Screenshot from Facebook. John Ducey, the mayor of the Brick Township in Ocean County, N.J., is under fire for telling a Twitter user who was complaining about there being Jews at community parks and beaches to “call the police.”
The original tweet, which has been deleted, was from a Twitter user named “@sims10471,” who wrote to Ducey on April 23, “can we please do something about our parks and beaches. They are being invaded by hasidic [sic] and orthodox Jews and being ruined. Our tax paying residents are being forced out while politicians sit and do nothing.”
Ducey subsequently replied, “Our parks security has started already. Call the police and they will send them out.”
https://twitter.com/issacsnyc/status/1120863315377500162
A backlash ensued against Ducey for not calling out the anti-Semitism @sims10471’s tweet. Ducey later tweeted, “I did not want 2 acknowledge the bigotry thereby giving the commenter the power he was seeking. Instead I chose 2 try and diffuse the situation by getting the commenter 2 focus his anger at me. I was successful in that but obviously failed in the big picture.”
https://twitter.com/MayorDucey/status/1121036642427506690
Ducey apologized in an April 24 interview with Advanced NJ Media, stating, “The original tweet from the commenter was a disgusting, bigoted statement. My suggestions was what we would do with anyone if — if — there were any problems. People are misinterpreting it as me telling him to call park security. There was nothing to call about.”
Ducey has been the mayor of Brick Township since 2014.
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