A New Jersey resident was escorted out of an Edison, NJ city council meeting for holding up the US constitution under a new rule that bans "props" from the public comment portion of town meetings.
Residents immediately pushed back against the rule, arguing during a five-hour meeting on Nov. 25 that it was in violation of their First Amendment rights and a "disgusting" attempt to silence those looking to speak up for their community.
Resident Joel Bassoff, a lawyer from Edison, held a small American flag in his hand as he addressed the council, warning that they could face legal action for restricting residents in this manner.
Council President Nishith Patel can be heard banging his gavel before having police eject Bassoff.
"It’s my constitutional right to do this," Bassoff said. "If you get sued, you will lose. My suggestion to you is that you get a second opinion from competent counsel because you are wrong."
Residents can be heard clapping as Bassoff continued. "You are interfering with the decorum of this meeting by interfering with the right to speech of a member of the public. And it should stop now," he said.