Arresting Protestors Violates The Spirit & The Letter Of The First Amendment
Senator Thomas Kean, (R-21), the Senate Republican Leader, issued a letter today calling on Attorney General Anne Milgram to open an investigation into an apparent violation of Steve Lonegan’s first amendment rights. A copy of the letter is attached.
“The Mayor of Middle Township was very clear in his statement that ‘the Governor’s people’ directed the Middle Township Police Department to arrest Steve Lonegan. This statement alone would appear to compel the Attorney General to initiate an investigation immediately to answer all of the questions surrounding this unfortunate incident.”
January 23, 2008
Honorable Anne Milgram
Attorney General
Department of Law and Public Safety
P.O. Box 080
Trenton, NJ 08625-080
Dear Attorney General Milgram:
Yesterday I publicly asked the Office of the Attorney General to investigate allegations regarding the arrest of Bogota Mayor Steve Lonegan in Cape May County last week. My request was prompted by statements made by a prominent Star-Ledger columnist on January 22, 2008.
Today, I was dismayed to read in the Star-Ledger a direct quote by the Mayor of Middle Township stating that “the Governor’s people” told the local police to arrest Mayor Lonegan.
Based on the foregoing, I am compelled to repeat my request that your office undertake an investigation of this matter. Clearly, this incident may raise significant allegations regarding the use of law enforcement to improperly suppress a citizen’s constitutional right to speak freely on matters of public concern. Furthermore, whether the incident took place on public school district property should not be relevant as the U.S. Third Circuit Appellate Court has held that school districts, when they open their doors to public forums on particular topics, may not discriminate against speech based on its viewpoint. Accordingly, a swift and thorough review of this matter is needed to ensure the rights of the people will not be violated now or in the future.
I am confident that you will recognize the seriousness of these allegations and will conduct the proper inquiry to resolve this matter.
Sincerely,
Tom Kean, Jr.
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January 23, 2008
