Murphy defends right to protest, but says trespassing is ‘not ok’

Following the arrest of twelve protestors at the home of a top elected official on Monday, Gov. Phil Murphy said that there needs to be a balance between the first amendment right to protest and law enforcement.

But Murphy stopped short of saying that protestors shouldn’t go near the homes of public figures.

“Listen, I get protested at my home.  Here’s what I think is not OK,” Murphy said. “Trespassing is not OK.”

One of Murphy’s TV ads features footage of a Stop the Steal protest outside his home.  The governor praised the Middletown police department and the New Jersey State Police for their actions during that protest and others.

“If people want to protest, and they’re not trespassing, as a general matter that they have that right,” stated Murphy.  “But there is a line that I think that folks have to make sure they don’t cross even they’re not protesting, even if they’re I think language is on that list.”

A police report from Monday’s protest said that about 40 protestors had begun at a local park and then walked through a residential neighborhood to the home of the elected official.   The protestors were told not to enter any private property, the police said.

“An individual who identified herself as the law enforcement liaison for the group advised that certain demonstrators had assembled with the intent of being arrested,” a police lieutenant said about the incident.

The dozen protestors – all but one from out of state – were charged with criminal trespass after multiple warnings and a “refusal to comply with a lawful directive.”

“People have a right protest, but they’ve got to do it in the right way.  They have a right go be heard, even if we don’t agree with each other,” Murphy said.  “We’ve got to make sure we balance that right with smart law enforcement.”

The superintendent of the New Jersey State Police, Col, Patrick Callahan, stressed the need for early contact between protest organizers and law enforcement to “explain what those rules of engagement are … respecting their right to protest, while also not trespassing or violating any other of our criminal laws.”

“Communication is key,” Callahan said.

Editor’s note: the New Jersey Globe has withheld the name of the elected official to protect the privacy of the official’s family and has not reported the identity of the organizers so that those seeking attention by penetrating the boundaries of someone’s home are not encouraged.