NJ LD16 Latte Fest Put to the Test: #FreeSpeechUnity Challenge of Drulis / Freiman on Fascist IHRA
NJ LD 16 Democratic Party assembly members Mitchelle Drulis and Roy Freiman are co-sponsors on a proposed law modeled after a Trump Executve Order from his first term to create a legal framework around IHRA, a false definition of “antisemitism” that blurs the line between criticism of Israel which is legitimate protected free speech per the US Constitution with actual antisemitic attacks on Judaism. Most of the NJ Democratic Party legislators are united with their Trump supporting NJ Republican Party legislator colleagues who are also supporting the bill.
Across NJ, advocates of peace and humanitarianism including American Muslims, Arabs, Palestinians as well as others of every faith and ethnicity – and yes including many Jews, are concerned about losing our US Constitutional rights to advocate for Palestine. The impact is greater than that though since one of the IHRA proposed laws requires NJ state funds to be cut from any entity that is found to be lacking of enforcement of the IHRA fraudulent definition of anti-semiitism. False smears of antisemitism can bring about a total end to funding of entire school districts, colleges, municipalities, libraries and non-profit services. Obviously IHRA would be a tool in the hands of NJ Republicans advocating bringing the Musk DOGE committee down to a NJ level as a pretext for slashing funding to colleges, schools and to promote school privatization.
On Monday Match 17, the LD16 Assembly Democrats held a petition signing event at the Paris Baguette in Montgomery Township. Close to a dozen opponents of IHRA showed up at the event and they made personal appeals to assembly members and candidates to respect the free speech rights of all NJ citizens, residents, visitors,l those who work in NJ or travel through NJ.
One such attender of the event was this editor who is also seeking nomination for the same LD16 assembly seats Drulis and Freiman currently hold. Once I entered the establishment – possibly since I was wearing a Keffiyeh and the Palestinian flag as a second scarf, I was approached by a woman who was part of the candidates entourage. She tried to talk me out of questioning the candidates and suggested it is inappropriate to use my phone recording at this event – which was in a public shop with an ongoing public event to which the candidates had invited the public to attend. I was repeatedly blocked and obfuscated in my path to reach each of the candidates to discuss my concerns as a constituent in their legislative district. I was able eventually to get around all of the obfuscating persons and did get to approach each of the candidaes. The following is a short video of this encounter:
According to two who approached the candidates they were offered a future meeting on the topic. After the event this editor received encouragement from others who attended the event that I should definitely run.
The last election when Drulis and Freiman prevailed, they won by 1600 and 2000 votes – very close. Now the Republican Party is stronger in NJ. Prior to 2021, LD16 was represented by Republicans. The point is that this next election contest in LD16 will be close. As this editor told the candidates – I will withdraw my candidacy if they both remove their names as cosponsors from the IHRA proposal. However I am committed to struggle with every resource to protect NJ from the fascist scourge the IHRA law will bring to NJ – a taste of what to come is Trump Administration actions including disappearing a student who had actually assisted the Columbia University with negotiations with protesting students, the cut of $400 M to Columbia’s funding, a letter sent to 60 colleges threatening similar action including Rutgers New Brunswick, Rutgers Newark and Princeton University and the announcement of a counter terrorism investigation of the student protest movement.
While I am certainly an underdog candidate in this race there is a chance to prevail should the exacerbating crises under way lead to a windstorm of public participation to address the many issues we as a people currently face. It is also possible that in the likelihood I do not prevail though – I might capture enough votes to be a factor in the election outcome. With Drulis and Freiman supporting a law that could lead to my own persecution because of my beliefs and my exercisng of my free speech rights, I feel compelled to proceed with my candidacy under the banner of FREE SPEECH UNITY. I tried to make my position clear yesterday at the Latte Fest.
If you are interested in running for office – or in signing petition for those running for office to protect our free speech rights and block the IHRA fascist proposed laws, please compete this form:
