Residents of Clark Township received anonymous letters this week that reportedly encouraged them to target neighbors based on their heritage. The letters named specific streets and labeled families by their ethnic background, prompting a police investigation and a public condemnation from township officials.
One portion of the letter read, “IF TROUBLE BEGINS WITHIN OUR BORDERS, YOUR FIRST RETURN ATTACK SHOULD BE THERE...” according to NJ.com. The community group Stronger Clark posted pictures of the letter on Facebook on Nov. 5, saying the message named specific streets and labeled the families who lived there by their ethnic heritage. According to the post from Stronger Clark, the letters came from a group calling itself “Americans For Safety.”
News 12 New Jersey offered a more specific account, reporting that the anonymous letter targeted one family along Alice Lane for being Somali. That station also reported that some neighbors say the targeted family isn’t even Somali, leaving the family’s heritage in dispute in the available reporting. Neither claim has been independently resolved.
Township Response and Ongoing Investigation
Clark Township strongly condemned the “hateful and threatening letter” mailed to residents, though it did not confirm that the letter encouraged violence against neighbors, the township said in a statement reported by NJ.com. Officials acknowledged fear and concern among the residents who were targeted. “Everyone who calls Clark home deserves to feel safe and welcome,” the township said in its statement.
The Clark Police Department is investigating the matter in coordination with the Union County Prosecutor’s Office, according to the township. The Clark Township mayor declined to comment when reached by the outlet. Residents who received the letter are asked to bring it to the Clark Police Department.
People with information are encouraged to contact Detective Joy at 732-388-3434 or [email protected]. Anonymous tips are also welcome at 732-453-8500.
A Town With a Documented Past
This is not the first time Clark Township has confronted questions about racism within its borders. NJ.com reported in 2022 that the small Union County town has long had a reputation tied to past controversy, after leaders’ slurs surfaced in secret recordings, and the outlet followed up in November 2023 with a report examining lingering questions from that episode.
Statewide, bias incidents have been tracked by New Jersey’s Attorney General, whose office released a report in March 2024 analyzing final bias-incident statistics from 2021 and 2022 alongside preliminary 2023 data, according to the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General.
For now, the investigation into who sent the Clark Township letters, and what prompted their targeting of specific families, remains open. Neither NJ.com nor News 12 New Jersey have reported an identified suspect or confirmed motive, and officials have not released a timeline for when the inquiry might conclude.
