Paramus officials have suspended without pay a public employee who posted comments about President Barack Obama and the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. on his Facebook page.
Christopher Petronzio works in the Shade Tree and Parks Commission.
Petronzio tells The Record of Bergen County the comments were taken out of context and the borough is retaliating against him because he is an active member of a union that is suing the town.
Petronzio posted a greeting on Monday, Martin Luther King Day, saying, “Chris would like to wish everyone a happy James Earl Ray day.” Ray is the man who assassinated King.
The page also included a Kentucky Fried Chicken ad superimposed on a picture of the White House and a racist slur referring to Obama.
Borough Administrator Anthony Iacono says the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office and Paramus police are investigating whether the posting could be considered a bias crime.
