Mahwah December 25, 2013 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • Page 5 Township officials claim new movie is offensive by Frank J. McMahon Mahwah Mayor William Laforet was quick to react to a report in the New York Post that discussed the new movie “Out of the Furnace,” which opened in a New York theater Dec. 4 with a wider theater release on Dec. 6. The movie is directed by Scott Cooper and produced by Ridley Scott and Leonardo DiCaprio for Relativity Media. The film stars Christian Bale, Casey Affleck, Woody Har- relson, Zoe Saldana, Forest Whitaker, Willem Dafoe, and Sam Shepard. “As the Mayor of the Township of Mahwah, I am deeply concerned about the recent article in the New York Post,” Laforet wrote, “which discusses the movie ‘Out of the Fur- nace’ and its depiction of the Ramapough Lenape Moun- tain Indians. “The Ramapough Lenape Mountain Indians have a strong and proud heritage, not only in our community, but also in the history of our nation. The article wrongly char- acterizes the residents of Stag Hill as New Jersey hillbillies who live in a self-contained world of drugs, violence, and trailer homes. Nothing could be further from the truth. “This type of stereotype only serves to foster hostility, intimidation, and bullying. The movie is nothing more than a sensational attempt to generate money by denigrating and insulting part of our American culture.” On Dec. 4, Laforet called a press conference at the Rich- ard J. Martel Municipal Center to express his concerns about the movie. Dwaine Perry, the leader of the Rama- pough Indians, and Lauren Schoen, the superintendent of the Mahwah schools, joined him to show their agreement with Laforet’s concerns. Perry described the movie as a “hate crime” because of the way it depicts the Ramapough Indians. Laforet said, “I won’t stand by to see the Native Ameri- can Indians disgraced into extinction again.” Laforet described the Ramapough Lenape Mountain Indians as a well organized, socially accepted, and cultur- ally significant group of residents who live and work in the community, raise families, and attend Mahwah’s schools. “These residents live in homes no different than their neighbors,” Laforet said, “and are employed at major cor- porations and businesses in the tri-state area. They are a vital component to our heritage and should be looked upon for the contributions they have made. “Cinematic attempts of this nature only serve to elicit fear, hatred, and racial tension and have no place in a modem democratic society. I encourage citizens to spend their money on more well deserving movies and hope the theatre management will opt not to present this movie for public viewing. “This is a time that citizens should welcome and embrace the culture of the Ramapough Mountain Lenape Indians so they have a better understanding of what they have contrib- uted to our culture.” (continued on page 8)