West Deptford Township Committee.jpg

West Deptford Township Committee

(Spencer Kent | For NJ.com)

WEST DEPTFORD TWP. -- About a month after state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester) doused a group of angry protesters in front of his home with his lawn sprinklers, the township committee on Wednesday adopted an ordinance restricting picketing near township residences.

Passed on a 3--2 party-line vote, the measure prohibits picketing within 100 feet of homes that protest groups specifically target. It also limits protests to 10 people for one hour every two weeks and the township police department must also be notified at least 24 hours in advance.

Violators are subject to a maximum $2,000 fine and up to 90 days in jail or community service.

The vote on Wednesday came after two protests that were staged last month by members of the New Jersey Second Amendment Society (NJ2AS) outside Sweeney's home in West Deptford over the fatal stabbing of a Berlin woman whose death the group blamed on overly strict state gun laws.

The township committee introduced the ordinance about a week later.

When the measure was passed -- with all three Democrats voting in favor and both Republicans voting against -- a large group of attendees sitting on one side of the room applauded.

"I don't believe picketing should include infringing on the rights of another when privacy is violated at your home," said township resident Nancy Barna, reading from a notepad after the meeting. "There is a fine line between having your privacy violated and rights that are allowed under the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution which allows freedom of speech and to peaceably assemble. You can't step over that line."

Some critics of the measure believe the ordinance soley had to do with Sweeney and the protests held in front of his home.

"It's silly," said a township resident who preferred to remain anonymous. "It was rushed into because of Steve Sweeney."

Republicans on the township committee argued that the ordinance limits the right to free speech.

"I don't like the fact that people can picket in front of a person's house -- I disagree with it -- but we have to be careful with freedom of speech," said Republican Committeemen Jeff Hansen, who was one of the two Republicans who voted against the ordinance.

But Mayor Denice DiCarlo said a great deal of effort was taken to ensure the ordinance respected residents' right to free speech and right to privacy.

"We are balancing the right to free speech and the right to privacy (and) this ordinance does not change that," DiCarlo said.

Republican Committeeman Jerry Maher argued that the language describing the 100-foot buffer zone was too ambiguous to enforce properly -- particularly if it came to picketing a specific unit at an apartment complex.

But township solicitor Michael Miles said a protest targeting a unit at an apartmenat complex would still need to keep a 100-foot distance from the complex's property line.

---

Spencer Kent may be reached at skent@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SpencerMKent. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.