Hospitals in Philadelphia, believes that the pre-K-to-5th grade school should be named for “someone who best reflects the values of its students, staff, faculty and alumni.” “European coloni…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
Racist Facebook Remark By NJ Town's Ex-Mayor, Committee Member Sparks Controversy Racist Facebook Remark By NJ Town's Ex-Mayor, Committee Member Sparks Controversy
Racist Facebook Remark By NJ Town's Ex-Mayor, Committee Member Sparks Controversy Residents of a Somerset County town are demanding an apology from their former mayor and current committee member accused of making a racist Facebook remark toward Mexicans. When a member of the Branchburg Neighborhood Watch group asked if workers from out of state power companies need to quarantine for 14 days Anna Columbus responded: "they came through the Mexican border,” with a wink emoji, screenshots from the now-deleted comment show. Then, when members accused her of racism, Columbus said: "Just for the record I have been going to Mexico since 2001 Every year Mexican friends have…

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by Cecilia Levine
Police & Fire
Prosecutor: Rockland Man Attacks Black Women In Bergen, Captured After Texas Wild Boar Crash Prosecutor: Rockland Man Attacks Black Women In Bergen, Captured After Texas Wild Boar Crash
Prosecutor: Rockland Man Attacks Black Women In Bergen, Captured After Texas Wild Boar Crash A white Rockland County man made racist comments to three black women outside a Bergen County liquor store, then smashed their car with a baseball bat, injuring two of them, before fleeing, authorities said. Carson Goodman, 21, of Sparkill was captured in Pecos County, TX, on Friday after his car slammed into a 400-pound wild boar on a local highway and a responding sheriff’s officer discovered that he was a fugitive from justice, Bergen County Prosecutor Mark Musella said. Goodman, who’d been hiding out with a relative, became a suspect soon after Northvale police were called to the Bevera…

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by Jerry DeMarco
News
'Halloween Hitler': Ocean County Warranty Firm Accused Of Racism Faces 2nd Lawsuit 'Halloween Hitler': Ocean County Warranty Firm Accused Of Racism Faces 2nd Lawsuit
'Halloween Hitler': Ocean County Warranty Firm Accused Of Racism Faces 2nd Lawsuit A Toms River car warranty company sued last month for having a racist work environment was hit with a second lawsuit this week alleging its CEO gave a Nazi salute in an Adolph Hitler Halloween costume and mounted a Mexican caricature while posing as President Trump. Motor Vehicle Assurance CEO Daniel Rodd “dressed up as the syphilitic failed artist and leader of the Third Reich for Halloween one year and gave ‘Heil Hitler’ salute," sales representative Kevin Marshall of Seaside Heights, alleges in a lawsuit filed in Ocean County Superior Court on Monday. "In fact, Defendant Rodd was so prou…

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by Jon Craig
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Morristown Student Who Used Racial Slur In Snapchat Video Loses Spot On Cornell Football Team Morristown Student Who Used Racial Slur In Snapchat Video Loses Spot On Cornell Football Team
Morristown Student Who Used Racial Slur In Snapchat Video Loses Spot On Cornell Football Team A Morristown native bound for Cornell University lost his spot on the Ivy League university's football team after someone captured him using a racial slur in a Snapchat video, reports say. Nathan Panza, a graduate of Morristown-Beard High School and rising Cornell freshman, was heard using the N-word in a video recorded on Snapchat around 1 a.m. Sunday, June 21, Cornell Sun reports. Panza’s high school classmate and an incoming University of Richmond freshman Adam Giaquinto reportedly recorded the video. After Panza uses the slur, Giaquinto points the camera back toward him and mentions Ge…

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by Valerie Musson
News
Bergen County Students Launch BLM Website For Tri-State Area Activists Bergen County Students Launch BLM Website For Tri-State Area Activists
Bergen County Students Launch BLM Website For Tri-State Area Activists A pair of Bergen County high school students whose parents feared for their safety at rallies took activism into their own hands with the launch of a website dedicated raising awareness toward the Black Lives Matter movement. Upon recognizing need for a localized BLM resource, Rayyan Ahmed, 15, of Waldwick and Divyash Shah, 14, of Tenafly jumped to action -- bringing BLM NJ online last week. Ahmed and Shah, both rising sophomores at Bergen County Academies, initially wanted to dive headfirst into the movement through active participation in protests and riots. That idea didn’t sit well wit…

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by Valerie Musson
Police & Fire
Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester
Longtime Leonia Firefighter Resigns Over 'Indefensible' Post About Asian American Protester A string of racist insults on Facebook against a young Asian-American protester has cost a volunteer of nearly 45 years his ranking positions with the Leonia Fire Department. 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 remove…

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by Jerry DeMarco
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Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface
Passaic County Theater Apologizes For Use Of Blackface Amid growing public discussions of race and racism, a theater company in North Jersey has apologized publicly for its use of blackface in a production that has relied on the makeup as a plot point. “Even though no harm was meant, we sincerely apologize for any offense,” the owners of the Rhino Theatre in Pompton Lakes wrote in a social media post. In question is Rhino’s 2018 production of the 1986 Ken Ludwig comedy “Lend Me a Tenor,” about an opera company that stages Verdi’s “Otello.” In the play, a white opera company assistant must assume the role of the lead character, who is Moroccan.…

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by Jerry DeMarco
Lifestyle
Photographer Captures Precious Moment During Jersey City Rally Photographer Captures Precious Moment During Jersey City Rally
Photographer Captures Precious Moment During Jersey City Rally Wendy Setzer was wandering through Pedestrian Plaza during Jersey City's peaceful protest last Tuesday when her eyes were drawn to two toddlers. One girl is black. The other is white. Both appear blissfully unaware of the reason their parents brought them to the rally that day. It was the first time the girls and their moms had ever met. But they were all fast friends. The best part? Setzer got it all on camera. "What made it a great shot is there are people looming in the background, adults with masks on, and  these kids oblivious to what's going on and enjoying each other's company," s…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
HelloFresh Cuts Ties With Bergen County Native Lea Michele Amid Racism Allegation HelloFresh Cuts Ties With Bergen County Native Lea Michele Amid Racism Allegation
HelloFresh Cuts Ties With Bergen County Native Lea Michele Amid Racism Allegation HelloFresh ended its partnership with Tenafly native Lea Michele amid a racism accusation made by her former "Glee" costar. Michele on Monday tweeted her support for George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement when Samantha Ware accused her of making her life a "living hell" while working together on the sixth season of the show.  “LMAO REMEMBER WHEN YOU MADE MY FIRST TELEVISON GIG A LIVING HELL?!?! CAUSE ILL NEVER FORGET,” Ware, 28, said in the tweet. “I BELIEVE YOU TOLD EVERYONE THAT IF TOU HAD THE OPPORTUNITY YOU WOULD ‘S–T IN MY WIG!’ AMONGST OTHER TRAUMATIC MICROAGR…

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by Cecilia Levine
News
Report: Woodbridge Police Dispatcher Resigns After Racist Facebook Remark Report: Woodbridge Police Dispatcher Resigns After Racist Facebook Remark
Report: Woodbridge Police Dispatcher Resigns After Racist Facebook Remark A dispatcher with the Woodbridge Township Police Department resigned after he was suspended for posting a racist comment on Facebook, according to media reports. Marc Repace was immediately suspended once the department confirmed the incident had occurred, NJ.com reports. Repace submitted his resignation Monday after his Facebook remarks came to light, the article says. The dispatcher commented on a photo of an 8-year-old boy at a Boston protest in messages with a Woodbridge resident.  The boy is pictured holding a sign saying: “At what age do I go from handsome to a threat?" Rep…

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by Jon Craig