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Supervisor George Hoehmann and Councilman Don Franchino Float Ideas To Minimize Rockland’s Iconic Protest Site
By Tina Traster
Stretching back to the fraught days of the Vietnam War, or even earlier, the “Four Corners” in Nanuet at Route 59 and Middletown Road has been where Rockland County comes to protest. They have gathered to show support or dissent over the Iraqi War, the Israeli/Hamas conflict, and more recently opposition to the Trump administration in three significant protests over the past year.
But now, Republican officials in Clarkstown are floating the idea of restricting the hours protesters can assemble or suggesting there may be “better” locations for protesters to gather including on the Rockland Community College campus, which is in Ramapo.
At both a Nov. 6th town council meeting held on a Thursday at 5 pm (meetings are usually held Tuesday evenings), and at a Nanuet Civic Association meeting last week at the Nanuet Library, elected officials from Clarkstown said the town was considering limiting protests at the Four Corners to Sunday mornings from 8 to 10 am or relocating them. Nothing official has been proposed yet but Supervisor George Hoehmann, a Republican, said publicly that businesses were complaining about the protests. He also expressed displeasure at having to pay Clarkstown police overtime to man the recent large protests, which are a rebuke to Washington’s Republican party.
Police Chief Jeffrey Wanamaker, during the town board meeting, told the town council that protestors at the Oct.18th “No Kings” protest were courteous, that there had not been any incidents, and that everything went well. He also said no one was blocking traffic.
More than 4,500 gathered at the No Kings protest, which was organized by the local chapter of the national organization Indivisible. Organizers wore neon vests, had monitors stationed at the protest, and worked with the Clarkstown Police in advance to let them know the size of the crowds they were expecting.
After the event, an Indivisible representative wrote to the Clarkstown police expressing gratitude for their “professionalism, cooperation and steady presence” during the Saturday event. “It is always a pleasure to work with the Clarkstown Police Department, and this weekend was no exception,” they wrote in an email. In return, the Clarkstown Police Department thanked Indivisible for recognizing their efforts, adding, “I was getting updates throughout the event, and I was pleased to hear there were no conflicts or issues.”
The Four Corners is an iconic location for free speech and free assembly, two of the basic Constitutional rights Americans enjoy. Route 59 is a major artery in the county, and protesters are buoyed by the support of honking cars that pass by and the visibility of the location. The commercial junction, the heart of the business district, has commuter parking, as well as excess parking in shopping center lots that do not typically fill up. Because of its legacy as Rockland’s “Hyde Park Corner,” people who want to protest know where to come – a central location in a nonresidential area. The protests pull in people from throughout the county and beyond.
“We should not have to fight this fight,” said Pascal Jean-Gilles, an Indivisible representative and a Nyack village trustee. “There have been protests at the Four Corners before I was even born. Vietnam, 9/11, pro-war, anti-war. As far as I know, protests at this location have always been peaceful.”
Jean-Gilles said Indivisible distributes a code of conduct to protesters to keep crowds peaceful and respectful. Clarkstown’s town ordinances do not require permits for assembly, she said.
But talk of moving protests away from the Four Corners is alarming, she said, and fits in with national efforts to suppress free speech.
“We’re seeing censorship without explanation,” she said. “Violation of free speech and free assembly cuts at the core of our Constitution.”
Indivisible’s legal team is studying the legality of Clarkstown’s potential limitation or relocation of the Four Corners’ protests, she added.
The right to assemble is a fundamental freedom founded on the First Amendment. It allows people to organize, gather peacefully and to protest. However, the right is not absolute; a local government can require permits, provided the availability of a permit is not conditioned on the content of the speech or the reason for the protest.
Municipalities can deny protesters the right to assemble in a particular location, but only through “time, place, and manner restrictions” that are content-neutral, serve a significant government interest (like public safety), and leave open other reasonable alternatives for protest. The municipality cannot use these rules to shut down a protest because of the viewpoint being expressed.
Some residents are questioning the sudden need to relocate protestors, given the longstanding tradition of using the Four Corners for protest.
Susan Bloom, a Clarkstown resident, was at both the Clarkstown board meeting and the Nanuet Civic Association meeting on June 6th. At the town board meeting, Hoehmann suggested that the protest site could be moved to the Rockland County courthouse or to RCC, Bloom said.
“I was at both of these meetings,” said Bloom. “And I was at the No Kings and Hands Off protests. I think the protests are hitting a nerve because a lot of the protestors are anti-Lawler (referring to Congressman Mike Lawler, a Republican), and anti-Trump and they don’t want people seeing that. I’m hoping Indivisible stands up to this. People are out protesting because they are very angry.”
Both Hoehmann and Franchino, during meetings, said the large protests were irritating businesses. No specific businesses were cited.
Jean-Gilles said Indivisible has worked with businesses like Shake Shack and Chipotle to redirect protestors away from their parking lots. In addition, the protestors and restaurant owners have found a way to work cooperatively.
“We keep monitors in the parking lots,” said Jean-Gilles. “And we encourage people to patronize the businesses after the protest. We have built a rapport with these businesses.”
Franchino did not return a phone call or text seeking comment.
Hoehmann did not return an email seeking comment.
