New Jersey: Public Opposition to Toll Roads Leads to Arrest

theNewspaper.com ^

[Sir Gawain]

New Jersey: Public Opposition to Toll Roads Leads to Arrest
Former elected local officials are arrested for opposing toll road plans at a public town hall meeting attended by the New Jersey governor.

Middle Township, New Jersey Police arrested two motorists on Saturday for speaking out at a public town hall meeting against Governor Jon S Corzine's plans to increase the use of tolling i the Garden State. Former Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan had been standing calmly outside of Middle Township High School dressed in a suit and winter coat. He was surrounded by a handful of sign and pamphlet-wielding toll road opponents belonging to the group Liberty and Prosperity when a local official attempted to convince Lonegan to leave prior to the governor's arrival.

"It's not public property, it's board of education property," the local school board administrator explained. "You're going to have to leave the property."

The administrator walked away when Lonegan said that they had a right to protest a public meeting peacefully and that he wanted to see the board's written policy on the matter. A dozen police officers then insisted that Lonegan move at least one-quarter mile from the school. When Lonegan replied: "Nope," he was handcuffed and placed under arrest. Former Atlantic City Councilman Seth Grossman was likewise arrested for being among those holding signs that read: "No Toll Hikes!!! Repudiate Unconstitutional Debt!"

"I didn't go to Middle Township High School last Saturday to get arrested or to get on TV," Grossman explained. "I didn't even go to protest. Our Liberty and Prosperity group went there to participate in Governor Jon Corzine's town meeting."

Police charged both of the former elected officials with trespassing. The governor's office had described the town hall meetings as "part of the governor's effort to have an open and honest discussion about the state's financial problems in all of New Jersey's 21 counties."

Grossman had been distributing fact sheets that questioned Corzine's statement that taxpayers owed $113 billion in long-term obligations that could only be paid down with asset monetization and toll road price hikes. Grossman's materials claimed that under state law, taxpayers are only on the hook for debts specifically approved by voters, which amounts to just $3 billion.

View video of the arrest from YouTube.

[Sir Gawain]

Via Instapundit: They told me that if George W. Bush were re-elected, even modest acts of dissent would be criminalized. And they were right!

[massgopguy]

When was the last time you saw “open” and “honest” associated with Corzine?

[AliVeritas]

ping

[lormand]

"Via Instapundit: They told me that if George W. Bush were re-elected, even modest acts of dissent would be criminalized. And they were right!"

Yeah man!

This guy protests in NJ, against Corzine's plan to toll NJ roads, and we have a lovely quote reflecting someones insanity towards George W. Bush.

[Pharmboy]

Ping...this is sad. Dems want a police state here.

[Prospero]

"It's not public property, it's board of education property," the local school board administrator explained.

How's that work? How's that an explanation?

[live+let_live]

ping

[Sir Gawain]

I think you misread the sarcasm.

[SatinDoll]

The Democrats are the National Socialist Party, better known as Nazis. All one has to do is look at the way the Clinton are conducting themselves during the present race.

[Dead Corpse]

Dems want have a police state here.

[bikerman]

yea yea! Its Bushs fault, Damn Bush it just started to rain here also.

[lormand]

I’m too used to seeing sarcasm tags (and BDS) I guess, and not seeing one here fooled me.

[Jedidah]

Board of Education property isn’t public property in New Jersey??

My Texas brain is confused and unsettled by this.

[ml/nj]

In some ways I agree that the government should have the right to control what sort of activity goes on on properties designated for a particular purpose. So maybe demonstrations shouldn't be allowed on school property, but my guess is that others have in the past, and others will in the future. The issue here is whether the school board gets to censor demonstrations based upon their own politics.

Also I would note that my belief about preventing demonstrations on certain public properties doesn't seem to occur when it is some left-wing group demonstrating and blocking roads or sidewalks. It seems only to apply to abortion protesters.

ML/NJ

[Pharmboy]

Good edit. Thanks.

[Dead Corpse]

All in the interest of accuracy. Sadly, I fear that incidences like this one will only spread.

[spanalot]

Corzine Uber Alles!!!

Sig Heil!!

[weegee]

“It’s not public property, it’s board of education property,” the local school board administrator explained. “You’re going to have to leave the property.”

Who owns the Board of Education?

[mware]

I reently got this email sent to me. Might be of some interest.

BTW I am a public school teacher, I guess they dont know that some of us are actually conservative.

Dear Friends,

Please join Governor Jon S. Corzine as he hosts a series of Town Hall Meetings on Financial Restructuring and Debt Reduction. The Governor will be hosting a Town Hall Meeting on this issue in all twenty-one counties of New Jersey. Below you will find information for the next six town hall meetings. A flyer for each of the meetings is attached to this email and contains all of the pertinent information. Please forward this information to your friends, family, colleagues and anyone else you think may be interested in attending. Please note that these events are free and open to the public and that a RSVP is not required. RSVP’s are used for planning purposes only.

Please visit http://www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings/ to RSVP and to find information on upcoming Town Hall Meetings in your county.

MONDAY, JANUARY 28, 2008 7-9PM – CAMDEN, Voorhees Voorhees Middle School - Performing arts center

1000 Holly Oak Drive Voorhees, NJ 08043 RSVP: 609-292-9763

http://www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings/listing/

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 30, 2008 7-9PM – UNION, Cranford union county community college – roy w. smith theater

1033 springfield ave. CRANFORD, nj 07016 RSVP: 609-777-2212

http://www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings/listing/

SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2008 2-4PM – OCEAN, Toms River TOms River North High School - Ritacco Center

1245 Old Freehold Rd. Toms River, NJ 08753 RSVP: 609-777-2210

http://www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings/listing/

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2008 7-9PM – MONMOUTH, Marlboro Marlboro High School – theatre

95 North Main St. Marlboro, NJ 07746 RSVP: 609-777-2607 http://www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings/listing/

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2008 7-9PM – PASSAIC, Wayne Passaic County Technical Institute - Auditorium 45 Reinhardt RD. Wayne, NJ 07470 RSVP: 609-777-2510

http://www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings/listing/ THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2008 7-9PM – ATLANTIC, Mays Landing Atlantic Cape Community College – Walter edge theater 5100 Black Horse Pike Mays Landing, NJ 08330-2699 RSVP: 609-777-2208

http://www.state.nj.us/townhallmeetings/listing/

[MrEdd]

"It's not public property, it's board of education property,"

Truly brain dead.