Radio Hosts Visiting Glen Rock Temple Following Slur: Reports

GLEN ROCK, NJ — Two embattled New Jersey radio hosts will attend a community meeting at a borough Sikh temple as part of sensitivity training they must attend after making derogatory remarks on the air about state Attorney General Gurbir S. Grewal.

Megan Daly of United Sikhs, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for people of the Sikh faith, will host a meeting with the radio hosts, Dennis Malloy and Judi Franco, NorthJersey.com reported. That meeting would take place at the Guru Singh Sabha Sikh Temple in Glen Rock, according to the report.

Daly said in the report that the Glen Rock meeting has not been scheduled yet and would not be open to the public. (See related: 2 NJ 101.5 Radio Hosts Suspended After 'Hate Speech' Toward AG)

Ron deCastro, NJ101.5's president and chief revenue officer, would not comment on where the meting would be held.

DeCastro said Thursday that the entire station would participate in the sensitivity training.

"We'll be doing training for the entire organization," deCastro said. "We thought it was also important we engage the community."

The station is also working with the Sikh Coaliation, a Sikh civil rights defense organization, on the training program.

Daly did not return a message seeking comment. A representative from the Glen Rock temple could not be reached for comment.

Malloy and Franco generated a lot of controversy with the remarks. They were talking about Grewal's recent decision to ask prosecutors to adjourn marijuana prosecutions and Malloy said he couldn't remember Grewal's name. He told Franco "I'm just going to say the guy with the turban." Franco then called him "turban man."

Malloy and Franco were suspended for 10 days. They return to 101.5 Monday. Governor Phil Murphy called the remarks "hate speech."

Grewal is a Sikh American and wears a turban. He responded to the comments on Twitter: "My name, for the record, is Gurbir Grewal. I'm the 61st attorney general of New Jersey. I'm a Sikh American. I have three daughters. And yesterday, I told them to turn off the radio."

Malloy and Franco apologized for the remarks:

“We offer our sincerest apologies to Attorney General Gurbir Grewal as well as the Sikh and Asian communities for a series of insensitive comments we made on our show. For 21 years, the Dennis and Judi show has been unscripted and free form. We use humor and sarcasm to make a point and add color to the broadcast; in this instance, we were off the mark. It was a mistake we both deeply regret. We respect all cultures and beliefs and are deeply sorry for the pain caused to the Sikh community, our co-workers and our beloved listeners.”

Related: Glen Rock Leaders 'Disgusted' Over Radio Hosts' 'Hate Speech'

Email daniel.hubbard@patch.com

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