Lakewood, NJ - Assault Case Postponed

Lakewood, NJ - The case involving a private school teacher charged with simple assault on a black teenager — an incident that sparked allegations of racial bias — was postponed in Municipal Court.

During a pretrial conference, Judge Scott J. Basen determined that questions about a conflict of interest need to be examined before the court can proceed in the case against Elchonon Zimmerman.
The question of a conflict centers on a tort-claim notice filed by Zimmerman, which is required before an individual sues a public entity.

Zimmerman, 43, alleges he was discriminated against by police because of his religious beliefs. Zimmerman is an Orthodox Jew.
Local NAACP leaders, however, say 15-year-old Jamarr Dickerson was the victim of racial bias.
Dickerson, who attended the court hearing, said that after he was assaulted May 17, a group of Orthodox men surrounded him and uttered racial slurs. "They said, "This is our side of town,' " Dickerson recounted.

While the Zimmerman matter was delayed, another twist has been injected into the controversial case.
Dickerson's mother said she received a notice in the mail stating that Zimmerman had filed a complaint of simple assault, harassment and criminal mischief against Dickerson, a Lakewood High School sophomore.
"I didn't do anything wrong. He's trying to come up with something to turn things around on me," Dickerson said. "I want the guy that attacked me to get what he deserves."

Dickerson walked out of juvenile court Thursday evening accompanied by family members and two community leaders including James Waters, past president of the local branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
"They dismissed it. They believed his testimony," said Waters, who attended the court proceedings.

During the afternoon hearing, Judge Basen said the pending juvenile matter was a second conflict that prevented the Zimmerman case from advancing. If called to testify in the Zimmerman case, Dickerson's constitutional right to not incriminate himself could come into play, the judge said.