NJ School Board Member Apologizes For Traffic Stop Rant (VIDEO)
ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — A member of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education has offered an apology after having an emotional meltdown during a traffic stop for alleged speeding last month. During the incident, which was captured on video, Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad calls the local police chief a “skinhead” and apparently attempts to use her position on the board as leverage to get out of a ticket.
On Thursday, Lawson-Muhammad issued a public apology for her behavior during the April 27 traffic stop in South Orange. (Watch the full video below)
“First and foremost, I want to sincerely apologize for my uncharacteristic behavior displayed in the police video on April 27,” she stated. “I had an irrational response to being stopped for a traffic violation. I allowed my emotions to overwhelm me that morning, and I fell short of the standards to which I hold myself.”
Lawson-Muhammad continued:
“Like many parents, I was trying to get my children to their schools on time. When the police officer stopped me, I was upset, frustrated, and uncharacteristically out of sorts. And to my benefit, the officer did not react to my behavior. The officer kept an even tone in our interaction and performed his job well under the circumstances. I thank him for his patience.”
Lawson-Muhammad said that she personally apologized to South Orange Police Chief Kyle Kroll, who she said is “passionate about our community.”
“[Kroll] is not the person I made him out to be,” Lawson-Muhammad said. “He sincerely accepted my apology and agrees that we will work together to help heal our community. We have begun plans to work with community stakeholders to build stronger bonds and greater trust for the entire community.”
During an earlier campaign for the school board, Lawson-Muhammad said that her mother and paternal grandfather served as principals, and her own volunteer work over several years in Atlanta, Chicago and in Essex County focused on tutoring and leading enrichment programs. She also previously worked as a senior technology manager in the wireless industry.
Lawson-Muhammad’s term on the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education began in 2017 and ends in 2019.
Elizabeth Baker, president of the South Orange-Maplewood Board of Education, offered a statement on Thursday about the traffic stop and resulting “legal and ethical obligations.”
According to Baker:
“I understand that Ms. Lawson-Muhammad and Chief Kroll have met and that Ms. Lawson-Muhammad has both personally and publicly apologized to Chief Kroll. I want to thank Chief Kroll for his willingness to meet with Ms. Lawson-Muhammad and accept her apology. This meeting reflects the beginning of a difficult, restorative dialogue. Such a dialogue takes personal courage and a shared commitment to our community.”
Baker added:
“Since I was made aware by the South Orange Village Administrator of the traffic stop incident involving my fellow board member Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, I have acted in consultation with the school district’s counsel to ensure adherence to all legal and ethical obligations. I also encouraged Ms. Lawson-Muhammad to personally apologize to Chief Kroll and engage in a dialogue that would repair the harms that her statements caused… I ask the members of our towns to support Chief Kroll and Ms. Lawson-Muhammad in this process.”
Don’t forget to visit the Patch Maplewood Facebook page here.
Don’t forget to visit the Patch South Orange Facebook page here.
The SOMA Black Parents Workshop, which released the traffic stop video earlier this week, called for Lawson-Muhammad to resign from her position on the board in the wake of the incident.
The group also commended the South Orange officer in the video for his “professionalism and demeanor.”
“This organization… is working diligently to repair the relationship between law enforcement and the African-American community,” President Walter Fields stated Wednesday. “If the situation was reversed, and an officer behaved in this manner toward an African-American civilian, we would have taken the officer and the department to task. We can be no less outraged under the present circumstances.”
TRAFFIC STOP VIDEO
According to the video’s timestamp, the incident took place around 8 a.m. on April 27. In the video, a driver who identifies herself as Lawson-Muhammad is pulled over for allegedly traveling 37 mph in a 25-mph zone.
The driver mentions that she is a member of the local board of education. She then tells the officer that she is “scared of cops because you guys hurt black people.”
When issued two summonses for speeding and failure to have a valid insurance card, the driver begins to protest and say she can’t attend court. She then mentions that she will call South Orange Village President Sheena Collum and “your skinhead cop chief, too.”
Watch the video below.
Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com
Photo/video courtesy of SOMA Black Parents Workshop
Photo 2 of Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad (Patch file image)
