By FRED J. AUN
June 24, 2017 at 6:41 PM
ROXBURY, NJ – Thanks to the Internet, print newspapers have been declining for a decade. There’s at least one Roxbury resident who won’t miss a method used by the struggling industry to stay afloat: The free sample paper thrown on front yards.
That person is Emil Ruesch of Landing. He came last week to a Roxbury Mayor and Council meeting and spoke his mind.
“I’m here to get support in banning these free publications that are ruining our community,” Ruesch told the town officials.
Pucciarelli made a huge deal out of this when he was first in office.
And what happened 12:25 ?
Even phone books come that way now. It’s imperative to have someone check the house when you are away–except that isn’t feasible for everybody. When I’m taking a walk and see two or three of those (which are often dripping wet) in someone’s driveway, I often put them somewhere inconspicuous. I believe this method of distributing materials will eventually be found to be illegal, just as it’s illegal to put a flier in someone’s mailbox. We can stop our mail, but we can’t stop this, at least yet. Do you know anybody who likes it?
I see it as throwing garbage. There’s no difference.
You can have this stopped by taking the following steps:
1) write a certified, return receipt requested letter, to the distributing party (newspaper, phone directory, circulars, etc.) stating that you are away from your often on multiple occasions and for safety reasons do not want their material left in your driveway. Copy your local Police Dep’t.
2) Also write to your local Police Dep’t and state that you view this as litter tossed upon your private property. Depending on the town, the police will issue a summons. In many towns (Ridgewood) they ask that the distributing party be put on notice. If you perform step 1, above, this will be proof of notice.
Once done, the case will be heard in Municipal Court. The offending party always brings up Constitutional Freedom of the Press arguments, to which the Prosecutor or Judge responds “we’re not stopping you from printing your material, rather just punishing you for placing it, unwantedly, on private property after notice has been given. The fine is typically $500, and the material stops being delivered.
It’s litter.
I am out of town and if my place gets broken into because that crap “advertises” that my home is empty. I’ll sue the shit out of whoever put the Litter there.
Any legitimate business would spend the postage to get their ads in front of prospective customers.