'F*** Biden' Sign Family Sees Case Against Them Dropped After Civil Rights Group Intervenes

A woman from Roselle Park, a town in New Jersey, has been at loggerheads with local Democratic authorities after she put up some telling signs on her mother’s fence. The banners featured phrases like ‘Joe Biden S***s’ and ‘F*** Biden Not My President’.

Roselle Park, NJ decided to end its legal battle against a homeowner who had anti-President Biden signs hung on her house following an intervention from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of New Jersey, according to NJ.com news.

The banners, that included messages such as ‘F*** Biden’, ‘Socialism S***s’ and ‘Don’t Blame Me I Voted For Trump’, were reportedly hung by Andrea Dick, the daughter of the homeowner Patricia Dilascio.

“It’s a relief,” Dick said on Tuesday morning after learning that the case against her family has been dismissed. “My mother too, we both feel so relieved. I’m just happy this all over.”

Explitive-laden signs in New Jersey suburb. Screengrab of Eyewitness News ABC7NY report.

© Photo : YouTube / ABC7NY

F-Bomb Case

The women were told by a municipal court judge that their loud statements at Willow Avenue’s fence had violated a local obscenity ordinance issued against them in June.

The ordinance prohibited displaying “any obscene material” but defined obscenity pretty vaguely. A code enforcement officer, who issued the ordinance, said she discussed the issue with the town’s Democratic Mayor Joseph Signorello. The mayor said he had received complaints from local residents about the F-word banners at Dilascio’s home, located near elementary school.

"The First Amendment exists specifically to make sure people can express strong opinions on political issues - or any other matter - without fear of punishment by the government." - @ACLUNJ @KristieKNews reports.https://t.co/WhHozXZHKa

— 𝔅𝔯𝔦𝔞𝔫 ℨ𝔦𝔩𝔩𝔢𝔯 (@TheBriZi) July 28, 2021

Dick and her mum didn’t remove the signs following the ordinance and were summoned to court, where Municipal Court Judge Gary Bundy ruled that the homeowner had violated the local ordinance.

The judge ordered Patricia Dilascio to remove three banners that contained the f-word or face daily fines. From Thursday on, Dick and her mum had to pay $250 per day for keeping F-word flags hanging.

But the ACLU of New Jersey decided to help Biden’s antagonists in their fight against the “silencing of speech” and appealed the case to the Superior Court in Union County.

“All New Jerseyans have the right to express themselves freely under the First Amendment,” the organisation’s Legal Director Jeanne LoCicero told NJ Advance Media. “Roselle Park’s ordinance against posting obscene signs should never have been applied to political signs.”

‘Free Speech’ Wins

Roselle Park’s Democratic Mayor Joseph Signorello, who is running for state Senate in Union County, told CNN over the weekend that the town was not interested in continuing the battle due to costs.

Following the ACLU’s intervention, Roselle Park Borough Attorney Jarrid Kantor’s applied to the Superior Court to dismiss the charges against the homeowner. Superior Court Judge John Deitch has accepted this application.

Amol Sinha, an executive director of ACLU of New Jersey said the dismissal was really a First Amendment win for the family and all citizens of New Jersey.

“The First Amendment exists specifically to make sure people can express strong opinions on political issues - or any other matter - without fear of punishment by the government,” said Sinha. “Today’s decision confirms that our position was correct: Roselle Park had no grounds to issue fines for a political sign and the town’s use of its obscenity ordinance infringed upon fundamental rights protected by the First Amendment.”

The ordinance is now likely to be dismissed altogether, while Dick said she was planning to sue the town. It’s unclear what would be the grounds for the lawsuit and if ACLU of NJ would represent her.