Ex-NJ Mayor Caught Telling Cops To ‘Maintain Black Folks Out’

[ad_1] by Sharelle B. McNair January 16, 2026

Proof helps Clark’s long-standing status as a “sunset city,” outlined in historical past as a spot the place native management used intimidation and aggressive policing to ensure Black folks and others keep away.

One other racist battle popping out of New Jersey, solely this time in opposition to the previous Clark Township Mayor Salvatore Bonaccorso, who was recorded utilizing the n-word and different derogatory phrases whereas instructing cops to maintain Black folks out of the city, the New York Every day Information reviews.

In a lawsuit from New Jersey Lawyer Common Matthew Platkin, Bonaccorso was allegedly heard on tape telling leaders on the Clark Police Division to “maintain chasing the spooks out of city,” a racial slur in opposition to Black folks, that he has used earlier than. At the moment serving three years of probation following a responsible plea to conspiracy to commit official misconduct and forgery, the ex-Republican mayor as soon as praised an officer for a routine site visitors cease involving a Black particular person. “Good for you, pulling over that [N-word] — maintain them out of city,” the swimsuit alleges he mentioned.

He as soon as allegedly boasted about Clark being identified for its racist ideologies. The city not too long ago made headlines for lastly firing two cops accused of utilizing the n-word in racist rants and accumulating six-figure salaries on taxpayers’ dime whereas on suspension.

“You realize why a number of liberals keep out of Clark, is we’re labeled as a racist city they usually need nothing to do with that,” Bonaccorso was heard saying to regulation enforcement leaders in 2019.

“You guys maintain doing all of your job so we don’t haven't any issues.”

Penalties of Bonaccorso and several other cops got here 5 years after the Union County Prosecutor’s Workplace took over the Clark Police Division following group members’ complaints of misconduct. Sparking an investigation, the AG’s workplace revealed proof of discriminatory policing practices in a 2023 report and pushed for a civil rights investigation.

Bonaccorso, who resigned early final 12 months on account of corruption fees, served as mayor from 2000 to 2025 within the predominantly white city. In accordance with The Gothamist, an evaluation of Clark Police Division automobile cease information discovered over 37% of drivers stopped between 2015 and 2020 have been Black or Hispanic, regardless of the demographics making up underneath 11% of Clark’s inhabitants.

The swimsuit alleges “the odor of marijuana” and low-level administrative or gear violations have been used to disproportionately goal Black and different non-white drivers through the years. Even outdoors of the township’s boundaries, Black and Hispanic drivers have been focused, with greater than 53% of drivers stopped by Clark cops. “By overt racial animus and discriminatory policing practices, Clark violated New Jersey’s civil rights legal guidelines and the New Jersey Structure,” Platkin mentioned in an announcement.

The convicted former mayor labeled the lawsuit as “bullsh*t” because the township’s former police chief, Pedro Matos, and present police director, Patrick Grady, have been listed as further defendants.

Proof helps Clark’s long-standing status as a “sunset city,” outlined in historical past as a spot the place native management used intimidation and aggressive policing to ensure “Black folks and different folks they understand to be non-white keep out of city when doable and go away city earlier than darkish.”