Politics & Government
Mahwah Councilman Responds To Confederate Flag Photograph: UPDATE
'Racism, bigotry and anti-Semitism have no place in my heart or home,' Councilman George Ervin said.
MAHWAH, NJ — A township councilman has responded to reports that he was photographed holding a Confederate flag.
Councilman George Ervin can be seen holding a Confederate flag in the photo that was published on InsiderNJ.com.
Ervin said that people are using the photo to "make certain inferences." He said the photograph was taken more than five years ago while the family was vacationing in North Carolina. The "flag," he said, is a beach towel that was found in the home the family rented.
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"Deep within my heart and soul, I never intended for this photo to reflect my views; racism, bigotry and anti-Semitism have no place in my heart or home, Ervin said. "And shame on anyone who would infer such, without speaking with me first."
Ervin, a Republican, was sworn on to the Town Council last year after then-councilwoman-elect Mary Amoroso resigned.
Find out what's happening in Mahwahfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Ervin said Wednesday that he has never attended a Hank Williams concert.
The photo comes at a time when Mahwah officials are in the midst of a lawsuit filed by the New Jersey Attorney General's Office after the Town Council approved legislation that allegedly restrict Orthodox Jews from the town.
One piece of legislation prohibits non-New Jersey residents from using Mahwah public parks. The other allegedly discriminates against Orthodox Jews because it bans them using utility poles to mark the boundaries of an eruv.
In a statement issued Oct. 24, Attorney General Christopher Porrino likened the township's conduct to "1950s-era 'white flight' suburbanites who sought to keep African-Americans from moving into their neighborhoods."
RELATED: Mahwah Township Excluded Orthodox Jews, State Claims In Lawsuit
RELATED: Town Tells Jewish Organization To Remove Eruv Markers
RELATED: Hundreds Of Residents Meet To Discuss Ways Of Getting Rid Of Mahwah Eruv
RELATED: Eruv Markers Vandalized, Mahwah Police Launch Bias Crime Investigation
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Photo: A Confederate flag/By Edward Stojakovic, used with permission via Creative Commons license
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