An anonymous tipster emailed us about a disturbing story out of dirty Jersey:
A family who had supported Barack Obama’s presidential campaign emerged from their home in the northwestern New Jersey town of Hardwick Thursday morning to find the charred remnants of a 6-foot wooden cross on their front lawn.
Pieces of a homemade bedsheet banner reading “President Obama , Victory ’08,” which had been stolen from the yard the night before, also were found, leading investigators to believe the banner had been wrapped around the cross before it was set afire.
Lt. Gerald Lewis of the New Jersey State Police said his agency is treating the incident as a bias crime. [philly.com]
And why is that?
“Even though the victims are not African-American, it is being treated as a bias crime,†Jones said, noting the combination of a cross — a “well-known icon†— and Obama’s race. [PoconoRecord]
Obama received a mere 38% of the votes cast in Hardwick. The area is rather snowy:
As of the census of 2000…The racial makeup of the township was 97.06% White, 0.61% African American, 0.07% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.89% from other races, and 0.96% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.32% of the population. [wikiwiki wikiwiki]
So to recap: the evening before the cross-burning, Gary Grewal noticed that the homemade sign his Cuban-American wife and eight-year old daughter made to celebrate Obama’s win was missing. He called the police to report its theft. The next morning, while he prepared to drop off little Arianna at school, she recognized the remains of her banner, near the charred cross.
“She saw it, that’s what bothered me the most,” Grewal said Thursday. “You can imagine the types of questions she was asking. It was very tough to explain.” [philly.com]
More from Mrs. Grewal:
“It’s so sad. This is such a cute, quaint town. There’s so much hate and anger, and it shouldn’t be that way. We’re all Americans regardless of our personal affiliations.†[PoconoRecord]
People are speaking out against the crime, according to Uncle G:
In response to the incident, Grewal said several Hardwick residents called them to show support.
Though Gary Grewal is originally from India, he is adamant in his belief the crime was not a personal one. He said he was scared upon finding the cross, but had to “sugarcoat†the situation because his daughter was with him.
“It’s unnerving. A couple people can undo the reputation of the entire town,†he said [PoconoRecord]
The Grewals live in a Republican nabe, and reported that Obama signs were regularly stolen from their lawn; interestingly enough, Mrs. Grewal noticed that signs for other democratic candidates whom she supported were left untouched.
Grewal’s wife, Alina, whose parents left Fidel Castro’s Cuba to come to America, was active with the Obama campaign in the county. She said several Obama signs have been stolen from her lawn, but never the other Democratic candidates.
Instead of being intimidated, Gary and Alina Grewal have been emboldened.
“I don’t want anyone to dictate to me and my family how to live,” Alina Grewal said. [nj.com]
Her husband had this to say:
“I’m not going to be intimidated by something like this,” Grewal said. “I don’t go on anyone’s property and do this. God forbid if I was African-American. We’re living in the 21st century, and we’ve got to be afraid to express our beliefs?”[philly.com]
Poor Arianna. An eight-year old shouldn’t feel threatened, just for happily painting a bedsheet:
Grewal described his community as a nice place “with many wonderful people.” But he said his daughter is afraid to sleep in her room, knowing someone was on the lawn while they were home.[philly.com]
I think with parents this fierce, she’ll be okay:
Gary Grewal vowed to make an even larger Obama congratulatory banner. [nj.com]
All right, which of you mutineers grew up in Hardwick and will now regale us (anonymously, natch) with stories about how the klan is actually somewhat active nearby (or so I read, in a comment elsewhere)? Or are you surprised that this could happen, at all?
Shocking, in this day and age. But there are a lot of hateful people out there whose worlds have been rocked by Obama’s win.
If you truly believe that African-Americans are inferior or that the white race is superior (as most people known for burning crosses do), then what could be more terrifying than a decided majority of Americans deciding a man with an African father is the most qualified to be our leader?
Even worse for aforementioned racists, what if he’s good at his job and the people like him? It makes it a lot harder to indoctrinate the children with a message of hate when the whole country is admiring our black president.
Obama is the death knell for these people and any power they used to possess. Gestures like this are the last angry gaspings of a hateful movement. I hope the Secret Service is on high alert, because their are a lot of fringe nutjobs out there now with seemingly nothing to lose.
For Instance
I never been to NJ, so all I know of it is from news headlines and Conan O Brian and they tell me it is just one big racist state that smells.
Is it really that bad?
3 · ShallowThinker said
I actually love New Jersey and don’t understand why people (literally) think it stinks…my vote for “unwashed armpit of Amreeka” goes to Pasadena, TX. That place reeks.
In 2002, I had to drive to NYC from DC twice a week for work and I actually sighed happily whenever I entered NJ…they have great rest stops where they pump your gas for you, what’s not to like? 😉 I’ve never really been to Edison (maybe once? can’t remember), so I can’t speak to that Little India, but every time I visited anywhere in the dirty Jerz I had a lovely, klan-free, good time. It seems like half the state = NYC suburbs while the other half = Philly suburbs, so I’m always a little shocked when the racism rears its nasty head there. Then again, people don’t believe that I got called the N-bomb on a near-daily basis in a small town in NorCal, so stereotypes about entire states are pretty useless, aren’t they?
Seriously though, I think Jersey (and Philly!) get far too much nastiness, more than they deserve. If you want to talk mad trash about Chicago, though…
ducks
I don’t know how to put this but Hardwick may as well be in PA it’s a hop skip and jump away from there. PA is like a whole other country I’ve come to learn. I had a really good friend who lived in Lewisburg for years and every year I went to visit it was just quite an experience. They all openly hunt and school is out on hunting day, there is a church at every street corner and racism is underlying. But there are towns like these everywhere. You drive 2 hours from NYC to Suffolk County in Long Island and you’d be shocked at the change in community climate.
Agree about Philly I feel it is the most underrated city.
Thank you for the post, Anna.
This is sick. Coming on the heels of this, where a writer with the pen name “LastOfMyKind” wrote, “Could it be that the nomination of Obama finally sparks a sense of unity in white voters? I would propose that this threat of black rule may very well be the thing that finally scares some sense back into complacent whites.” Spoken by a “former” white supremacist.
I’m with SpottieOttieDopaliscious on this one: there are “a lot of fringe nutjobs out there now with seemingly nothing to lose.”
And–not to derail the thread but, just to express a sentiment and identify a frightening trend–in light of what just happened in California with the passage of Prop 8, this is a reminder that with progress sometimes comes regress. As tremendous as was Tuesday’s victory, we just cannot rest on our laurels.
I hope the parents dont make a big display of their Obama-love anymore. Call me a chicken, but I want the girl to feel safe, not inviting more trouble from those half-brain people who showed so much hatred.
“PA is like a whole other country…”
Also affectionately known as “Pennsyltucky” – every part of Pennsylvania, other than Philadelphia.
“Seriously though, Jersey (and Philly!)”
those are my bestest parts to go when in the USofA.
“why all this hate you have which you pass to your children, the world looks at you and surpasses your understanding” tinariwen
which is why its commonly referred to as Stinkadena by others 🙂
5 · Janeofalltrades said
Far be it from me to say that PA is the greatest place on Earth. It has its share of problems, and honestly, both Rendell and Murtha were not far off when they expressed some concerns about Obama’s chances in PA, but we’re not all mullet-wearing hunters in day-glo orange listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd and polishing the gun racks in our trucks. PA did deliver 55 – 44 in favor of Obama, and some heavily rural and “snowy” regions of PA voted heavily in favor of Obama.
I mean, I get that PA is on the whole more fundamentalist and conservative (though not GOP conservative) than other States in NE, it’s still a good place to live.
If anything, when I went to college in NJ, right outside of Trenton, I was appalled by the level of racism. I heard slurs in NJ that I’d never heard anywhere growing up, in both VA and PA.
did anyone see the Baltimore Sun goof-up
http://thinkprogress.org/2008/11/06/jindal-baltimore-sun/#comments
I can’t figure out who the guy they pictured is… seems so familiar, but I don’t think that he is Fareed Zakaria, as some have said.
Look at this link at a college newspaper in southern USA. The kid is getting kicked for writing something that makes sense to most of us!!
http://media.www.redandblack.com/media/storage/paper871/news/2008/11/06/Opinions/Sometimes.The.Right.Is.Wrong-3527829.shtml
I don’t know how to put this but Hardwick may as well be in PA it’s a hop skip and jump away from there. PA is like a whole other country I’ve come to learn. I had a really good friend who lived in Lewisburg for years and every year I went to visit it was just quite an experience. They all openly hunt and school is out on hunting day, there is a church at every street corner and racism is underlying.
Sounds like places in West Virginia (except for the racisim part). Love it here.
The best reaction to this type of prank is NO reaction. Or something just as ridiculous back, like putting a new sign out in your yard with a sarcastic comment aimed at the perps/jokers. As we say in India, “the dogs will bark as the elephant keeps walking regally by”.
I grew up in Jersey, and now my family lives in a “northwestern” part of the state (though I don’t know Hardwick). The town they live in is a formally rural town, with lots of farms, that’s now being developed into upper middle class-type houses.
Obviously the state as a whole is diverse and liberal, but these weird pockets are Republican, and I really don’t understand why. You’re not a real rural area if you’re like 2 hours away from both NYC and Philly…but they identify with that “culture”…and apparently that means being a Republican? And in this case, racist? Meh, sorry for hating and generalizations, but it just annoys me. And it’s weird to see this kind of “bias” crime, as that officer puts it, b/c it’s like…uhhh…you’re in Jersey…if you seriously don’t like people of color, liberals, or democrats, move to a place that’s not NJ. It’s not like we’re new to the place.
14 · ABCD said
ABCD: Please don’t discount the University of Georgia or assume anything derogatory just because it’s in the south (despite the fact that, yes, the region is very conservative for the most part). UGA is a huge campus, with over 30,000 students, and has some very highly ranked academic programs, and Georgia is home to several very highly esteemed universities (Emory, Georgia Tech, Savannah College of Art and Design…). The county in which UGA is situated voted for Obama, as did counties in and around nearly all the metropolitan areas of Georgia. We were just outvoted by the rest of the state.
And as a liberal myself, I’m guessing that anyone who wrote something this scathing would receive quite a strongly negative response from the other side. Can you imagine a conservative writing a similarly harsh article about liberals? Don’t get me wrong–we just don’t need any more excuses for people to make fun of the south. ;P
Besides, your URL and your post aren’t even relevant to this discussion. But as an Atlantan, I just can’t sit idly when people spew venom about a region they probably have never spent time in.
Ever driven through Elizabeth, NJ? That’s enough armpit for the entire Garden eState. This sucks, and I’m sure we’ll hear much more in this vein. It will take years for the rednecks to settle down, especially with the Repugs fanning the flames of resentment.
19 Amrita said
Yeah, I’m not above quoting Ms. Congeniality 🙂
5 · Janeofalltrades said
I’ve been living in Western PA since I was four; the 5,000-person town I grew up in was virtually all-white. I can’t think of more than two or three instances in which someone said something racist to me. What exactly happened every time you visited your friend?
skp said:
This entire site is filled with presumptuous posters who, dare I say, stereotype regions of this country. [This statement that I just made is also a rather broadbrush sweeping generalization, but what the hell, I thought I’d just join the party.]
If this cross burning occurred south of the Mason-Dixon, we would probably get a bunch of posts damning the South. Since this event occurred in NJ, we get a bunch of excuses about what a great place NJ is. I’ve worked in NYC and Boston and grew up in and spent significant time across the SE US, from North Florida to Texas and various points in between. The most racist events I’ve witnessed occurred up Northeast.
My point is: everyone’s experience is different. Can we please stop extrapolating regional racist feelings based on personal experiences?
I would be scared if that happened in my lawn…
What’s funny is that I moved to the East Coast from Chicago assuming that it would be somehow palpably more progressive here than in the Midwest, but I find that it’s just not. The same shit happens, but it’s just configured a bit differently. And in some respects I find the East Coast to be worse, insofar as the extreme concentration of wealth in the NY-DC corridor seems to create certain self-righteous, hawkish tendencies that are just absent in cities like Chicago (Rahm Emanuel notwithstanding!).
This is such a great point. Some of this comes from the false Red State / Blue State dichotomy, which I think has created inaccurate political mythologies on both sides of the nonexistent divide.
You just had to go and take a potshot at my imaginary boyfriend Rahm, didn’t you?
Mr. Grewal can start by explaining to his daughter that they are different from the rest, and will always be treated differently.
If one were to follow Red Soul’s advice, he should tell his daughter never to offend the white majority of this country, and start posting an apology board in his lawn the next day itself. Maybe that will make her feel safe.
Per others’ experiences, NJ is such a great state, so the fault must be with Mr. Grewal. What did he think, that free speech and equal treatment etc stuff in that old document called constitution had anything other than decoration value? He really took all that seriously? Poor chap, he must be thinking that moon is made of green cheese.
Nj is a wonderful state. if desis there face any kind of jealousy or indiscrimination or hatered, it is their own fault. it has to be. I have driven through NJ may times and I get this warm fuzzy feeling every time my car enters the border. So NJ has to be good. It has to be the desi’s fault.
Am I the only person that thinks the police officer’s quoted reasons for treating this as a bias crime are weird and miss the point? Apparently it’s a bias crime not because a CROSS was BURNED on the front lawn of a nonwhite family (or any family, for political motives, at all), but because an Obama banner was taken, and this is regardless of the family not being black. So in other words, nothing to do with the family, everything to do with it being Obama. Or at least that’s how it seems. The ‘even though this isn’t a black family’ pissed me off. So what, they don’t deserve justice?? I thought Obama was supposed to be part of breaking DOWN that black-white dichotomy in America.
I am just seeing/reading this for the first time. I live in SC but grew up less than 2 miles from this house. For those that don’t know the area it IS beautiful. NJ always gets a bum wrap because of the areas near the Turnpike and cities (Newark, etc).
This home sits near the top of a hill that overlooks a pond where fishing used to be abundant and the deer roamed freely. There is a farm across from the pond and that used to be the only home there on what now has 10-12 big houses. If you want to really see that spot, rent or buy the original Friday the 13th movie. That spot is shown in the first 15-20 seconds of the movie where a girl hitchhiker is riding in a truck. Anyway, enough of letting you know how beautiful that area is….or was.
I don’t get to come home much anymore and can’t speak entire for the resident there, but for the natives who were born and raised there, things ARE different. Since it is so pretty and not that far a drive from other areas (75 miles from NYC) alot of people have moved there over the years and although they like it because it’s quiet and picturesque they ended up changing it. THAT my friends is what this is all about. It is about “outsiders” (sorry for that term but from a former native it is the only thing that fits) coming in and wanting to change how things are in Hardwick and Blairstown. There is, and has been, ALOT of resentment from the native Blairstonians of things changing. It is a very quiet town that no one used to know about…and they wanted it to stay that way. Unfortunately, progress cannot be stopped and things do change, albeit not always for the best.
It is MY opinion that this incident happened as a result of these feelings festering over time of seeing people from outside coming in and all of a sudden here is someone who openly has a huge banner in their yard supporting someone who is as different to that area as black-eyed peas are. Does that make what was done with the cross right? No. But as a native of that area…literally growing up a stones throw away from that spot (I actually used to hunt in that same field)…I thought that my comments might serve as a way for some to understand the feelings of the older community there.
There is an old saying, “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”. I think the longtime residents of Hardwick and Blairstown feel that there town has been taken away by people that came in and changed things. I have lived in a number of places in my adult life but I have always tried to adapt myself to the way things were done in those areas and not change things. I hve now lived in the same town in SC for over 20 years but am still viewed as an outsider because I wasn’t born there. That’s just the way it is.
I know there will be alot of responses to what I have said here. I hope it will not lead to further conflicts or hard feelings or harsh words. As one of our great Presidents once said, “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.”
Come on y’all. Don’t hide your Jersey pride.
I am in a complete state of shock over this. Not that I’m naive and think that this sort of thing doesn’t happen, by MG…
Bandman: “I thought that my comments might serve as a way for some to understand the feelings of the older community there.”
Understanding the context in which the crime is committed is important, though not a justification as you pointed out. The only danger in that, it seems to me, is for those facing discrimination to assume responsibility for the way they’ve been treated.
I can understand the point of not wanting your rural, picturesque small town to turn into a suburban or city-like atmosphere, however, putting a sign in your front yard promoting a presidential candidate of your country is considered “changing things”??? What, no McCain-Palin signs were found anywhere either because the neighbors wanted their lawns to look clean, green and picturesque? This is America and this is what we do hear, we put signs on our front lawns that declare which presidential candidate we are voting for. If the neighbors don’t like that then they can move to countries that don’t have elections or something.
Bandman, thanks for providing context but hopefully this should in no way be read as a way to condone the locals behavior. The idea that someone cannot express their political beliefs (fairly mainstream from the election results) without being threatened is scary. It’s not like the victims here were expressing a radical idea, and moving to an area where the locals are intolerant should not be justification for the way they were treated. Most discrimination stems from the view that an outsider is intruding on territory, physical or psychological.
Bandman, I’m curious. Could you be more specific and elaborate on the phrase, “adapt myself to the way things were done in those areas and not change things”? I’m not sure what “changing things” would entail here. Playing loud music? Suggesting changes to how town council meetings are run? Refusing to take part in trick-or-treating? Painting one’s house an unusual color? Driving a foreign-made car? Fencing land that is traditionally left unfenced? If you could give examples of the change that outsiders bring, other than simply being a different color or religion, I could better understand the long-term residents’ concerns.
This is off topic – but does any have any good recipes for samosa’s?
thanks
With apologies to Anna for high jacking the thread. Here’s Samosa’s recipe you may like:
Njoy and have a great Saturday!
I would agree that Pasadena TX is the armpit of America-I spent two years having to work in that place and probably passed more used car dealerships and strip clubs than most people do in a lifetime! Not only does the place stink, but the community will never embrace change-the riots for and agaist the Joe Horn case were amazing and really eye opening.
One of my favorite television shows is “The Andy Griffith Show”. I’m sure alot, if not all, of you have watched (or still watch) it. Blairstown and Hardwick used to be like Mayberry. Quiet and unassuming.
In my earlier post I said something about when in Rome (or a new location) one should adapt themselves to the way things are done and not try to change things. My point for that statement was to try and “fit in” and not rock the boat…so to speak. Things ARE going to change eventually and that is OK. I just don’t think that someone moving to an area should jump right in and do things out of character for that area…at least right away.
Someone above just made comment about different signs being posted supporting this person or that person, etc and that may be fine in some towns or areas but in the Hardwick and Blairstown that I grew up people didn’t do that. Really. You knew everyone because you either went to school with them from kindergarten or you were related to them. You knew what they thought or believed in because you did too.
I am not saying that anyone deserved to have this done to their property and their lives. My earlier comments were and still are about suggesting how natives of the area have felt about things changing and possibly being resentful for that. I was never condoning the act that was done. I was not even suggesting THAT was the reason for this at all. I think what happened is atrocious. It disgusts me. I could not believe that something like that could/would ever happen there…but it did.
I will end this post with the same quote I used earlier from one of our country’s greatest Presidents. “If we ever forget that we are One Nation Under GOD, then we will be a nation gone under.” I can only hope that cooler heads will prevail and nothing else like this will happen again…in Blairstown or anywhere else.
Bandman, the article says that the Grewals moved to the area in 2001. I think that seven years is more than enough time to settle into a town and it doesn’t sound like the family was “jumping right in” to anything.
But why, I do have a problem with that belief. I wonder how many centuries it would be before someone becomes president of this nation without being so subservient to this concept of God. Remember, O is not complete black, he is half black.
In that sense, I think maybe a proclaimed agnostic would get elected before an atheist…, I meander!
This statement officially disqualifies you from making any further statements about race in America.
I suppose the expert has spoken. I wasn’t making a qualification statement – it was only to bring a tantamount equation of Obama to an agnostic.
So, if you are qualified enough to talk about religion/state of american politics, try to answer the actual question I posed.
i think ‘bandman’ hasn’t read the post properly. if he does he will notice that it says that other people had also placed obama banners outside their houses but the grewals were the only ones targetted. i don’t think they were trying to be different or trying to change things.
It is MY opinion that this incident happened as a result of these feelings festering over time of seeing people from outside coming in
Maybe we should take a queue from the first white settlers and just get rid of the previous inhabitants? Given this history, americans have no right to complain re these kinds of changes.
Come on y’all. Don’t hide your Jersey pride. I’m moving from nj to Brooklyn next year! NJ and I – just not meant to be.
Why? You still follow the racist “one drop rule”? Do you know the mentality that created that rule?
As much as Obama is black, that much he is white as well, probably moreso, having been raised by two very white grandparents.
5 · Janeofalltrades said
Ok…so what’s this supposed to mean? People hunt, people go to church, therefore they are racist? Ignorant firebrand statements like this underscore the blatant refusal of a generation of immigrants that simply refuse to respect or recognize the ideals of the individuals who came before them to make this country the great place it has come to be.
This is very sad, but the Grewals sound like one badass family. On a similar note – and I believe this originated in Texas, but I could be wrong – I saw a photo of someone’s lawn, the Obama sign dwarfed by a bigger, home-made sign reading in huge letters something along the lines of, “You steal our Obama sign + We buy a new one = Obama campaign gets more money.”
In how others react to biracial black/white people the “one drop rule” is certainly in effect if your African ancestry is at all evident. There was no desire on the part of most whites to claim any part of Obama until it was clear that he was on a winning trajectory. He knows his own history central to which was a white family that loved him & contributed 50% of his genetic makeup, but before he became a public figure I am sure walking down the street strangers would assess him as “black” and respond accordingly (e.g. police scrutinizing him if he were to walk in Lincoln Park, women clutching their purses close on the Magnificent Mile).
I CANNOT BELIEVE what absolute nonsensical blind stupidity I’m reading from Bandman’s respondents. He tried to paint a picture for you of how beautiful that place used to be —- a “piece of Americana” & “a little slice of heaven” (my words not his). You “people” should be on your knees giving thanks for what you have. You should be thanking America for allowing you to come here & share our great land; instead you’re spitting on her. Moreover, you should be thanking God, who created her, then gave His Son Jesus to save her believers from their sins (the same type of folks that founded this country on the principles of “ONE NATION UNDER GOD” & “IN GOD WE TRUST”); instead you say He doesn’t even exist. I find myself thanking God for leading me to a small town in South Carolina which resembles the “old Hardwick / Blairstown area”. I’m also praying for my relatives and old friends who still live there and have to deal with people like you, the Grewal’s, and the person(s) who burned the sign & cross in the Grewals’ yard. Apparently the sensible, down to earth, God fearing people are keeping to themselves, “for the meek shall inherit the earth” sayeth The Lord; while you vile brood of vipers spew venom. Well, we shall all reap what we sew, & get our just rewards. That is, of course, after your newly elected “Anti-Christ” destroys all of us; and some of us ascend to Heaven, & some of you descend to eternal damnation. Oh, by the way I’m Bandman’s brother, and I couldn’t just sit back & watch him be fed off of.
I’m certainly qualified to answer nothing, but your original question itself was great. Pandering to religion – Christianity in particular, since Obama deftly avoided visiting any mosques (don’t get me started on McCain) – is apparently absolutely necessary to appeal to the American voting public. I haven’t read any studies about the accuracy of this political belief, though. I think that sometimes political inertia creates these kinds of shibboleths when, in reality, Americans would be more forgiving. Or maybe not, I’m really not sure.
And as far as this other person’s comment:
I don’t know the “mentality” that created that rule, but I’m mildly familiar with the legal and historical processes that did, and I’m intimately familiar with the kinds of cultural realities that’s produced. Has Obama probably benefited from being light-skinned and of recent white ancestry? Probably. Does the “one drop rule” still apply? Hell yes it does. America’s still racist and people who “look Black” are still going to get treated as such – for all the complex things that may apply to that. Hell, apparently I look Black, and when I’m in situations where people can’t infer that I’m desi or otherwise non-“Black”, I get treated differently. Anecdotal, to be sure, but the culture of “one drop” lives on.
Race isn’t about simple genetics. It’s cultural, instititional, and yes, phenotypical as well, but the first two count for a lot.