In the summer of 2023, protestors force their way on the Sunday morning beach. Paul Goldfinger photo.
Barbara Burns is a lawyer from Ocean Grove. She currently is involved in a law suit challenging the approval of the North End Redevelopment Plan in OG.
Her letter to the Coaster dated 8/7/25 is published today 8/28/2025: Click once to enlarge the font and read her letter.
BLOGFINGER us closer to up-to-date:
We have a news report from News12NJ dated July 29, 2025.
Blogfinger note: The original complaint was by the Bureau of Coastal and Land Use Compliance and Enforcement, –a branch of the NJ DEP.
Also note the error by News12, (above) an error that is often made by media. Here they say that the DEP had cited “Ocean Grove” as the guilty party in the Sunday closures, but they corrected that mistake 2 sentences later. The town of Ocean Grove has no part in this drama.
Meanwhile this summer, 2025, the beach has remained open on Sundays because of the DEP’s threat of heavy fines.
Barbara Burns’ letter to the Coaster’s editor is above. She mentions that the Constitution provides rights to freedom of religion and freedom of no religion. Freedom of no religion is less popular than freedom of religion in America, so it’s likely that most Americans would be more sympathetic to the CMA.
However, this controversy cannot be adjudicated by the administrative court judge who, however, may offer an opinion in favor of the CMA to the DEP which does make the rules in this case. And the same applies to the Attorney General who suggests that the DEP keep the gates open.
But Ms. Burns says that the DEP has been siding with the CMA, but the opposite is true, instead the DEP has been forceful in wanting the gates to stay open.
However I enjoyed reading Ms. Burns’ letter; Maybe she can clarify here on Blogfinger. I’m not a lawyer, I just play one on my Ocean Grove blog.
I hope this song clarifies the essence of the situation. It is Chrusli: