MAYOR RAS J. BARAKA STATEMENT

ON RACIST ATTACK ON PENNS GROVE MAYOR THOMAS

“Across our great nation, there is a surge in hate crimes and threats against elected officials and it’s even greater for women of color. Recently, an alleged employee of the Lento Law Group sought to block Penns Grove Mayor LaDaena Thomas from being certified as the winner of last month’s election and left a racist, terroristic, voicemail for the borough’s police director, calling her expletives and making terroristic threats against the Mayor.

“I am appalled and disgusted by what has taken place and especially after hearing the voicemail recording. Anyone of good conscience in this state should stand by Mayor Thomas and condemn the racist, white supremacist, comments. This is a clear attempt to bully, intimidate, and stoke fear into this African-American woman and I want her to know she’s not alone…that ALL of us in Newark and throughout this state will work to ensure that the only thing that will be destroyed is hatred, racism, misogyny, and ignorance.

“In 2020, Mayor Thomas made history as the first black female Mayor of Penns Grove but also she is the first black female Mayor for Salem County. Mayor Thomas’s significance and work to move Penns Grove forward is truly important to moving Salem County forward but also our entire state of New Jersey. It is unfortunate that women and more specifically black women are still the least protected class of people in today’s society.

“In 2021, a Women Mayors Network survey showed that political violence against mayors is common and ‘more prevalent for women mayors and mayors of color.’ Adjusting for the proportion of women in local offices, a recent report from Princeton University further estimates that women are targeted 3.4 times more than men.

“I condemn any and all violence against women and I stand wholeheartedly with Mayor Thomas and call for swift action against the racist and sexist terroristic threats made against her.”