A bizarre incident unfolded at a meeting of the Cranford Township Committee (a governing body) in New Jersey when a male resident who called himself Bong Holeo and wore a purple bong costume sang an obviously satirical version of a song during the open forum portion of the meeting.
Following Bong Holeo, 52-year-old William Thilly stepped up to the microphone with a hand-written sign that read “Refuse Govt. Abuse,” according to a press release issued by the Cranford Police Department and video taken of the meeting. Thilly sang two songs and spoke about widespread abuses of authority by government. Thilly previously made headlines for silent break dancing at a previous meeting of the Cranford Township Committee. When Thilly exceeded his allotted five minutes of speaking time, he ignored three verbal warnings from the committee and continued singing.
As the police attempted to escort Thilly away from the podium, he physically interfered with a policeman and fell to the ground causing an officer to suffer a knee injury requiring medical treatment at a local hospital. Thilly was arrested for disrupting a public meeting, assaulting a police officer, obstructing justice, and resisting arrest. According to the Cranford Police Department press release, Thilly has been released from jail and will appear in court.
In response to these incidents, Cranford Mayor Kathleen Prunty stated to USA Today on July 10, “While no one has ever been prevented from exercising their First Amendment rights during the five minutes allowed for public comment, this is not a nightclub nor a karaoke bar.”
“The level of disruption we have experienced in recent months has become unacceptable. We cannot allow our meetings to devolve into chaos. There are many people who want to participate in the democratic process, and we will protect their ability to do so while maintaining order and decorum. We expect all attendees to respect the rules that govern these public meetings.”
