Gov. Phil Murphy says Jersey City schools official who called Jews 'brutes' should resign

Associated Press and NorthJersey.com report

Show Caption Hide Caption Raw video of Jersey City Det. Joseph Seals funeral procession Raw video of Jersey City Det. Joseph Seals funeral procession on Tuesday, Dec. 17, 2019, in Jersey City.

Gov. Phil Murphy joined the Jersey City mayor in calling for the resignation of a city school board member over comments she made about the shooting at a kosher market, referring to Jews as "brutes" and questioning whether the attackers had a point to make in attacking Jews.

Earlier Tuesday, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop tweeted that Board of Education member Joan Terrell Paige's commentary on a social media platform from the weekend "has no place in our schools."

Murphy echoed Fulop's sentiment Tuesday night in a tweet: "We will not let anti-Semitism and hate go unchallenged in our communities. In light of Ms. Terrell-Paige’s comments, I urge her to immediately resign from the Jersey City Board of Education."

A message seeking comment by The Associated Press was left with Paige. The comment appears to have been removed from Facebook but was preserved in screenshots.

Board of Education President Sudhan Thomas said in an emailed statement that Paige does not reflect the views of the board and doesn't speak for it. She was elected to the board last year.

"There is no room for any kind of hate or bigotry in Jersey City," Thomas said.

Paige was responding to another person's comment about the Dec. 10 attack that killed a police officer and three civilians at the JC Kosher Supermarket.

Authorities have said the attack was motivated by anti-Semitic and anti-law-enforcement attitudes.

We will not let anti-Semitism and hate go unchallenged in our communities. In light of Ms. Terrell-Paige’s comments, I urge her to immediately resign from the Jersey City Board of Education. — Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) December 18, 2019

Paige's post said members of the black community had been threatened and harassed to sell their homes by "brutes of the jewish community." She went on to question whether the attackers, both of whom were killed in a shootout with police, may have had a message to send.

The shooters, named by authorities as David Anderson, 47, and Francine Graham, 50, had expressed interest in a fringe group called the Black Hebrew Israelites.

In an email to The Associated Press on Tuesday, Democratic state Assemblywoman Angela McKnight, who represents Jersey City and lives in the area of the city where the attacks occurred, called the comments "clearly insensitive and inappropriate."

"There is a time and place for everything," McKnight said in the statement. "I understand that there may be tensions between certain communities over property, but this is not the time for such conversations. Last week, lives were lost in a brutal attack in our community. During this time of grieving and laying people to rest, I ask that we allow families the respect to mourn."

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