The American Flag Takes On Local Politicians at Edison, New Jersey; the Red, White and Blue Wins

It only took a wave of the American flag to have a town council in New Jersey waving the white flag. The stars-and stripes battle began when the Edison town council implemented a ban on props last month in an attempt to limit disruptive behavior at public meetings after incidents of people showing up in costumes, such as a man dressed as a bong, and bringing other props. Turns out, somebody probably should have first run that idea up the flagpole. The ban triggered protests from locals, including a lawyer, Joel Bassoff, who was removed from a council meeting for waving an American flag, which sparked outrage and garnered national attention.On Wednesday evening, the council met to discuss whether to amend the policy so that it clearly states someone could be removed only for “an actual action of disruption that prevents the meeting from moving forward.” As the council member who was suggesting amending the policy, John Poyner, spoke, residents waving flags and dressed in red, white, and blue apparel chanted, “Repeal! Repeal!” The board unanimously passed a motion to repeal the ordinance, with an official vote scheduled for January. During the November 25 meeting, Mr. Bassoff shredded a copy of the prop ban ordinance and held up a copy of the Constitution and an American flag. “You don’t like being embarrassed, so you’re trying to ban the people who humiliate you,” he said. “But the best way to avoid humiliation is to stop doing stupid things like trying to clamp down on constitutionally protected symbolic speech.” The council president, Nishith Patel, warned Mr. Bassoff he was in violation of council rules and had him removed from the room. In a statement after the incident went viral, Mr. Patel said the council “has never, nor will we ever, ban the American flag from our public meetings” and that it was “NEVER ever the intent of the council to ban the American flag.”As the incident drew national attention, the free speech advocacy organization, FIRE, sent a letter to the council, stating that its ordinance violates the First Amendment and calling for the prop ban to be amended or repealed.“The Edison Township Council tried to dim the light of the First Amendment, but their residents were having none of it,” the senior program officer at FIRE, Stephanie Jablonsky, told the Sun after the repeal vote. “This is why it’s important for Americans to stand up when the government threatens our rights — because we can win.”Representatives for the Edison town council did not respond to the Sun’s request for comment by the time of publication.

The American Flag Takes On Local Politicians at Edison, New Jersey; the Red, White and Blue Wins

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