PHOTOS: Holmdel Unveils Red, White And Blue Line In Town

HOLMDEL, NJ - A new symbolic line to honor law enforcement and safety personnel has been unveiled in Holmdel, township officials said this week.

The new red, white and blue line aimed to pay tribute to the township’s police, emergency services and firefighters near the Holmdel Fire Department off Crawfords Corner Road was announced Thursday by Committeeman Rocco Impreveduto, who spearheaded the effort.

"The red, white, and blue line shows symbolic support for firefighters (red part of line), EMS (white part of line), and police (blue part of line)," Impreveduto told Patch. "I led the initiative to expand our symbolic support for police to firefighters and EMS as I think all the men and women who sacrifice so much to keep us safe should be recognized."

The honorary line was unanimously approved by the Holmdel Township Committee in September. Impreveduto previously said he hoped the new line would bring the community together, rather than divide it, and suggested painting a red, white and blue line to represent firefighters, emergency medical responders and police - a "first responders' line," he said. Read more: First Responders To Be Recognized With Painted Line In Holmdel

"The line is fittingly located between our new firehouse and the EMS building," Impreveduto added. "This is a highly trafficked area - and now anyone attending an event at PNC Bank Arts Center, commuting to New York via bus, heading to the Parkway, or going to the NJ Vietnam Veteran's Memorial via this channel will experience it. Because of its location, it also allows (we believe) for more people from outside Holmdel to see this gesture of support."

The symbol is the latest exhibit of law enforcement support raised in the township, following the controversial blue line drawn on the quarter-mile blue strip between Holmdel High School and Holmdel Municipal Court in 2016.

While the colored stripe is symbolically used in several communities to show support for local law enforcement, its meaning has been interpreted in different ways: The line is considered by some to be a metaphor for the ability for police officers to separate good from bad, but critics of the symbol have said that the line represents an "us vs. them" dynamic that furthers tensions between police and citizens.

Similar symbols in Marlboro, Woodbridge and Middletown have evolved into equally divisive issues among residents. Read more: Petition Seeks To Remove Middletown's Blue Pro-Police Line

The first blue stripe in Holmdel began to draw controversy in 2020 as the death of George Floyd sparked a national conversation about race and police relations in America. A petition to remove the line, as well as a counter-petition to keep the symbol, each amassed hundreds of signatures in 2020.

The line eventually served as the catalyst that prompted the creation of an ad hoc Holmdel Township Human Relations Committee to address large-scale concerns regarding racism and discrimination in the township. After a review of the blue line issue, the committee issued the following recommendation as part of its initial findings report:

“Regardless of the town’s original intent, it is clear that the line means something different today to many," the report read. "The symbol has been appropriated by white supremacists groups and the Blue Line now has the effect of making some members of our community feel unwelcome, and even threatened, in Holmdel. The HRC finds this impact unacceptable. It should not be ignored that the blue line flag was carried alongside Confederate flags and Nazi insignia by the insurrectionists who breached our nation’s Capitol on Jan. 6, 2020. The HRC therefore recommends that the Holmdel Township Committee abstain from maintaining Holmdel’s Blue Line."

However, the committee’s final report never came to fruition. In May 2021, the ad hoc committee opted against issuing a final report with recommendations.

Former Holmdel Deputy Mayor Cathy Weber later issued an apology for the statement in the initial report, noting that she had “listened to significant feedback since the report was released and understand that the some of the language was hurtful to many and not consistent with the goal of creating unity."

"For that, I apologize," Weber said. "It was never my intent to create harm to anyone but rather to make sure everyone had a voice. I will recommend to the committee that the final report not include the blue line and we focus on action items that can increase ties in our community.”