New Jersey
Lawnside, N.J. community unites after bias incident
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Two days after Donald Trump became president elect, Lawnside, New Jersey, resident Dawn Hines’ work day was interrupted by a series of calls from an unknown number.
When she finally answered her phone, it was her neighbor who informed her that her backyard fence was vandalized with spray paint depicting male genitalia and the words “I HATE N******. SORRY NOT SORRY.” The neighbor sent her photos of her defaced fence.
“Immediately, when I saw the graphics and exactly, you know, everything that it said and spelled out, I just was a little numb,” she said.
In the more than three centuries of Lawnside’s existence, nothing like this has ever happened, according to residents. Incorporated in 1926, the borough is the Garden State’s only Black antebellum community.
Hines has lived in Lawnside for more than two decades. She believes Trump’s history of incendiary rhetoric on race has emboldened racially motivated attacks.
“I would honestly say that it was done at the heels of the election,” she said.
Her backyard can be seen from a major road that connects to several nearby towns, including Runnemede, Magnolia and Voorhees, and she believes that’s the reason her fence became a target.
“It was strategically placed. It’s so perfect,” said Hines. “Anybody can, you know, just view what was put on there. They wanted to get the message across, and they did.”
Bias incidents have recently hit records in New Jersey
If the incident on Hines’ property is directly linked to the election, Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey, said he would not be surprised.
“When you have hate spewing from the very top, what ends up happening is that there’s a trickle down of hate and fear that perpetuates our communities,” he said.
Sinha said that bias incidents, the state’s legal term for hate crimes, could increase as Trump selects cabinet members who share his divisive views.
“I’m afraid that we’re going to see more of that in the second Trump administration and potentially more hate crimes as a result,” he said.
Police fired tear gas and used horses to push back protesters outside the Delaney Hall immigration detention facility in Newark, after nights of demonstrations over conditions inside. New Jersey’s governor put state police in charge and set up protected protest zones.
Published On 30 May 2026
From Camden and Cherry Hill to Trenton and the Jersey Shore, what about life in New Jersey do you want WHYY News to cover? Let us know.
In New Jersey, Mercer County officials have enacted new policies limiting the ability of federal immigration agents to access and use county property to conduct immigration enforcement operations.
Mercer County Executive Dan Benson issued an executive order and the Board of County Commissioners passed a resolution Friday that bans U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Patrol from using any nonpublic area on county property to enforce immigration law, unless they have obtained a judicial warrant or judicial order.
“From Minneapolis to Delaney Hall, ICE has repeatedly shown a total disregard for the law and for the constitutional rights of citizens and non-citizens alike,” Benson said in a statement. “We respect the Federal Government’s authority to enforce immigration law, but we will not allow them to use County properties to harass our families.”
“With this resolution, we’re sending a clear message that everyone in our community can safely interact with County government, and access County services, without fear,” said Board of Commissioners Chair Terrance Stokes in a statement. “ICE’s actions threaten the fabric of our community, and we will take whatever steps we can, within the bounds of the law, to protect our residents.”
New Jersey and New York City commuters are facing extensive delays in and out of New York Penn Station Friday, with intensifying ripple effects, after an Amtrak work train car on one of the hub’s tracks caught fire.
The FDNY says it was called to the Midtown scene on 31st Street, between Seventh and Eighth avenues, around 1:30 a.m. Nearly 100 personnel responded. Five civilians were evaluated at the scene by EMS, officials say.
It’s not clear what sparked the fire involving Amtrak’s contractor maintenance vehicles in one of the Hudson River Tunnels. It was knocked down well before 6 a.m., but service on New Jersey Transit, Amtrak, Long Island Rail Road and more was expected to see heavy impacts well into the morning rush, with Hudson River trains operating at reduced capacity. Amtrak said it didn’t expect to lift its suspension until at least noon.
Travel Advisory: Due to unforeseen track and signal maintenance resulting from a now extinguished fire in the New York area, all services traveling south of New York (NYP) are temporarily suspended. This suspension is anticipated to be in place until noon at a minimum. Services…
— Amtrak Northeast (@AmtrakNECAlerts) May 29, 2026
New Jersey Transit and LIRR also announced delays and cancellations. Cross-honoring and diversion programs were in effect as the situation developed. Complete LIRR service at NY Penn had resumed by around 7 a.m., Friday said, though equipment issues were causing cancellations. Get the latest transit information here.
Video from outside Penn Station showed smoke billowing in the pre-dawn hours, as emergency personnel stood by with stretchers awaiting any potential victims.
Amtrak is investigating the cause of the fire.
“We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause,” the agency’s latest announcement said, pledging to provide updates as new information becomes available.
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