TOMS RIVER, NJ – Toms River Democrat Laurie Huryk got herself into hot water in June after commenting that Toms River’s ration of white to black citizens was disproportionate to state and national levels.
At the town council meeting in June, she said the town needs to do a better job at enticing black people into wanting to live within the community. Huryk, a staunch ally of Governor Phil Murphy noted that Toms River’s white resident population is far higher than that of the State of New Jersey and even of the United States.
“According to census.gov, Toms River is 82% white, 3% black. As compared to the United States on whole which is 60% white and 13% black. New Jersey is 55% white and 15% black,” Huryk said. “We need to take a look at ourselves to examine what we can do as a community to make Toms River more inviting to a greater diversity of individuals and that of our state and the United States.”
Since making those comments, Huryk claims she received threats in the mail and on called for stricter censorship on Facebook.
After declaring that Toms River Township is not racially diverse enough for her liking, the Toms River Democrat notified the public at the next council meeting she had received a threat in the mail. She waved a piece of paper in front of her, but did not read the letter. She did not say whether or not she reported the alleged threatening letter to the Toms River Police Department. The charge of making threats through the U.S. Postal Service can carry up to 5 years of jail time. So far, the police department has not announced any leads in their investigation into the matter.
Huryk claimed the threat was in response to social media postings online.
On Tuesday, Huryk said since receiving the alleged threatening letter, she has recevied many messages of support and encouragement.
“I’d like to acknowledge the many messages of support and encouragement I have received since the truth of my words was published a couple of weeks ago. Those messages represent the Toms River that I know and love and I know that together, we can continue to do great things for Toms River.”