SPRING LAKE - On Tuesday afternoon, Craig Brinson, a bus driver from Asbury Park, stopped his bus to check out Bill Skuby's storefront window display on Third Avenue in downtown Spring Lake. What Brinson spotted amidst the drizzle was a picture in the center of the display, which was put up by Skuby, owner of a well-known men's clothing store.
The picture shows Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States, naked except for a primitive loincloth, with a bone through his nose, witch-doctor style. Underneath the image, a caption is written in black and white: 'ObamaCare - coming soon to a clinic near you.' The 'C' is depicted as a classic Communist hammer and sickle, a symbol not as regularly seen since the fall of the Soviet Union.
"That's not right. It's racist," said Brinson, a 46-year-old African-American, pointing with a visible wince on his face to the doctored image of Obama as witch-doctor. "I understand that this is America, but the president doesn't deserve this. This is wrong."
But Skuby, 66, a Spring Lake resident, saw nothing wrong with displaying his anti-Obama visual, which has been up since last week, for the world to see.
"A lot of people feel the way I feel, but are just afraid to say it," said Skuby, who said that public response on the street in front of his store ran "70 percent positive" in favor of the display's anti-Obama sentiments. "It always comes down to the race card."
Skuby felt that the proverbial "race card" was one that he could flip over in his favor because of his particular family circumstances.
"The middle one is my granddaughter," said Skuby, holding up a photo of his now 17-year old biracial grandchild Brett, flanked by two other grandchildren who are white. "My son married a girl that had a biracial kid. She is every bit a part of our family as the other two in this picture. I'm not racist. And as long as my grandchild doesn't think I'm a racist, I'm perfectly fine with all of this."
The limits of American free speech are apparently being tested now in Spring Lake. When Skuby unapologetically put up his display for the people of Spring Lake and the world to see last Thursday, he ignited a now-burgeoning debate in this Monmouth County borough of approximately 3,000 people in what is known as the Jersey Shore's Irish Riviera. And for both sides, who have been gathering in front of Skuby's store window taking pictures and making comments, what's at stake is significant.
Several voices in the rainy streets of Spring Lake expressed open defiance in the face of Skuby's display, stating that his vision was not one shared by the people of the borough.
"That window represents the worst of the worst in our society," said Suzanne Herrmann, a therapist who lives part-time in Spring Lake. "People can have their views, but to express them with bones through their nose is not right. Let's talk about policy, not about nastiness. This is not representative of how people in Spring Lake act. It's not what you say, but how you say it. This is absolutely disgusting. It is also incendiary. It brings the out the worst in people. This is outside the boundaries of the parameters of good ethics."
"We don't touch anything political locally or nationally, but I've expressed by own personal opinion to Mr. Skuby about the window," said George D'Amico, president of the Spring Lake Chamber of Commerce. "He has a First Amendment right to do what he wants, but from a business perspective, I would not do what he did."
"It's crazy," said Lynn Ludwig of Neptune Township, who was shopping on Tuesday at the Main Pharmacy in downtown Spring Lake. "I didn't vote for [Obama], but I respect him. It is what it is."
But others expressed respect, even admiration, for Skuby's views.
"It's the eternal question - what is the limit to free speech," said Karen Cameron, 59, a registered nurse from Spring Lake. "It's his right to put what he wants in his window. This does not incite violence, and it's in time for Halloween. This is not the limit. If we lose the right to free speech, America wouldn't be America."
But Walter Fields Jr., the former New Jersey state political director of the NAACP, the national civil rights organization, considered Skuby's perspective to be skewed.
"This window is a demonstration of resistant racism in this country," said Fields, 53, of Maplewood, the editor and publisher of NorthStarNews.com, a public affairs website that focuses on the news from an African-American viewpoint. "Spring Lake, and Monmouth County, are no different than any place else in America. The imagery [Skuby] is using is wholly racist. It's the type of thing we saw 50 or 60 years ago at the height of segregation. We still have unresolved issues surrounding race in this country, which is still a young democracy. You can express your opposition to the president in other ways, and we can do better as a nation."
"[Skuby] could have all black children, and he could still be a racist," Fields added. "People use the notion of a blended family as an excuse for their racism. You can love your family member and still be a racist, because your family member isn't a threat to you. African-Americans in a position of power are certainly a threat to some people. So it doesn't wash that because [Skuby] has a biracial grandchild, he cannot be a racist. That is too simplistic of a rationale. You could harbor feelings that you're not even aware of because you're blinded by your racism."
Tuesday was an interesting day for Skuby. One early morning male caller to his store left a message calling him a "racist," among other things. A female caller from Kentucky thanked him profusely for his display and expressed hope that Obama would soon no longer be president. Skuby said that he would continue to sell his anti-Obama hats and cufflinks, labeled F.Y.B.O., which originally represented For You, Business Owners and has now informally come to mean [expletive] You, Barack Obama. The proceeds from the sale of the $25 hats and other items will continue to go toward various charities, including several that raise funds for physically and psychologically struggling armed forces veterans, according to Skuby.
Regarding how his window display will shape his future, Skuby seemed to be unfazed by all of the sudden attention he has recently received. In fact, a smile crossed his face as he watched an instant town hall meeting generate debate in front of his Jersey Shore clothing shore.
"This isn't just the feeling of the 1 percent saying this," Skuby said, a reference to the designated socioeconomic elite often targeted in the recent Occupy Wall Street protests. "If you don't like my views, you're not going to get past that window. You're really not."
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