Jersey City School Board Member Calls Jews ‘Brutes,’ Asks What ‘Message’ Murderers Were Sending

After a Jersey City school board member called the Jewish community in the Greenville neighborhood “brutes” who have “threatened, intimidated and harassed” black homeowners in a Facebook post after the murders in a Jersey City kosher supermarket, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop called on her to resign.

As NJ.com reports, “Joan Terrell-Paige made the comments in a Facebook post responding to an online story about Jersey City fighting hate in the wake of the mass shooting last week.Two members of the city’s growing Hasidic community, as well as a store employee and a Jersey City police detective were killed by an armed man and woman in what authorities are calling a hate crime.”

Before the post was deleted, Terrell-Paige wrote: 

Where was all this faith and hope when Black homeowners were threatened, intimidated and harassed by I WANT TO BUY YOUR HOUSE brutes of the jewish community? They brazenly came on the property of Ward F black homeowners and waved bags of money. resistance was met with more threats of WE WILL BRING DRUG DEALERS AND PROSTITUTES TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO YOU. YOU WILL SELL TO US THEN. Where was this faith and hope? Who helped black people living in rental properties owned by the jewish people but were given 30 day eviction notices so that more jewish people could move in? The $1M MAKE IT YOURS ads that mysteriously appeared in New York City encouraging jewish people to come to Jersey City did not fight hate. Why was the Friends of Lifers Program destroyed? Why was the Second Chance program destroyed? Many of the community gardens tended to by black people were eliminated. One still exists and has been harassed almost daily.

Solomon Dwek did not spread faith and hope. He caused many reputations to be ruined. However we learned six rabbis were accused of selling body parts. Where is the truth in these reports? If we are going to tell a narrative it should begin with TRUTH not more cover up of the truth. Dialogue is important but the truth is critical. The Fulton Avenue Park/Bethune center Parking lot story was not about faith and hope. It was about taking from one community and giving to another community. There was no concern of faith and hope. This is just a small portion of the pains of the Black community now being ignored in this rush to faith and hope. Drugs and guns are planted in the Black community. Mr. ******** and Ms. ****** went directly to the kosher supermarket. I believe they knew they would come out in body bags. What is the message they were sending? Are we brave enough to explore the answer to their message? Are we brave enough to stop the assault on the Black communities of America? My people deserve respect and deserve to live in peace in this city.

Fulop tweeted, “She should resign. That type of language has no place in our schools and no place amongst elected officials. Imagine she said this about any other community — what would the reaction be? The same standard should apply here.” He added, “I saw this and I’m saddened by the ignorance her comments demonstrate. Her comments don’t represent Jersey City or the sentiment in the community at all. The African American community in Greenville has been nothing short of amazing over the last week helping neighbors.”

School board president Sudhan Thomas stated, “Trustee Paige’s comments do not reflect the JCBOE outlook or value system. The JCBOE is home to 30,000 students and 6,000 employees from various ethnicities, religions, cultures and sexual orientation. There is no room for any kind of hate or bigotry in Jersey City.”