Police intervention in a public meeting – despite inappropriateness of citizen’s behavior – is disheartening for anyone who values free speech.
It was like Déjà vu all over again. But this time, it seemed to be over in the blink of an eye.
On March 19, 2009, Harold “Hal” Danielson, a Summit, NJ resident who owns property in Hampton, Hunterdon County, hijacked a Highlands Water Protection and Planning Council meeting for nearly 10 minutes, refusing to allow the meeting to continue while he demanded the council disband and protested lack of landowner compensation for lost property values. Danielson had to be escorted from that meeting by Chester Township police, although he was allowed to return later after promising to stop disrupting the meeting.
Last Wednesday, August 3, 2001, Danielson was again escorted from a Highlands Council meeting. But this time it was forcibly and physically, at the hands of four armed Chester Township police officers.
But I’m getting ahead of myself here, so let’s go back and set some background for the events of the day.
When I arrived at on the Chester Township grounds where the Highlands Council is located, the Highlands Coalition and its members groups were holding a rally in honor of the seventh anniversary of the signing of the Highlands Act. It wasn’t an overwhelming number of people at the rally, 25-30 I’d estimate, but there was a surprising large police presence, directing traffic outside, and in the Council building itself.
It was the first time I’d seen armed police at a meeting before it started. A Council staff member told me the Highlands Council did not request the police – when the Coalition decided to hold the rally, the Chester Township police felt it might draw anti-Highlands Act protesters looking to cause problems. They also felt that with the possibility of Highlands Act co-sponsors Sen. Bob Smith and Assemblyman John McKeon in attendance at the meeting, it might be a good idea to have officers in the room as well.
The meeting began with a packed room full of members of the public, plus an armed Chester police officer in the back of the room – and three other officers in the alcove immediately outside the meeting room door. Chairman Rilee, in only his second meeting, did a better job running this meeting than last time, but he’s still learning the ropes and was tentative at times. A John Weingart or Jack Schrier he is not when it comes to taking control of a meeting, and that was quickly about to become evident.
During what should have been a quick and uneventful public comment period on a resolution for a Transfer of Development Rights feasibility study grant for Hackettstown, Danielson got up to speak and began rambling off-topic on threatened and endangered species and water/wastewater issues. Chairman Rilee told him, politely, to save that commentary for the actual hearing on the Hackettstown application for conformance. At this point, Danielson started getting cranky. (You can listen to the entire meeting on the Council’s web site by clicking here.)
Being cut off from speaking by the chair. Been there, done that. Danielson’s behavior, at this point, was actually no worse than I had once exhibited to former Chairman John Weingart when he did the same to me. That changed quickly, however, as Danielson got a little louder and announced that he was not done speaking yet, and was not going to stop. Rilee thanked him again, and politely asked him to sit down.
I do not know what triggered the police to move in. Was it a signal from Chairman Rilee, Executive Director Swan, or Chief Counsel Borden? Prior instruction from his superiors? Or the officers own discretion? I can’t say, as I was watching Danielson. I’ve since been told that at this point there was only one officer in the room, and he was talking on his shoulder-microphone as Danielson got loud. He quickly swooped down the aisle and asked Danielson to listen to Rilee and leave. Danielson said no. A second officer quickly joined the first and asked Danielson to comply. Danielson said no, again. They both grabbed Danielson, and he became very loud and combative. Two more officers rushed in, and all four grabbed Danielson, pushing him out of the room with both arms twisted behind his back as he protested loudly. Start to finish, this took at most about 30 seconds.
Anti-Highlands crowd regular Deb Post then jumped up and followed them out into the alcove, yelling at the officers as they removed Danielson. The commotion outside the meeting room was so loud that the staff had to close doors to allow the meeting to continue. Yet you could still hear Post yelling through the closed doors, from where I was seated at least.
And the meeting moved on, but the bad taste lingered in the mouths of many in attendance.
On my drive home, the more I thought about what took place at the meeting, the angrier I became. Here is what I Tweeted on Wednesday night:
Initial reports were that Danielson was arrested. It was later clarified that he was removed from the meeting and escorted off the property, but not arrested. In either case, it was done with use of force by four armed police officers.
I can sympathize with Hal Danielson, and I am angered the way he was treated. Beyond that, there is probably no common ground between the two of us. Danielson is part of a contingent of anti-Highlands Act landowners who regularly attend Highlands Council meetings and denounce the Act and Regional Master Plan. He and his wife, Alice Shane (read about her antics in 2009 here), are land speculators, in my opinion. According to a Star-Ledger article by Larry Ragonese in April of 2009:
“Danielson’s grandfather, Spanish-American War veteran Clifford Moore, bought the Hampton farm tract in the 1940s. His mother, Frances Danielson, later ran the farm once known as Hickory Ridge, growing crops. The land was actively farmed until recent years, when plans were made to develop it.
… Danielson’s plan to build four $350,000 homes, with natural and environmental amenities, is not likely to happen.”
In that same article, Danielson says “The state has taken my land and refuses to compensate me,” and he has often made claim that the Highlands Act clearly states Highlands property owners must be compensated for their lost equity.
Beside the equity and takings claims, Danielson has made statements at Council meetings about habitat, species and geology that have baffled me. Take these comments – from a “Repeal the Highlands Act” web petition site – for example (grammar and spelling as written by Danielson):
Name: Harold Danielson on Jul 4, 2007
Comments: The bill as written is totally without merit. It is a fact that most of the Highlands has the worst water resources in the state, this is substanciated by numerous publications by The United States Geological Survey. The highest water resource is the Potomic Raritan Magothy aquafer wich runs under Middlesex County Sen. Bob Smith’s district, this aquafer supplies a major portion of water to the state and is under extreme stress and has salt water encroachment. Senator Smith overlooks this critical condition condition as it would interfere with the massive building projects he represents. As to the septic design in the Highlands it is ridiculous and is based on porous limestone underlying the entire Highlands Look at the state’s own geological map and the state’s septic design falls apart.Name: Hal Danielson on Apr 9, 2008
Comments: I am losing my home because of the Highlands Act. My land was my nest egg, now it’s gone. My only recourse is to apply to the federal govt for Statehood. At one time there were two New Jersey’s East New Jersey whose capital was Perth Amboy and West New Jersey whose capital was Burlington. Each had thier own governors. the two were divided by the Quintipartate Deed, which has been affirmed by the NJ Supreme Court. Myself and others will be visiting communities in the West New Jersey area, to date the responce has been positive.
Danielson “questioned authority” again on August 3rd, pushing the rules that he should know quite well, after attending so many meetings. And yes, Danielson has a history of “misbehaving” at Highlands Council meetings. The police officers in attendance may have known that. I do not blame them in any way, as they were just there doing the job they were instructed to do.
But whether you agree with him, or think he’s an ass for his behavior, what happened to Danielson at that meeting could have and should have been avoided. I’ve put up with verbal abuse from members of the public at Byram Council meetings, it’s part and parcel of being a public servant. Chairman Rilee could have diffused the situation Wednesday without police intervention, in my opinion.
Danielson’s rapid, forceful removal was a deeply disturbing sight at a public meeting of a government entity for me. And an unfortunate symptom of the angry and divisive political climate we live in today. Sadly, it’s become part of the “new normal” to many. A friend in attendance at Wednesday’s meeting told me, “I wouldn’t object to a singular police presence, because I fear that a crazy might just show someday with an AK-47.”
What have we come to?