Governor Murphy must veto S3507/A4652 to protect the basic pillars of democracy--the right to free speech and freedom of assembly. We are living in a moment in which freedom of speech is under attack. We need to safeguard that right here in New Jersey.

This bill began as an attempt to deal with unruly teens at town events and has ballooned into legislation that could embolden authoritarianism. This piece of legislation would criminalize organizing groups of four or more who protest and speak out in a way that would "offend the sensibilities of a hearer." The language within this bill offers legal pathways to criminalize protests. This legislation would revoke citizens' right to cause public inconvenience or annoyance as is sometimes necessary to force power holders to listen. Under this bill, a person who tries to organize a group to speak out in public could be charged with a disorderly persons offense.

Governor Murphy needs to take a stand against this poorly crafted bill. Take a minute to send your message to Governor Murphy and tell him to veto this bill!