OGHOA “forum” 2/25/23. CMA Meeting Room. Paul Goldfinger photos.Blogfinger.net

By Paul Goldfinger,  Editor Blogfinger.net. Ocean Grove, NJ. 2/25/23.   Please note the two video segments of Michael Badger.   Listen carefully to what he says. The quality is mostly OK.

This is the title of this event: The OGHOA and the CMA: An Evolving Relationship, but it turned out to be nothing more than an excuse to attack the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association —a setup to make our town look like an intolerant homophobic cesspool.

The event, held on Saturday morning, February  25, was supposed to be a “forum”  which would examine ways for the “religious” folks in town (ie the CMA) to get along with the secular residential majority.     About 200 people attended, mostly via ZOOM.  Ocean Grove has a census population of 3,000.  This meeting could not possibly represent enough people to make its conclusions significant.

The OGHOA President Richard Williams introduced the session,  and he offered the only positive view of the CMA that we would hear during the next 2+ hours. He made opening remarks and he mentioned 4 reasons to admire OG, and he named the OGCMA as one of them.  (video below)

Then there was a  superficial history of the Grove by Barbara Burns, but she ended her review with a one-sided attack on the CMA.

Members of Neptune United. Shane Martins is on the right . Click to enlarge.

And that was followed by a group called Neptune United who spent the vast amount of their presentation complaining about unproven bias by  CMA towards the LGBTQ  “community” in Ocean Grove.

Shane Martins did most of the talking for this new group and he said that he wanted the audience to “hear what one part of our town is feeling.” He wanted the CMA to sign a paper “stipulating to a set of facts” regarding gay issues.  CMA  refused to agree to that outrageous demand.  He also wanted the CMA to promote “fairness, friendship and equality.”

He also said that his group had formed 3 committees:  “Civil Rights, Religion Imposition, and a Legal Action Committee”  which has lawyer Barbara Burns as a member. What will these 3 groups try to accomplish?    What is religion imposition?    Neptune United is seeking volunteers. Go to their website.

But what exactly is the end-game for this group (Neptune United?)    What are they trying to achieve in Ocean Grove and how did  they manage to take over the Home Groaners and lead it down this path ?

After all that, there was a free for-all of wildly unfair and sometimes  irrational mostly personal comments from the audience regarding the CMA including attacks on their religion.

Here are some examples of what was said:

“The CMA is no longer Christian”

“They have changed, and not in a good way.”

“The CMA said that if you are not happy here, then move.”

“The CMA has a responsibility to be transparent and keep us informed.”

” The cross pier will make some people offended.”

“The CMA should be a good neighbor” and condemn anti- LGBTQ national organizations.”

“The CMA causes some Grovers to feel unwelcome, unsafe, and uncomfortable.”

“I feel ostracism is here.”

“The CMA is building hate and antisemitism.”

“There is corruption in the CMA”

“This town is full of hate, anger, and finger pointing.”

“The CMA is acting more authoritarian and less Christian.”

“The CMA is not acting in a real Christian manner”

“The Home Owners should take a strong stand against the CMA.”

“The CMA is non inclusive.”

“The CMA are not very kind people.”

“Let’s not meet in this room any more.”

“What would Jesus say?”

This program should have been titled “Alleged Homophobia by the CMA in  Ocean Grove  and Some Other Things  About the CMA That Make Us Worried.”

The presentation was supposed to document concerns about “percolating controversies”  in town related to the CMA such as the cross shaped pier, religious symbols around town, and a mixture of small complaints involving pickle ball, lack of transparency, beach badges, Labor Day meetings,  and Christian  yoga, but the “forum” quickly deteriorated into a blame-game looking mostly to nail the CMA to the wall over alleged anti-LGBTQ activities which are making gay Grovers “uncomfortable”

But specific documented examples of severe discrimination were nonexistent. The Neptune United team spent most of their  presentation complaining about two national anti-LGBTQ organizations while offering little to tie the CMA to all that.

And the anti-CMA rhetoric that poured out of this audience was amazingly lacking  in terms of proof, with mostly anecdotes to support serious charges. This was not a balanced audience.   It seemed more like a kangaroo court.

For example, a few Jewish residents got up to complain about poorly documented anti-semitism in the Grove and on social media!   Ocean Grove is no more anti-semitic than the rest of the US now.  One Jewish woman claimed that she is “afraid, ashamed, and embarrassed” by living in the Grove. Our Jewish family here has had no problem for over 20 years.

The “forum” was, as we predicted,  poorly conceived and totally one sided as speaker after speaker bashed the CMA.

In my opinion this “forum” has permanently damaged the reputation of the OGHOA which is a weak-kneed group which cannot claim to impartially represent the homeowners and renters, the silent majority of OG.

Blogfinger has previously expressed its critical views of the worrisome course being taken by the CMA as it tries to overwhelm the town’s citizens with its push to become a Christian Seaside Resort, but the idea that it is a menacing and intolerant presence here was not convincing at today’s meeting, and the OGHOA should apologize to  the CMA.

The truth, which was withheld, is that the CMA brings much good to this community.  A dialogue about differences must be pursued, but today there were mostly disgraceful slings and arrows directed at the CMA which founded this town and brings us everything from the July 4 parade to wonderful world-class musical events.

Those Grovers who stood up today and hammered the CMA without any documentation should be ashamed, and I blame the OGHOA for that.  The OGHOA can never again claim to fairly represent all the citizens of OG after this disgraceful  fiasco.  Their record of taking sides against the Grove is clear—just look at their behavior regarding the North End.

All fair minded citizens of OG should resign from the HOA in protest.  A new organization in town is needed, one which is fair minded and uncorrupted and which can honestly represent all 3,000 citizens (census) of this town.

At the end, Michael Badger  (video below) made a surprise appearance and he gamely tried to contend with the mish-mash of today’s session, but he was rattled and he probably should not have tried given the mood of this biased crowd.  But he deserves praise for trying to bring some reasonable dialogue forward. Here are two parts of what he said:  Blogfinger videos taken from the ZOOM.

SAM BROVERMAN:

Music of Johnny Mercer: