A blue line was quietly painted right down the middle of Main Street between the double yellow lines in downtown Woodbridge, New Jersey. A blue lives matter flag was also unlawfully raised on the Woodbridge Avenue bridge overlooking the New Jersey Turnpike. Both issues were brought to the attention of Woodbridge elected officials, explaining how these controversial and divisive symbols send the message that Woodbridge is an anti-Black Lives Matter town. The blue lives matter flag was finally removed from the bridge only after township residents were told to instead contact the NJ Turnpike Authority, who promptly showed up and took the offensive flag down. The blue line painted down Main Street has yet to be acknowledged or addressed, and was insultingly still there during our community's first Black Lives Matter rally on June 7th. Let's hope it's finally corrected by our next Black Lives Matter march this Saturday, June 13th.

In Flemington, NJ, Mayor Betsy Driver had their town's insensitive blue line removed from its Main Street on Saturday, June 6th before their community's first Black Lives Matter rally, but someone has already vandalized the street, unlawfully trying to paint the blue line again in response and opposition to Black Lives Matter.

Let's also hope that once Woodbridge does the right thing and removes the divisive blue line, our community comes together to finally commit itself to diversity, inclusion, equity, and antiracism, and that concrete policies are put in place to ensure this vital commitment.