A New Jersey teen who organized a Black Lives Matter protest in her town has received a $2,500 bill from the mayor for causing police to work overtime, the Associated Press reported Saturday.
Emily Gil, 18, of Englewood Cliffs, NJ, reportedly received the bill earlier this month from Republican Mayor Mario Kranjac. While Gil and her fellow activists have argued the bill was “shocking,” Kranjac claims it is standard procedure for when civilians organize a private event.
“As with any privately-sponsored event that takes place in the borough requiring police safety, an invoice was sent to the organizer for police overtime since it would be unfair to require our residents to financially support a private event,” Kranjac told NJ Advance Media. (RELATED: ‘These Are Killers’: Rudy Giuliani Calls Black Lives Matter a ‘Terrorist Group’)
People walk down 16th street after volunteers, with permission from the city, painted “Black Lives Matter” on the street near the White House on June 05, 2020 in Washington, DC. (Photo by Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images)
Kranjac’s invoice to Gil argued she had refused to meet with city officials regarding security for the event and was therefore being charged, leaving local law enforcement to cobble together security at the last minute.
“Your lack of notification left the borough with little time to prepare for your protest so that the police department and department of public works could ensure that everyone would be safe,” the letter stated, according to NJ Advance Media.
Gil says she only declined the in-person security meeting over coronavirus concerns, going on to say she offered to meet via Zoom and the city declined.
The protest, held July 25, involved roughly 40 people and was entirely peaceful. The city has not specified whether the bill has been paid.