Readers Put Montclair Times On Notice

My favorite line:

"...5,000 people... all of whom he knew and knew him personally."

These people need to get a grip. It was a reader's letter, not an editorial. A reader's letter is not the "media." If they want to complain they should address their comments to the person that wrote the letter.

I am woefully uninformed about this particular letter, but the Montclair Times seems in recent years to have become exceedingly reluctant to publish anything on any controversial (ie, important) topic. The editorials are particularly smarmy and irrelevant. So it's characteristic that a furor has developed over not an article or editorial, but a letter to the editor.

Hard to know if any of this is justified without reading the letter in question. Anyone know where a cashed version is?

Walleroo,

The MC Times had an editorial against the genocide in Darfur (they're against it), calling for effective action, in the form of petitions, postcards, sit-ins, bake sales, etc. So I don't see exactly where you get off saying they are not taking on the important topics.

We need the Times to reinforce our activism so things of significance can get done.

So, in the inestimable words of Chairman Mikey - Now March!

"Let the real truth be known! Most people are aware of it anyway."

Yes the truth is that Mr. Nicastro is dead.

Justin Ashe was a football player for Montclair High School and a good one at that. He died at his own hand by drinking and driving and smashing into a tree. His Brother Jeffery Ashe and 2 cohorts beat the life out of Ralph Nicastro. Ralph was '5 4" and weighed about 110 pounds. The beating he took was horrendous. His jaw was broken, his head was bashed in, he was in a coma with a feeding tube. The Ashe family has been committing crimes in this town for the past 40 years...ask any cop in town. Was this a racial attack? I think so. Was it gang related? I think so. There are plenty of unanswered questions for the Nicastro family to lose hours of sleep time. If you knew Ralph, you would understand. If you knew his family, you would understand. For every three letters touting Jeffery Ashe, there will be 20 more from people who knew the Nicastro family. Actually, the letters are quite humorous considering the Ashe reputation.

That's a pretty powerful post.

Let's be honest. We really must stop mistaking dysfunctional, socially alienated people who happen to be black or athletes or entertainers, for civil rights victims.

We sympathize with anyone who looses a son or daughter, but no one is above community scrutiny, especially if they are proven to consistently create social chaos and harm to other human beings.

Did anybody mention anything about the race of the people involved in this incident? I must have missed it.

hmmmmm

What race are they? I haven't seen it noted anywhere.

As a self-appointed spokesperson for the Ashe family, I would first like to express that we offer our deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the family of Ralph Nicastro. Our family has had its share of problems, undoubtedly, but we have all moved on with our lives. Jeffrey has 2 children, (by the same woman) who happens to be his fiance. The two were in the process of purchasing a home in which they were to be married. His brother , who lived at the Park Street address for 5 years with his wife and son, (his in-laws owned the house for 20 years) is also in the process of becoming a home owner. Unfortuntely, some of the Ashes, admittedly, have had past troubles. You see, thier father was not a township official with the power to eliminate any record of their behavior. Most people in this town are aware that for the most part, kids who are depressed or troubled "act-out" in some way, but if you have a parent who holds some position of power or prestige, you get away with your anti-social behavior. Most human families, however, do share commonalities...Our family knows the pain of losing a loved one...our family is also familiar with the pain of divorce,as well as the havoc that drug-addiction and alcohol abuse can heap upon a family. Which apparently, were the catalysts for Mr. Nicastro's behavior,of late. We also know the guilt that accompanies co-dependency, and therfore understand why his estranged wife, who was in the process of divorcing him, because of his "problems", is behaving like a distressed widow. Mrs. Ashe is currently a student at Centenary College...she is on the National Dean's List, will be graduating Summa Cum Laude, and plans to attend Rutgers Law School in the next 18 months or so. She has been a community volunteer for the past 20 years, teaching an extra curricular poetry class at Mt.Hebron while her son Justin was a student there. She has also continued, for the past 7 years, to tutor eighth-graders in the town for their GEPA exams. She is not some calloused animal, and didn't raise her children to be that way either. You have the story "all wrong". Jeffrey and/or his "two co-horts" did not beat Mr. Nicastro or anyone else to death. One must wonder why at 44 years old, did a grown man weigh only "120 lbs soaking wet?".Were there some underlying medical conditions exascerbated by drug addiction and alcoholism? We know that "normally", Ralph was a nice guy....who played catch with Jeffrey's brother and nephew in the back yard...often saying to him "Man, you have a nice family, don't mess up your family like I did mine". but drugs and alcohol and an impending divorce, can alter one's personality. And for Montclairgirl?......how tragic that, even in death, you would try to strip Justin Ashe of his glory. He was more than a "good" running back...he was second only to Aubrey Lewis in his accomplishments on the field, and received a Declaration from the State of New Jersey honoring his memory. We find it ironic that officials have reported "Lies" from the onset of this case, to paint a picture, but now that they know what really happened, they "can't give further details because of the impending trial"...a 2nd degree reckless manslaughter indictment, tells anyone with any legal background, that if something did happen it was neither intentional nor malicious. Did Jeffrey and his "co-horts" inflict the injuries that Ralph sustained? We think not! There are too many other places he could have been and to many other "characters" he could have been associated with. Don't try to make someone out to be a vicious murderer, just because they have had past troubles. At 28, Jeffrey is moving on with his life. Unfortunately, Ralph's personal demons had disrupted his. We are confident that Jeffrey will be vindicated at trial, when the jury hears the truth.

WOW

What a hodgepodge of innuendo and accusation.

I especially like:
"his estranged wife, who was in the process of divorcing him, because of his "problems", is behaving like a distressed widow"

If she hadn't divorced him, then she IS his widow.

So, we should believe that Mr. Nicastro was responsible for his own beating and his own death.

I bet that the Ashe family would prefer that you appoint yourself to silence on their behalf.

the letter did not "disappear." it never existed. what the montclair times printed was a news story in which it mentioned that ashe and his late brother were arrested years ago.

since ashe is now the suspect in a murder, it's appropriate for the paper to mention he was arrested before. unfortunately, this required that the paper also mention his late brother's arrest, since it happened at the same time.

you can read the "disappeared" story here:

http://tinyurl.com/32sfgs

once again, the baristas know half the facts and act as if they know all of them. bravo, ladies!

by the way, all i did to find out the real story was search for the word 'ashe' on the montclair time's web site. took maybe three seconds.

It occurs to me that it really doesnt matter if Ralph Nicastro was a raving smackhead or an angel. That Justin Ashe might have beaten him to death is all that matters here. If he did, he should get the full arm of justice and if he is found innocent, the better for him. Everything else is noise.

Please pardon me, Jeffrey Ashe.

Lovey - lots of detailed information in your post. Careful . . . .

And if Mr. Nicastro's death was ruled a homicide, then that means that he died at someone else's hands, and that is all that really matters. As noted above, everything else is just noise.

"once again, the baristas know half the facts and act as if they know all of them. bravo, ladies!"

Is this true? Shouldn't a retraction then be posted?

I find it quite humorous that whenever anything positive is mentioned about someone who should be presumed innocent, or his family, it is deemed "noise". Which only proves that the "media", is accomplishing their mission...that is to paint a picture of someone that is inaccurate, and have prospective jurors believe it. The letters written were in response to Dan Prochilo's Articles, which ARE the media. All of his "stories" are filled with inaccuracies. For instance, "police have been looking for the suspect since April 20th"....yeah right...the indictment was handed down on April 20th, and sealed for a few days , which is a normal practice. When the original agreement that he would be allowed to walk in with his attorney was reneged upon,(so that he could be "captured" like the animal they'd like the public to perceive him as) Jeffrey met his attorney in another court room, on a different floor, and then went into the prosecutor's office for processing...Sorry that their plans for a sensational "capture" were foiled. The Ashe household is so diverse, that it is funny that someone would bring race into the mix. The only racism here, is in the "Media" and those who feed them information. We KNOW that Jeffrey Ashe did not attack anyone, nor brutally beat them. Apparently, the Grand Jury agreed. Let the truth determine his future,(which is what the jurors will hopefully hear.) Yes, the Ashe's have had their share of problems, but NONE of them are murderers.

I find it quite humorous that whenever anything positive is mentioned about someone who should be presumed innocent, or his family, it is deemed "noise". Which only proves that the "media", is accomplishing their mission...that is to paint a picture of someone that is inaccurate, and have prospective jurors believe it. The letters written were in response to Dan Prochilo's Articles, which ARE the media. All of his "stories" are filled with inaccuracies. For instance, "police have been looking for the suspect since April 20th"....yeah right...the indictment was handed down on April 20th, and sealed for a few days , which is a normal practice. When the original agreement that he would be allowed to walk in with his attorney was reneged upon,(so that he could be "captured" like the animal they'd like the public to perceive him as) Jeffrey met his attorney in another court room, on a different floor, and then went into the prosecutor's office for processing...Sorry that their plans for a sensational "capture" were foiled. The Ashe household is so diverse, that it is funny that someone would bring race into the mix. The only racism here, is in the "Media" and those who feed them information. We KNOW that Jeffrey Ashe did not attack anyone, nor brutally beat them. Apparently, the Grand Jury agreed. Let the truth determine his future,(which is what the jurors will hopefully hear.) Yes, the Ashe's have had their share of problems, but NONE of them are murderers.

Actually, in terms of my post, I was not referring solely to what was mentioned about Mr. Ashe - I was referring to ALL of the additional information swirling about.

As with all situations such as that surrounding Mr. Nicastro's death, it is clear that this is very painful for many people. I hope that the truth, whatever it may be, prevails.

After reading the "offensive" article above and finding out that playing football in high school is what merited comments like Justin was a town hero who brought much glory and joy to Montclair. kind of makes me laugh.

If the guy died in a drunk driving accident (he being the one that was drunk), I would hope 5,000 people showed up at the wake and funeral... to spit at him.

I've been plenty drunk plenty of times and never EVER thought about driving.

If Al Bundy gets his name besmirched because a reporter is gasp reporting that his brother may or may not have killed a man (that is for the courts to decide), then I say screw him.

And I was warned to be careful...??? I don't recall alcohol ever being mentioned in regards to Justin Ashe's death. The cause of his death was head and neck trauma. How tragic to see the hatred that is being spewed on this blog alone, toward a person who was not just adored for his prowess on the football field, but because he loved and cared about all people...white, black,latino, oriental, etc. People from from all walks of life...his 3rd grade teacher, well into his 80's, made it a point to come to Justin's funeral...people stood in line up to 3 hours to pay their respects. He was loved by all...too Bad you didn't know him personally....you would have loved him too....I can't believe this is the Montclair I grew up in. And just so you know, "spitting" is a really filthy habit. We harbor no ill will toward anyone. Our hope is that you find peace.

Lovey - "careful" in terms of divulging information. It wasn't a warning. It was an observation.

montclairgirl: Do you have any proof to the statement you made above? If so this "family spokesperson" could really use a history lesson.

Lovey: First, go back to school and learn grammar & basic communication. Punctuation and paragraph alignment go a long way to helping your argument come across in a coherent and intelligent fashion.

Second, while I do feel sympathy for a family due to their loss, I do not, under any circumstances feel the least bit of sympathy for an individual who dies while intoxicated behind the wheel.

More people die from accidents caused by drunk drivers than all the hand gun deaths and cancer combined.

If Justin indeed caused this accident while under the influence, we should all just be happy that he didn't take anyone else with him. There is a special room in Hell for people who display that level of stupidity.

While appreciate your hope for my finding peace, I think it's only fair to let you know that I am very happy with my life: Complete lack of arrest records and all.

I consider myself a spokesperson for no one. Hum, let's see...Ralph was the father of two children both born from his wife's body. He was married for 20 years to the same woman and owned a home in Cedar Grove. Ralph's sister has one son and owns a lovely home in Verona. As far as I know, the police were never summonsed to the Nicastro home AT ALL, EVER. Ralph Nicastro Sr. is a retired fireman in Montclair He wore badge #1 and retired with that number. His late wife Evelyn was a very sweet caring woman who was adored by more than 5,ooo people. Insinuating that his father "pulled any strings" is laughable. Ralph's so called demons did not harm one hair on an Ashe's head. But the demons that Jeffery Ashe carried with him left two children fatherless and a woman missing her husband, a void that will never be filled by another. Ralph moved into the home on Park St 5 weeks before he died. To assume he had a lasting relationship with Jason Ashe is way off key. Ralph was a friendly guy who had the biggest smile, the kindest heart. Maybe that is what got him murdered in the street.
Many married people separate to evaluate their relationships. Most get back together within 6 months. Ralph and his wife will never get that chance, thanks to the beating he received from three men twice his size. The Nicastro family worked for everything they had, nothing was handed to them. No free rides but good old fashion hard work.
Ralph's slight stature is inherited. His dad is not a big man and his mom and sister are not the size of football players. All of the people in the Nicastro family are small boned. Are you saying that all of the people in the Nicastro family are on drugs or drink? Let's not get carried away here. Was he targeted because Jeffery Ashe knew Ralph couldn't fight back? He would never have started a fight with anyone, he didn't have it in him.
So, where is the homeowner from Park St? I heard he sold his home. There was also a witness who saw three man standing over Ralph and beating him. Jeffery Ashe is not moving on with his life. He is in the County lock-up in Newark. So tell me...is he in with the general population? and where is the third person involved with this plummeting of Ralph?
Ralph is the victim, Jeffery is the murderer. Plain and simple. What could Ralph possible have done to deserve to die at the hands of an Ashe?
Ralph's funeral was an amazing sight. It was held at Caggiano Funeral home. The line stretched through every room and out onto the street. I have never seen a funeral like it. He was loved by many and respected in the Montclair community.
Oh,and what's the ritual, picking a person up by there feet and smashing them head first into the ground. That's how Ralph died. And the three people responsible left him to die on Park St.
As for Gus, he was more than we expected. He was on the right road. It's too bad his demons got him. No one is safe.
All I know is Ralph is dead and I am not suprised that an Ashe killed him.

Mike: to which statement are you referring to?
Lovey can read between the lines. Not all of you will get it but he/she will.
When Lovey said Jeffery was moving on, I think he meant MOO-ving on.

The practice of people not being arrested because of who their parents are, is not one that is exclusive to Montclair. It happens everywhere. What's the expression, "It's not what you know, it's who you know"...and you can ask any cop that...oh excuse me, any retired or fired cop. Which is where I got the information.(they aren't afraid of losing their jobs)
...Your comment.."And as for Gus..he was more than we expected"...who are we?...and who are YOU to expect anything from anybody...montclaircop...Oh, please pardon me, montclairgirl... you really have intense hatred for this family. Could it be because you couldn't get a touchdown if they handed you the ball in the end zone.?
I'm sure the Nicastro's are a nice family, but most human families share similiar problems. I can't wait until the public gets to hear what really happened that night. Sorry, Jeffrey Ashe nor anyone else "picked Ralph up and smashed in his head"....you should be a journalist because you are quite adept at painting pictures with your words....INACCURATE pictures...but pictures none the less...You've really honed this hatred thing into an art. It (hatred for the Ashes) seems to have become YOUR ritual.
And if there were two other culprits, where are they...?All eyewitnesses were interviewed and if they wouldn't fabricate stories implicating Jeffrey as the "assailant" they were released. You think maybe because of the intense hatred that YOU seem to have acquired, that perhaps Jeffrey Ashe was the target all along..HMMMM. One person being interviewed, actually had to say to the investigators..."You sound like you want me to make something up"...Another was told, "YOU'RE THE KEY...WE WANT JEFFREY...JUST TELL US HE DID ANYTHING....When the witness refused, they were SCORNED and eventually allowed to leave. One wonders what tactics were used to get the indictment that WAS handed down. Say what you like...spew lies and venom...Jeffrey Ashe has had past troubles, but he is NOT a murderer. Again, our hearts go out to Ralph's family, because, from what we saw, he was a nice guy...Oh, Did I imply a relationship between Ralph and an Ashe...Oh My God, how terrible of me...!!!
What I said was that he played catch with Jeffrey's brother and nephew in the backyard, and it was during that time that HE made the statement about how nice a family an Ashe had, and how they "shouldn't mess up their family like he had his".
The Ashes bought their home nearly 30 years ago (at 23 years old). Though struggling as a single parent,(she doesn't mind if the word Divorce is printed, in association with her) for the last 15 years, Mrs. Ashe has held the same job, with a major telecommunications firm for 20 years, and been a town volunteer for just as long. Her family has resided on their street for 100 years. Both of their father's names, as well as numerous uncles, and other relatives, appear as Veterans on the wall of the Montclair Municipal Building. Their family consists of doctors, lawyers, college professors, and other hard-working individuals who are non-professionals. All the Ashes are gainfully employed, including Jeffrey, (his job awaits him)and have been for years. They do have roots in this town.
And "mike", I am well aware that grammar and punctuation go a long way IN helping an argument, and am not surprised that you don't have an arrest record. The criminalization of African-Americans happens to be the new slavery. It is common practice in this town, as well as others, that young, black and hispanic males are arrested for infractions, for which young white males are released. So please, get off your angelic band-wagon. If you did drive drunk,(which I still don't doubt) and were stopped, you'd probably be allowed to "walk home". (Why am I waiting for you to say that you are Black)
One last note..."Hate, like acid, does more damage to the vessel in which it is stored, than to the one on which it is poured.". We don't hate anyone, and sincerely hope that everyone involved finds peace.

lovely,

What does ALL of this family history have to do with ANYTHING?

A man, Mr. Nicastro, is dead.

Another man, Mr. Ashe has been arrested in conjunction with the case.

Mr. Ashe is innocent until proven guilty. His brother and his brother's life have nothing to do with the case or outcome.

There will be a trial unless Mr. Ashe pleads guilty or pleabargains to a lesser charge.

I doubt that they will call you for the trial, I sure wouldn't. Why are you spewing all of this? Is it in order to ruin the jury pool, and have the trial moved?

I question your motivation.

It sounds like she is a nut, to me. Plain and simple.

The Phoenix Rises!! I was wondering how long it would take before the unique brand of Montclair Racism would return. Head bashing, gangs, and demons, Oh My!!
I don't know the Nicastro family, but as a human being I feel for their loss.
I do know the Ashe family and still miss Justin. Jeffrey is one of the most mannerly young men I know. I believe he came willingly and without controversy to turn himself in. This to me speaks volumes about his family and his family history.(Our history in this town has to do with everything).
Oh, by the way, not only did Justin's 3rd grade teacher come to his services, but administrators, teachers, coaches, and counselors from K-12. There are few people that his smile did not touch.

and this has what to do with Jeffrey's upcoming trial?

The defendant's character has an impact on the presentation of the case and on the jury. Much is being made here of the Ashe Family as if they were Montclair's answer to the Soprano's.

So, Mr. Ashe's dead brother Justin's character has an impact on the presentation of the case. And the fact that his mother is employed has an impact on the case. And the fact that his grandfather was a nice guy has an impact on the case.

I don't think so.

Yea, let's talk about Jeffrey's past history. He's the one who will be on trial.

Lovey,
What role do you play in the Hollow Crime Family?