Students:

Continued From Page 1 and performing as the lead singer in a hate metal band.

From Wisconsin, Michaelis now speaks to groups as an activist for love and compassion. In a thought-provoking speech, he challenged students to reflect on their role as upstanders or bystanders in society. He said he valued the power of storytelling: the narratives people believe in and share will shape their lives and interactions with the world around them.

Michaelis drew from his own past and shared some of the mistakes he made. He admitted that during his youth, he was not an upstander nor a bystander but rather someone who actively caused problems for himself and others.

However, the former skinhead said he has since dedicated his life to working in the field to counter violent extremism. In doing so, Michaelis said he’d learned a great deal about the often tragic backgrounds that contribute to their radicalization.

Many have experienced childhoods marked by suffering, abuse, and hatred, with some even enduring sexual trauma. He emphasized how such trauma can break a person, leading them to perceive hate as an escape from their pain. He likened the allure of hate to that of a dangerous drug capable of trapping a person in addiction and misery.

Michaelis said his personal story somewhat deviated from the typical narrative associated with former extremists. Despite growing up in a seemingly idyllic household, he revealed that his father’s alcoholism was a significant source of his own suffering. While his father was not a mean drunk, his excessive drinking and prioritization of leisure activities over work put the burden of providing for the family on Michaelis’s mother, who worked tirelessly to make ends meet.

“I grew up watching my mother suffer,” said Michaelis. “I could see how badly she was hurting, and it hurt me.”

However, Michaelis admitted that he distanced himself rather than offering help to his mom. By the time he was in kindergarten, he was already a bully. Michaelis said as he grew a bit older, he got a big kick out of parents and teachers being afraid of him.

By age 14, Michaelis was already drinking alcohol, which intensified his antisocial tendencies, fueling his desire to shock and repulse others. Michaelis admitted to adopting white nationalist ideologies through exposure to white power music, which glorified a distorted worldview centered on hatred towards marginalized communities.

The room of approximately 400 students was hushed as Michaelis recounted the allure of using symbols like the swastika to provoke and repulse people.

A society driven by hate and violence inevitably produces evil and violence in return, he said. He highlighted the tragic consequences that befell his friends as a result of their involvement in hate-fueled actions. Michaelis’ closest friend ended up in prison for a shooting incident, while another lost his life in a street fight, both victims of the hate and violence they had embraced.

Michaelis emphasized that casting blame on others not only hindered problem-solving, but also exacerbated issues and increased a continuing cycle of blame. Ultimately, the speaker learned something from co-workers who treated him well despite his actions to them.

“What was most exhausting was when people I claimed to hate treated me with kindness,” said Michaelis. “And that’s really what drove home how wrong I was to be a violent racist.”

During the seven year period he was involved in white supremacy groups, Michaelis said all the hate he professed, mixed with violence and alcohol, caused him to break up with his girlfriend. Michaelis was suddenly a single dad to an 18-month-old baby and decided it was time to stop.

By then it was 1994; Michaelis said he left hate groups and went from being a white power skinhead to a raver in Chicago. His new friends noticed his swastikas tattoos but were into the party scene and accepted him as he was. He has since covered up the tattoos.

At this point in his life, Michaelis told the students he’s just trying to undo the harm that he’s done. He encouraged them to practice kindness, gratitude and forgiveness.

“It will make you happy,” said Michaelis. “It will also lead people around you to be happy, and it will make you an upstander in the world.”

He was introduced by Dr. Henry Jackson, OCC’s Executive Director of Academic Success.

“Here at OCC, we’re going to make this a tradition to try and get our students to be upstanders,” he said. “And not bystanders.”

Ocean County Prosecutor Bradley Billhimer told the students he hoped the conference would give them a transformative experience shaping their high school years and motivating them to celebrate diversity and treat others with respect.

Billhimer explained his role as the chief law enforcement officer in the county, saying that his office prosecutes between 5,000 and 6,000 cases each year. The prosecutor’s office also investigates criminal cases in conjunction with local police departments.

“We have members of our office that are on pace to speak to over 100 schools this year,” shared Billhimer . “The goal of all that outreach we do is so we don’t see you as a defendant.”

Officers:

Continued From Page 1

Detective Joseph Fastige to sergeant.

Mayor Robert Arace administered the Oaths of Office accompanied by family, friends, police, and township personnel. In addition, lateral moves of Sgt. Christopher Cerullo to detective sergeant, and Officer Patrick Cervenak to detective were made.

“Only those individuals who are truly dedicated to excelling in the service of their community can successfully navigate the grueling promotional process, no matter the position,” Chief Dolan said. “Each officer puts tremendous effort into preparing for promotional testing, and our residents can rest assured knowing that a strong foundation of exemplary leadership is in place at the Manchester Township Police Department.”

Capt. Komsa began his police career in Seaside Heights in 1998 and joined the Manchester Township Police Department in 2000. He earned the rank of sergeant in 2011, and in 2014 was selected to supervise the newly formed Narcotics Enforcement Team. In 2016, he was promoted to lieutenant, where he supervised Patrol and most recently the Investigations Bureau and Narcotics Enforcement Team.

Capt. Komsa has a master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickenson University and completed the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership Academy and the FBI

LEEDA Leadership Trilogy training.

Lt. Fusaro began his law enforcement career in 2004 with the Seaside Heights Police Department and was later hired by Manchester Township Police in 2007. He joined the Investigations Bureau in 2015, where he served as a detective for nearly four years. In 2018, he was promoted to the rank of sergeant and reassigned to the Patrol Division. Two years later, he was selected to supervisor the Narcotics Enforcement Team and soon after Investigations Bureau as detective sergeant, serving in this position for more than three years.

In 2020, Lt. Fusaro earned his master’s degree from California Coast University and completed the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police Command and Leadership Academy and FBI-LEEDA Executive Leadership Institute.

Sgt. Fastige began his law enforcement career in 2008 with the Seaside Heights Police Department and was hired by Manchester Township Police Department in 2011. He was assigned to the uniform patrol division until 2019 when he was then selected to become a member of the Investigations Bureau.

Sgt. Fastige earned his master’s degree from Fairleigh Dickinson University in 2020. As an active presence in the community, Sgt. Fastige is a #NotEvenOnce high school opiate awareness instructor and is assigned as the department’s Social Media Manager. Additionally, he assists in organizing community events such as Coffee with a Cop and National Night Out.

The ceremony also included the lateral moves of Sgt. Cerullo to detective sergeant and Officer Cervenak to detective.

Cerullo has been a member of the Manchester Township Police Department since 2007 and has actively worked with the school district, serving as the School Resource Officer for four years. He holds a master’s degree from Seton Hall University, and was instrumental in the development of the #NotEvenOnce high school opiate awareness program in 2016. Additionally, he created the curriculum for the Youth Police Academy, which a successful summer program launched in 2015.

Cervenak started his career in law enforcement in Manchester Township in 2007. He served his entire career in the Patrol Division until his transition to detective.

He holds a master’s degree from California Coast University, and has served as Field Training Officer, a member of the Ocean County Regional Swat Team, firearms instructor, and rifle instructor. Among his awards are Honorable Service in 2016 and the Chief’s Award in 2018.

“This proud day would not be possible without the continued support of Mayor Arace and the Township Council. We wish all promoted officers and those taking on new roles the best of luck as they begin the next chapters in their law enforcement careers here in Manchester Township,” Chief Dolan said.