ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- A New Jersey teenager who organized a Black Lives Matter protest in her hometown last month received a $2,500 bill from her borough's mayor for "police overtime," according to a report.
Recent Bergen County Technical School graduate Emily Gil, 18, organized the peaceful protest — which drew around 30 to 40 people — on July 25, NJ.com reported. Gil told the outlet the protest focused on the lack of affordable housing in Englewood Cliffs, and the extent to which it has priced out many Black residents.
Englewood Cliffs Mayor Mario Kranjac sent her a letter with a $2,499.26 bill for "police overtime caused by your protest" four days later, the outlet reported.
"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," Kranjac wrote, according to the outlet.
Gil told the outlet she declined Englewood Cliffs officials' request to meet in person due to COVID-19 concerns, instead offering to video chat with them. They declined to do that, and then "stopped responding to me," she said.
Gil emailed Kranjac about the bill several weeks ago, but said she hasn't yet gotten a response. She believes that it was "because of my pro-affordable housing stance that Mr. Kranjac handled the situation this way," the outlet reported.
"Englewood Cliffs is trying to intimidate and silence people who are standing up for Black Lives Matter and the implementation of affordable housing," she said.
Kranjac denied that, telling the outlet that "(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."
