The Edison Township Council in New-Jersey made some strict changes to its public-meeting rules last week that got people talking. The council put up new rules that dont allow folks to bring props (including the US flag and Constitution) to meetings
Under these fresh guidelines residents cant wear costumes or non-medical masks; theres also a ban on rough language and disruptive actions. The council set up some time-related rules too – each person gets just 4 mins to speak‚ and no-one can make rebuttal comments (which used to be a normal thing at these gatherings)
Local free-speech groups raised red flags about these changes: they say its a problem for democratic participation. The rules – which some call over-the-top strict – made quite a few township residents pretty unhappy‚ leading to push-back from the community