Harlem Wizards hoops game a horrible idea for Bordentown
A township disfigured by racial strife following the arrest of a former police chief on federal hate crimes will host a basketball game Sunday between the Harlem Wizards and Muschal Mayhem, a team of teachers and principals from Peter Muschal Elementary School and township police officers.
The Wizards, an all-black squad who showcase humor and goodwill, should have passed on this appearance as former police Chief Frank Nucera awaits a federal trial since his arrest for hate crimes.
Event organizers seem detached from the emotional fallout from this case.
Come on. It’s just too soon, memories incredibly raw, scabs still showing for a basketball game between the brothers against the others. Playing hoops together in public sounds cutesy and far different than interactions that might occur on a dark stretch of Route 206 in Bordentown Twp.
That’s no indictment although the feds claim that Nucera alone delivered almost two decades of racial bias without the knowledge of Bordentown Twp. government officials. That determination remains difficult to accept, even harder to swallow unless downed with a malted chaser.
Feds claim Nucera previously ordered officers to bring police dogs to certain Bordentown Regional High School basketball games and to position vehicles near the gymnasium entrance to intimidate black fans, a federal complaint alleged.
This basketball showdown appears at that same high school as township officials have shown minimal positive outreaches to repair decades of alleged racist acts orchestrated by Nucera, although blaming one man hardly serves as exoneration for an entire police department.
And while several police officers exposed Nucera’s hatred toward black people, some, no doubt, carried out his orders despite the fact directives allegedly violated the civil rights of individuals.
“I was just following orders,” sounds like a lame excuse for years of alleged abuse incited by Nucera.
The criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office against Nucera states that the then-police chief assaulted an 18-year-old black man at the Bordentown Ramada on Sept. 1, 2016.
That incident began when two black teens allegedly stayed in a hotel room then attempted to leave without paying. Police were called and backups included Nucera.
According to the complaint, two officers had an 18-year-old handcuffed and in custody. Nucera allegedly approached him from behind and slammed his head into a doorjamb, as witnessed by a BTPD officer.
Another officer later added that the 18-year-old no longer resisted arrest at the time of the assault. In the complaint, he said he didn’t report the use of excessive force because he was afraid Nucera would retaliate.
Nathan Roohr, a sergeant who’s been with the department for 15 years, made 81 recordings of Nucera’s racial rants, including this one following the Ramada Hotel incident.
“These f***ing people should stay the f*** out of Bordentown”, Nucera allegedly said, then added that “it would have been nice” to use police dogs during the arrest because “that dog will stop anything right then and there [makes dog noises]. I’m telling you. You’d have seen two f***ing n ***** s stop dead in their tracks. I love that when they do that. I just love that.”
The complaint notes, “Later, on Dec. 31, 2016, an officer recorded Nucera defending his use of excessive force in the September 2016 incident, saying that a number of officers responded to the scene “‘cause of six unruly f ***** g n ***** s.”
He also is documented to have said, “I’m f ***** g tired of them, man. I’ll tell you what, it’s gonna get to the point where I could shoot one of these motherf ***** s. And that n **** r b***h lady, she almost got it.”
And, “I wish that (n-word) would come back from Trenton and give me a reason to put my hands on him, I’m tired of ‘em. These (n-word) are like ISIS, they have no value. They should line them all up and mow ‘em down. I’d like to be on the firing squad, I could do it.”
And the basketball games at Bordentown High? Dogs were brought to contests when the Scotties faced schools that were predominantly black and attracted similar fan support.
If Nucera were still around, dogs and extra police would be positioned for this Harlem Wizards basketball showcase. This space is perfect for that Nucera reaction that “These f***ing people should stay the f*** out of Bordentown.”
Minus the expletives racial identification and reason, Nucera would be right.
Unless event organizers employ the Harlem Wizards to participate in a meaningful discussion with township officials who have lied and added distortion to this horrific incident, unless players have an interactive discussion about race with community members then these basketball players should — tell ‘em Frank — stay the f*** out of Bordentown.”