We’re in another election season and Justin Goldsman is again running for West Orange Town Council. He is receiving support from groups and individuals who either haven’t seen his past public statements, including those made while he was serving as a Human Relations Commissioner. Or those folks don’t care about the impact his words have had on our Palestinian, Iranian, Lebanese, Arab, and Muslim neighbors. Whether it sways your vote or not, people should be aware of Justin’s public posts and statements.

If anyone was wondering if Justin had matured or shifted his views, Justin’s answer seemed to be “no.” Despite having the benefit of time to learn and improve, at the Council Meeting where we called for his removal from the Human Relations Commission he still came across as defiant, refusing to acknowledge the harms of his words. Instead he made it about what was owed to him.

I will probably be personally attacked in response to posting this. Some might say my own statements or actions are cause for condemnation or concern. They’re entitled to their opinions, as are you in evaluating each of our histories. You’re welcome to read everything I’ve written and make up your own mind if you think you should value my opinion on whether to vote for Justin, or not. But I haven’t used a seat on the HRC to attack my neighbors. And I’m not running for elected office to represent all of our neighbors.

As I wrote last time Justin ran:

Justin and his defenders have tried to justify individual tweets/statements he's made. But that's not growth, or leadership, and many of his statements have been made in the last few years, in his public capacities, not the errors of youth. As another white man who's said stupid stuff on the Internet, I feel like I'm in a position to judge.

As I've written previously about my own failures: "My whiteness and maleness have given me all the second, third, and fourth chances anyone could ever ask for. It's up to me to prove I've changed for the better."

Justin just plows forward, never changing, never taking accountability, never being better.

If you prefer video, here are Justin’s comments with mine following immediately thereafter.

Public Comment

Note: I gave these comments over a year ago, and hadn’t shared them more widely for … reasons. In the meantime, on his way out of office, Governor Murphy preemptively pardoned the assailant in the assault I reference.

We've heard a lot about Tweets, but I'm going to touch on some other comments. 

In November, a man was assaulted. Here, in West Orange, a man was assaulted. A man wearing a keffiyeh was assaulted. A Muslim man was assaulted. I don't have to say allegedly assaulted because I witnessed it, from a few feet away as I tried to intercede.

Exactly one month after a Town Council forum where the now elected Council members not just engaged with, but supported, a bigoted, antagonistic, inflammatory question asked by HRC Commissioner Gallatin that sought to paint Arabs and Muslims living in our town as other, a Muslim man, wearing a keffiyeh, was assaulted, in West Orange.

Councilwoman Elect Rudin was there before the man was assaulted. She was there filming those of us gathered to protest the sale of land stolen as part of an ongoing genocide. I’m left wondering what she did with her videos. 

I'm left wondering what effect HRC Commissioner Goldsman had by posting, during an HRC Zoom meeting, the comment: “War is war, math is math, horrible war regardless. The population in Gaza has gone up 6x so it hasn't gone down?” 

That comment was made in response to Arab, Muslim, and Palestinian residents sharing their pain over losing friends and family members in an ongoing genocide. That comment in response to residents sharing their pain at seeing people who look like them, buried in rubble. Made in response to residents’ pain when looking at dead Palestinian kids, but seeing their kids.

“War is war, math is math, horrible war regardless. The population in Gaza has gone up 6x so it hasn't gone down?” Justin Goldsman, a West Orange Human Relations Commissioner typed that out and pressed send. An official statement in an official meeting. Then he deleted it, to try and avoid being held accountable when it rightfully upset our neighbors. That's what people are defending. That's what you're defending by pretending we don't need an Islamophobia resolution in West Orange. That's what you want us to accept as humanity in West Orange? What is humanity if our appointees, charged with bringing us together, allowing us to see each other's humanity, openly celebrate the maiming, killing, and vaporizing of children? 

Yet you want us to believe you're standing against Islamophobia and anti-Arab hate by not doing anything? I've advocated and lobbied and volunteered with Justin in the past. But these comments, in this role, cross every line I can imagine. That was sitting together talking through things. Justin couldn't clear that bar.

It seems there's no way to remove an HRC member. That seems absurd but if that's true I'll give you the same suggestion I gave the HRC. Work with the HRC to disband and reconstitute the commission and then you can all reappoint Commissioners you stand behind to represent you in their interactions with our neighbors. 

But first you need to put the Resolution Against Islamophobia and Anti-Arab Racism on your agenda and then pass it. Then you can follow the values of that Resolution and fix your HRC.

Video

Here at 6 hours, 7 minutes, 21 seconds, Justin ends his comments, and I speak next. Amy Gallatin, the HRC member who asked the question at the Town Council Forum, wearing an Israeli flag as a cape, gives him a standing ovation. You literally can’t make this shit up. If you want to listen to his comments, they start at 6 hours, 1 minute, 44 seconds

Justin’s Posts

Sharing these here because as disgusting as they are, and they shouldn’t have to been seen by more people or given more reach, people need to know who they’re voting for.