Name of Fu King Smoke Shop irks New Jersey parents

HACKENSACK, N.J., Jan. 6 (UPI) -- A New Jersey smoke shop is angering some locals who say it's name, the Fu King Smoke Shop, contains a thinly veiled profanity.

Michelle Tavares, president of the Parent Teacher Association at the Fairmount School a block from the Hackensack store, said the name is inappropriate for children, the Record of Hackensack reported Monday.

"It's almost like it's an insult to the intelligence of our community. Do you really think we don't know what that is supposed to mean? That our children don't know what that means?" Tavares said.

Other parents and residents have said they want city officials to force store owner Robert Reichert to remove the Fu King sign from outside of the store, which has yet to officially open.

Reichert said the sign is not meant to be profane. He said Fu is a Chinese word meaning wealth or luck.

"There is a meaning behind it," Reichert said. "It's not just words thrown up on the canvas. If they're offended by reading it, then it's the way their mind is looking at it."

Reichert said the city gave him permission to put up the sign, but a city zoning official disputed his claim and has issued him a summons. The store owner said he will fight the summons in court.