February 16, 2012
Editor NJ Herald:
Four years ago registered voters in Sparta Township were circulating several petitions regarding different issues.
After having one confrontation where the manager of the Stop and Shop Supermarket asked petitioners who were collecting signatures in front of the store to leave the property, I decided to have a visit with the chief of police of Sparta, Ernest Reigstad, and explain the petitioner's rights.
At that time I had with me a printout of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling for petitioner rights and I gave a copy and informed the chief about our First Amendment right to "petition the government for a redress of grievances."
He agreed with me and stated "I know you are allowed to petition everywhere." I asked him if he could let the rest of the police force know our rights. Immediately after our meeting he informed the rest of the Sparta police force about our petitioner rights.
In the days and weeks after that meeting the group had more incidents where police were called in, to ask petitioners to leave the premises.
In one case it was in front of the 7 eleven where the Manager called the police, the next was in front of the CVS Pharmacy also where the Manager called the police, another was in front of Panera Bread where the owner of the building called the police and the last location was in the Sparta Public Library where a Township Employee called the police.
In all cases the police officers were polite and understanding to the petitioners and their rights and instructed the complaining callers that it was our right to be in front of any privately owned business, on private property that is open to the public, with our clipboards and collect signatures on our petitions.
My message is to every future petitioning group of citizens in Sussex County and especially those in Vernon Township right now, who are collecting signatures for their petition is to Google the following: U.S. Supreme Court ruling of "Pruneyard Shopping Center v. Robins, 447 U.S. 74 (1980)" and take a copy of it to your local police station and do what I did, and then turn around and collect as many signatures as you want, wherever you want to politely, except for, inside of the post office.
Good luck to all of you out there, who question and challenge your local government.
Jesse Wolosky
Sparta
