Blogfinger photos 2/15/24. A religious conference is announced, one for men and one for women. “God’s square mile” is proclaimed.
Firemen’s Park, Blogfinger photo. 2023.
OG beach cross
Fitness, faith and fun. The music via loudspeakers has religious themes. OG boardwalk.
Today the church flag was missing by the beach. ? coincidence. Blogfinger 2/15/24
February 15, 2023. Blogfinger.net:
According to the Coaster’s page 6 article today, some Grovers complained about this electric sign issue, so Neptune Township announced at the last Committee meeting that such “messages are no longer allowed.” The Township narrowed the ban by saying, “Scripture and other religious iconography are not permitted.”
This policy is being implemented, according to the Neptune Business Administrator Gina LaPlaca, because the sign is on Township land and because the sign was supposed to be “available to the township for displaying information and emergency messages.”
She announced that “a resolution is in the works to codify the purpose and function of the sign.” She didn’t say who will control the sign. The CMA paid for it.
As for “available information,” the CMA refused to announce our Town-Wide Yard Sale for two years running. Nor would they allow it in their annual summer booklet, but the Chamber of Commercials were part and parcel.
So the Coaster may stick this article on page 6, and LaPlaca may believe that the issue is solved and that who owns the land determines if we have separation of church and state in this town, but it is not that easy, and this appears to be an important precedent .
The Coaster article confirmed that there are other implications: “This ruling comes as a victory for those in the community that push back against the camp meeting’s religiosity.” And then the article lists some of the active controversies.
Ocean Grove is an American town with American values, and because the CMA wants a “Christian Seaside Community” and because they own most of the land, that does not end the discussion.
We believe that many in town want to see separation of church and state in public places. There is a creche in Firemen’s Park for a couple of months each holiday season, but even though that park is owned by the CMA, it is functionally a public space, and the CMA gets tax abatements for allowing it to be a public space.
Therefore, the ownership is irrelevant in terms of policy in that park. And the same applies to the boardwalk, the beach, all other public thoroughfares in town and the signage in public spaces sponsored by the CMA.
When the CMA wanted public funds to repair the boardwalk and the pier after Sandy, they finally won that financing by convincing FEMA to consider the OG boards and pier to be public spaces needed for public safety.
Lately the natives have been getting restless over Sunday beach closures, a cross shape pier, voluminous religious events, crosses on beach badges, and signage in public places. Neptune United has led those concerns.
At Blogfinger we have been editorializing for years about the basic principle of separation of church and state to be enforced in this town. We did not like how Neptune United decided to protest Sunday beach closures, but we agreed that those closures should be stopped.
If this electric sign ban is Constitutionally correct, then there is no real reason to permit “religiosity” in any public spaces in the Grove .
Asbury Park has about 30 churches, probably more, but you can drive around that city and see no religious iconography, even at Christmas.
It’s about time that Neptune put this issue on the table for Constitutional review by experts.
Below are two Blogfinger posts which touch on some of these matters:
ALEXANDRE DESPLAT. “Elisa and Zelda” from the movie The Shape of Water
The question in my mind is whether the location of the sign is public or private. The grass islands on Broadway were created around 1909. The triangular area by Main St. was ceded by the Association to Neptune for their WWI memorial that was dedicated in 1920. Broadway was repaved in asphalt the following year. In 1946, the triangle was increased in size for the WWII memorial.
The status of the plots to the north and south of the Broadway entrance is listed as “OGCMA, tax exempt” on the current tax map and the triangle as “Township.”
Neptune places restrictions on signs, especially digital signs that might distract drivers with brightness or flashing messages.
David H. Fox
From Neptune United web site:
“Featuring religious displays in courthouses, public schools, state capitols, or public parks transforms the spaces that are supposed to bring us together into spaces that are divisive and make some members of the community feel excluded.” – Americans United for Separation of Church and State.