A Hotbed for Rumors: New Jersey
by Alex Taylor

   After the tragedies of September 11, many rumors emerged that have propelled America’s  paranoia of people of Middle  Eastern heritage. As the researchers behind the much-publicized UrbanLegends websites found, many of the rumors involving  people of Arab descent came out of New Jersey.

   Hours after the September 11 tragedy, a customer allegedly saw a United States flag with Arabic writing on it at a Dunkin Donuts in Wayne, NJ and employees of Arabic background were found cheering behind the line. At a local Costco in Wayne, it was said that two men of Arabic descent purchased more than $15,000 worth of candy with intent to spread Anthrax. These are just  two highly publicized rumors, yet there are countless others that never made it for viewing on the Internet.

   There are many factors that contribute to the origination of rumors in Wayne, which has a total population of 55,000 people. Members of this community have been apprehensive since the destruction of The World Trade Center.

   Lt. John Reardon of the Wayne Police Department shared his insight regarding cultural dynamics in Wayne. “People are fearful. A man of Middle Eastern descent who owns a Blimpie in Wayne had three bullets shot at his store window recently,” said Lt. Reardon. He described Wayne as “a widely-mixed community with a lot of diversity.” 
   
   “Residents of Wayne have been finding people of Middle Eastern descent suspicious-looking lately,” said Lt. Reardon. Not only is Wayne close to Northern New Jersey and New York, which are home to large Arab-American communities, the Arab American Civic Organization is in Patterson, NJ – less than three miles from Wayne.

   A recent poll found that 34% of all teenagers said that they view Arabic-Americans as potential terrorists. A U.S. Census Bureau report  states that 77,000 Arabs lived in the state of New Jersey.  People who live in Wayne have more interactions with Arab-Americans, perhaps inflaming apprehension. Yet the Detroit and Los Angeles areas have much larger Arab-American populations.

   Perhaps the main reason that residents of Wayne have a sense of fear is due to the fact that two of the men involved in The World Trade Center bombings lived in Wayne. “They shopped in our malls and rented their vehicles in Wayne,” said Lt. Reardon. That, in his opinion, is the major contributing factor for the rumor escalation.