Cranford Town Committee Condemns 'Hateful' Social Media Posts

CRANFORD, NJ — Posts in neighborhood social media groups can be cruel, and they sometimes provide false information or doctored photos and memes. Now, a governing body in one town has actually said the name of their town should not be associated with internet groups harboring "hateful" language — specifically referring to one local Facebook group.

At its regular public meeting Tuesday night, the Cranford Township Committee passed a resolution "condemning hateful and racist rhetoric," as well as condemning the use of the town's name in association with a group that they said contained discriminatory posts.

Many neighborhood Facebook groups have become breeding grounds for namecalling in political discussions. But few towns have come out and passed resolutions against the groups.

Recently, a Manhattan Upper East Side moms' discussion group temporarily shut down after accusations of racism.

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Any Facebook user can start a discussion group.

A release from the town of Cranford on Wednesday said:

<blockquote>

At its public meeting, the Cranford Township Committee, in the strongest of terms, acknowledged that hate-filled speech that targets people based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexual identity contributes to discrimination. The committee passed a resolution that also cited the role that social media plays in furthering divisions in communities.

Resolution 2020-227 condemned and disavowed the use of the name “Cranford” by individuals and on sites, including the Facebook group Cranford Uncensored, that targets and harasses individuals.

</blockquote>

The resolution mentions the Constitution and free speech, then notes that it's "not unlimited and carries with it the responsibility to exercise that right in ways compatible with the first principal of this Nation and this Community, that every man, woman and child, is entitled to be free from discrimination, hatred, and violence based on their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexuality..."

The resolution does not (and cannot) stop the groups, but it specifically says that:

• "The Township of Cranford’s social media policy for municipal employees prohibits, consistent with the First Amendment, municipal employee use of social media to engage in and support unlawful discrimination, hatred and violence based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender or sexuality."
• "The Township Committee disavows and condemns the use of the Township of Cranford’s name, and any association with Cranford, by individuals and social media groups, including the Facebook Group Cranford Uncensored..."

The "Uncensored" group is the only one cited in the resolution. Facebook says it contains 3,948 members and averages 80 posts a day.

The group came up in a Facebook discussion on May 31, when Mayor Patrick Giblin, who also serves on the Township Committee, posted:

There were more than 150 responses to Giblin's post.

One person said, "Please get this page down it's give[ing] Cranford a bad rap."

Another commenter addressed a local man whom he said was an administrator of the group: "Rather than waiting to see if the reports from disgusted residents trigger Facebook to shut your page down, perhaps you should consider shutting it down yourself ... you continue to defend this page as an 'exchange of ideas' and fail to acknowledge and take accountability for the negative impact to the community. People can exchange ideas — even vastly different opinions — without being indecent and intolerant. Why not direct your energy towards Friendship and Progress instead of stirring the pot?"

The person identified as an administrator responded, claiming the controversy arose after Mayor Giblin blocked him from his personal Twitter account.

Some who responded to Giblin's post shared screenshots of posts they said were from the private group. One screenshot shows someone using a pejorative word for a person with a disability, and another includes a claim that someone in a discussion in the group referred to himself as a supremacist.

Last week, Cranford drew thousands to a protest against racial injustice, one of many held in New Jersey in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis.

People can report, to Twitter or Facebook, any post or page that's considered hateful to a specific group, or that threatens violence. This can violate the private companies' standards.

Posts in community social media groups have impacted someone's reputation, particularly when false rumors were spread in small towns.

As of May, Twitter also has started labeling posts with incorrect information that could influence an election, and fact-checking the posts, an attempt to avoid past mistakes.

However, both Facebook and Twitter also have been responding to reports of violations by saying that due to coronavirus, "We have fewer reviewers available right now."

In Giblin's discussion about Cranford Uncensored, one commenter wrote, "I loosely follow that page to know who to stay away from in real life."

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