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The Asbury Park−Neptune chapter of the NAACP, the nation’s oldest and largest civil rights organization, is calling for a thorough investigation into the social media post that showed two Neptune Township High School students posing before a graffiti wall affixed with swastikas and a racial slur.

“We will not stand for this repugnant display of hate by students in our community,” said Adrienne Sanders, President of the NAACP Asbury Park-Neptune chapter. “Posing with the n-word is not about lack of civility or poor social media choices. This is an intentional act of racial hatred and is profoundly offensive.”

The Wall Township Police Department is investigating the incident. Lt. Greg Carpino of the detective bureau said Monday, the incident remains an active ongoing investigation. 

The local arm of the national organization said in a written statement that they ‘condemn the most recent episode in the post-election surge in hate incidents.’

The civil rights organization said the graffiti incident is an example of 16 cases reported statewide and 1,372 nationwide of hateful post-election bias incidents, reported to the Southern Poverty Law Center [SPLC] as of February 2017.

According to the report, 25 percent of the national numbers were motivated by anti-immigrant sentiment, 19 percent by anti-black sentiment, and 10 percent included swastikas.

“Additionally, we are demanding immediate anti-bias education for all Neptune high school students, teachers, faculty, and administrators,” the organization said via a spokesperson in a written statement. “We will continue to work to take legal and community action against the acts of hate that threaten our society and our humanity.”

Founded in 1927, the Asbury Park-Neptune chapter of the NAACP received its charter in 1947. To learn more, visit their website and Facebook page.

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