I strongly support the Time, Place and Manner Ordinance that Deputy Mayor Karen Orgen offered for introduction at the Teaneck Township Council meeting on February 25. While it is important that we protect the First Amendment rights of protestors to voice their opinions, it is also crucial that we protect the First Amendment rights of citizens to safely assemble and worship. This ordinance does both.
Bergenfield has led by example, with its Borough Council unanimously introducing a similar ordinance. I am disappointed that the Teaneck Council failed to do so last week. The draft presented at Teaneck’s February 25 Council meeting provides necessary clarity to law enforcement, balancing free speech and religious liberty considerations while keeping all of us safe. Our Teaneck elected officials must put resident safety above petty politics.
