Free speech at parades Some say leave message home
SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2012
BY REBECCA BAKER
STAFF WRITER
THE RECORD
According to Jane Tappen, the “Choose Life” banner she carried in Leonia’s Memorial Day parade this year wasn’t an antiabortion message; it was a tribute to the nation’s servicemen and servicewomen.
“If their parents had not chosen life, they wouldn’t have been here,” she said.
But some along the parade route were offended that a day meant to honor the military and men and women who died serving their country had been politicized. Criticism filled an online community comment board, bringing an apology from the American Legion organizer, who said he didn’t know the slogan has been adopted by abortion opponents.
….The Ridgewood Fourth of July Celebration Inc., a non-profit, bars groups from using the town’s parade as a “platform for political, commercial or special interest groups.” It bans elected officials from campaigning and requires them to ride in motorized vehicles. It also prohibits anyone from distributing handouts along the parade route and limits marchers to one sign identifying the group.
“What happened in Leonia has been specifically prohibited in our parade for years,” said Margie Downs, a member of Ridgewood’s July Fourth committee. “We monitor any signs they carry to guard against prohibited activity. We have always sought to be sure that our parade remains a community event that is not inherently political.”
Zurofsky said Ridgewood’s rule appears to violate the First Amendment because the committee and village are “intertwined.” Perhaps worse, he said, the committee is violating the spirit of Independence Day….
