Asbury Park-Neptune NAACP calls for thorough investigation after “racist photo” surfaces

Neptune, NJ – Nearly three weeks ago a photo surfaced of two Neptune High School students in Wall Township posing in front of swastikas and the n-word spray painted on a wall.

Neptune Township residents will not tolerate racism

Neptune Township school officials sent letters out to parents stating the situation was being taken care of. Neptune School District Superintendent Tami Crader said the students involved would face “consequences”, but said she could not discuss specific cases of discipline involving individual students.

“Please be assured that the inherent message contained within this image is not one that is reflective of the teachers’, administrators’ or Board of Education members’ beliefs, actions or opinions,” Crader said, in a letter posted on the school district’s website earlier this month.

Asbury Park-Neptune NAACP stands with residents

However, the Asbury Park-Neptune NAACP says more needs to be done. Specifically the NAACP wants a “thorough investigation” and for Neptune Township to hold an anti-bias educational training  “for all Neptune high school students, teachers, faculty and administrators.”

“We will not stand for this repugnant display of hate by our students in our community,” said Adrienne Sanders, president of the NAACP Asbury Park-Neptune chapter.

“Posing with the n-word is not about lack of civility or poor social media choices. This is an intentional act of racial hatred and is profoundly offensive.”

Wall police are investigating the circumstances surrounding the photo, which circulated on social media.

In response to the photo, members of the community and organizations, held a protest at Brookdale Community College in Neptune to denounce racism within its community.

The NAACP, the nation’s oldest civil rights organization, noted statistics compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which monitors hate groups and bias crimes across the country. It said that such incidents have been on the rise since the November election.

Bias Crimes

The Southern Poverty Law Center said nationwide there have been 1,372 bias crimes as of February.

The organization noted of the total 1,372, 25 percent were motivated by anti-immigrant sentiment, 19 percent were motivated by anti-black sentiment, and 10 percent included swastikas.

“I think that it’s clear that nationally we have an issue with an increase in racially biased and religiously biased incidents in the last 6 months,” said Maureen Shaffer, a spokeswoman for the Asbury Park-Neptune NAACP told the Asbury Park Press. “While we’re horrified by what we see – we’re not surprised – we feel that these are not isolated incidents.”