Remove the Statue of Asbury’s James Bradley, the Jim Crow of the North

By Tom DeSeno

James A Bradley statue in Asbury Park, NJ

Let me solve America’s current war on statues.  Not just weigh in – solve it.

Whether or not to remove a statue should be governed by the “doctrine of subsidiarity.”  What is subsidiarity?   The doctrine holds, “a community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions, but rather should support it in case of need.”

In other words, problems are best solved by those closest to the problem. Read the rest of this entry »

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32 charged in major gang, drug bust after spike in shootings

FREEHOLD — Authorities have charged 32 people – including alleged members of the Long Branch-based “G-Shine” set of the Bloods street gang – a drug and racketeering bust following a spike in shootings in three Monmouth County towns. The nine-month investigation led to the arrests of 29 people on offenses including racketeering, drug distribution and weapons-related… Read the rest of this entry »

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About the Asbury Park Anti-Hate Rally

By Art Gallagher

For this conservative Republican who believes in Dr. King’s dream, there was much more to be hopeful about than to fear at the Anti-Hate rally in Asbury Park yesterday. There was actually nothing to fear. Read the rest of this entry »

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Scotch Plains Man Arrested For Pepper Spray Attack in Asbury Park

photo via Joe Grillo’s facebook page

Morris May White, 22, of Scotch Plains, was arrested in Asbury Park on Sunday evening and charged with aggravated assault and unlawful possession of a weapon after he pepper sprayed a transgender woman who was participating in a sign making event in preparation for Monday’s Stand Against Hate rally in the city, according to The Asbury Park Sun.

White’s arrest in not being treated as a hate crime, according to the report.

Giuseppe “Joe” Grillo, as Asbury Park Board of Education member and one of the organizers of the anti-hate rally characterized the incident as a “hate assault” on facebook. Read the rest of this entry »

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Monmouth County Leaders Condemn Local Hate Speech

The Republican leaders of Monmouth County Government issued the following statement regarding the anti-Semitic and racist flyers posted in Asbury Park last weekend, as reported by The Asbury Park Press:

“It has come to our attention that racist, anti-Semitic, and hateful flyers were recently posted in the City of Asbury Park. Racism, anti-Semitism, bigotry, discrimination, or any type of hate have no place in Monmouth County, New Jersey.  Such conduct and speech is not consistent with our culture. We are a diverse county with people of all races and religions living together in harmony. These flyers do not reflect the reality of our communities.

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Asbury Park Man, Ocean Grove Woman, Indicted For Animal Cruelty

Andre Parker’s facebook profile photo

Andre P. Parker, 31, of Sunset Avenue in Asbury Park, and Tara R. Robinson, 43, of Lawrence Avenue in the Ocean Grove section of Neptune Township, were indicted with multiple counts of animal cruelty and related charges by a Monmouth County Grand Jury today, according to an announcement by Prosecutor Christopher J. Gramiccioni.

The indictment is the result of a joint investigation by the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office, Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MCSPCA), Asbury Park and Neptune Township police departments.

The investigation revealed that in January and February of this year, Parker caused a one- to two-year-old pit bull mix, known as Destiny, to become severely abused. Read the rest of this entry »

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Asbury Park Fire Displaces Family of Five, Help Them Get On Their Feet

Sherrice Lyles and her children

A fire in Asbury Park yesterday has left a single mother and her four children, ages 2 through 11 without a suitable place to live.

Sherrice Lyles was sitting on the porch of the Prospect Ave home she moved into just last week yesterday afternoon when she smelled smoke and heard the alarms go off inside her home. She entered the house and saw flames in her son’s room and attempted to put out the blaze with a fire extinguisher.

The Asbury Park Fire Department arrived shortly after the 4:25 p.m. call, according to Asbury Park Sun.

The blaze was extinguished quickly and there were no injuries.

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OpEd: Asbury Park’s New Charter School and Religious Funding

By Tommy DeSeno

“College Achieve” charter school is trying to open in Asbury Park. It’s operated by Mike Piscal, who is known in the education field for making charter schools in California go broke, for having lax policy on sexual harassment and choosing spokespeople the likes of Bill Cosby. After California he spent two years in Las Vegas, then recently had a failed attempt to open a charter school in Brooklyn.

Having come back home to New Jersey, he incorporated “College Achieve” charter school with no assets other than the $75.00 filing fee, with an address at his father’s house in Toms River.

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By Popular Demand—the Garden State Film Festival will return to Asbury Park

The Garden State Film Festival announced today that it will return to its original home in Asbury Park for its “Sweet 16” anniversary after a four year hiatus in Atlantic City.

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Terrance Weldon, former Ocean Twp Mayor and Asbury Park City Manager Died Today

Terrance D. Weldon, 1948-2017

Terrance Weldon, the former Ocean Township Mayor and Asbury Park city manager who was a central figure in the Operation Bid Rig scandal, died today at Jersey Shore Medical Center, Neptune, according to an entry on the website of the Buckley Funeral Home.  Weldon was 68 years old.

On October 10, 2002, Weldon pleaded guilty to federal charges of accepting $60,000 in bribes from three developers between 1998 and 2001.  He remained out of prison until January of 2008 while he cooperated with U.S. Attorney Chris Christie’s Operation Bid Rig into public corruption in Monmouth County.  His cooperation led to the convictions of Howard Schoor, the principle of the Schoor DePalma engineering firm, and three other guilty pleas.

U.S. District Judge William H. Walls rejected pleas for leniency by both the U.S Attorney’s Office and Weldon’s attorney when sentencing Weldon to 58 months in federal prison and a $20,000 fine on August 27, 2007. New Jersey officials stripped Weldon of his $20,000 per year public pension in February of 2008.

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