'Stop Blaming White People' sign at post office draws ire, prompts investigation
A sign declaring March to be Stop Blaming White People Month! has caused a fury in a New Jersey community -- and prompted an investigation to find out who posted it.
In its entirety, the bright yellow and orange sign read, MARCH is national Stop Blaming White People Month! Accept responsibility for your own bad choices. Hug a white person!
The sign was discovered at a U.S. Postal Service location in Flemington, about 26 miles north of Trenton, the state's capital.
The town's population of about 4,500 people is about 78 percent white, according to U.S. Census figures.
Greg Kliemisch, a USPS postal inspector, told NJ.com that the sign was discovered Thursday by postal employees, and was immediately removed.
Posting signs of any kind -- controversial or not -- at the post office is strictly prohibited, Kliemisch said.
The sign drew the ire of Flemington Councilwoman Betsy Driver, who criticized it on the public Flemington Forward Facebook group.
"Racism in our town exists, and the racists have been emboldened in the past year to fly their hateful flags a bit higher and yell a bit louder.- Flemington, N.J., Councilwoman Betsy Driver
Racism in our town exists, and the racists have been emboldened in the past year to fly their hateful flags a bit higher and yell a bit louder, Driver wrote.
NJ.com reported she also said racism is not a laughing matter.
"The fact that somebody even put the sign up is just sad and not a reflection of our town," Driver said.
Kliemisch told the publication that he could not confirm whether the location had cameras outside the building that could have captured the incident, as the investigation was still in its early stages.
It was not immediately clear what consequences the person(s) who posted the sign might face if found, the report said.