Jersey Township Tells Residents, Shut Up and Put Your Flag Away

🔴  Edison Council Town Council passes an ordinance that reduces the time the residents can address the council.

🔴  Council objects to a resident bringing a copy of the US Constitution to the podium

🔴  The council President has a resident removed from meeting by police

What could be more American than participating in your town's forum, and displaying an American flag?

We always hear how important it is to participate in the political process, but for one New Jersey Township, residents are being told they talk too much and shouldn't display an American flag.

That is the story in Edison Township, where a resident, Joel Bassoff, an attorney who practices in the township, was escorted out of a town council meeting by police because he was holding an American flag while addressing the council during the public comments.

Last week, the township council passed a new rule that reduced the amount of time residents had to address the council and banned the use of "props" during the public comments portion of the meeting.

The council did this to establish rules of decorum.

The council passed ordinance O.2239-2024, which reduced the time residents have to address the council and established that they cannot use props when addressing the council.

Mr. Bassoff, who objected to the council reducing the public comment time, illustrated his point by tearing up a copy of the ordinance.

The Council didn't object to that display.

However, when Bassoff produced a copy of the constitution, the Council President, Nishith Patel warned Bassoff that he could not use the constitution as a prop, and if he didn't put it away, he would forfeit his time.

When Bassoff objected, Patel warned him that he'd have the police escort Bassoff out of the meeting.

As the men argued the point, the crowd could be heard in the background applauding Bassoff's comments.

At that point, Patel had the police remove Bassoff from the meeting.

Several council members questioned how the ordinance could be enforced before it was codified.  Councilman Brusher asked, "How can you enforce a law that isn't a law yet?"

Patel responded, "As Council President, I am allowed to implement rules, and I posted those rules outside, and these are the rules we're following."

What followed in this 5-hour meeting, was a string of residents opposed to the ordinance, including one who referred to Patel as a "Dictator."

Source:  Fox News