Beautiful music in the Great Auditorium of Ocean Grove. All sides must be heard. 2018. Paul Goldfinger photograph.

The Ocean Grove Home Owners Association of late is beginning to appear like a bully looking for a fight against the Camp Meeting Association.  They have scheduled a “forum” on Feb. 25, 2023 devoted to finding reasons to attack the CMA.  However the items mentioned in their announcement have very little evidence to justify being included.

The OGHOA is a powerless organization that represents a small membership compared to the 3,000 census-counted citizens in the Grove. They discriminate by not allowing renters to join.  They are not elected, so what gives them the idea that they can call out the CMA, publicly hound it, and then “take aggressive positions” against  it?

There are those in town who have been critical of the CMA, but how many of them would want to see this phony kangaroo court, ie “forum,” be called into session?  This HOA “forum” idea is arrogant and likely to be divisive and useless and even explosive.

The HOA goals seem to be to fan flames of discontent when just sparks exist.  The HOA says that “controversy is percolating in OG over certain actions by the CMA–in service of their religious missions.”  But they have established no solid evidence to substantiate their claims.  They are asking to be sued over their reckless and discriminatory  charges.

Blogfinger has written many articles complaining about  CMA practices from creches in the park, crosses on the beach, expanded programming designed to turn the Grove into a “Christian Seaside Resort,” which would attract thousands of religious tourists to potentially overshadow the lifestyles of  majority secular Grovers and their residential community.

But our  Blogfinger  articles have been meant to encourage the CMA to change their policies and to respond to public opinion.

But this forum, which will have similar complaints, will try to bludgeon (“aggressive positions”)  the CMA, and that would be unreasonable and unproductive.  Our approach has always been about freedom of speech and freedom of  religion.  I don’t see any of that mentioned in the HOA announcement.

The HOA forum seems likely to stir the pot and to produce nothing productive. The only remedy available to the HOA should be constructive criticism, but judging from their tone, the CMA won’t find that.

Consider some assertions from the HOA announcement; Most of them are baseless:

a. “The CMA is the enemy of diversity and of the LGBTQ community.”  No evidence.  The HOA says that the CMA “won’t openly support our LGBTQ community,” but it is not the CMA’s responsibility to do that.

b.  “There is a growing conflict” in town: No evidence

c. “The CMA asserts that owning the land under our homes gives the CMA license to do as they want.”  No evidence.

Conclusion: The CMA is being singled out by the newly arrogant HOA as it presents undocumented charges. This forum will be a mistake. Where else in America are differences among neighbors settled by forums where unproven claims can be tossed around?  And, if the HOA plans to take votes to seek majority opinions, that would be totally inappropriate. Referendums have failed this town in the past.

In a democracy we have mechanisms to settle such differences.  We have freedom of speech, local governance, and courts with evidence. The hope is that fair voices will prevail in Ocean Grove which  will find a way to openly discuss rancorous differences in the hope of finding solutions.

The HOA has done a service in attempting to bring these issues to the surface, but this crude “forum” won’t work.    If the CMA has broken some laws, such as the separation of church and state or other Constitutional issues, then the courts need to look at it just as they did to dissolve the Ocean Grove of 1980.    But none of this was mentioned in the announcement.

Paul Goldfinger, MD,    Editor.  Blogfinger.net

2/16/2023

TOM GLAZER: