While returning to my car after shopping at Weehawken Pathmark I was confronted by an angry man who spit in my direction and screamed obscenities at me. It turns out that the guy was a man from the Weehawken Parking Authority who took personal offence to the letter I wrote to the Reporter last week regarding the parking situation on Highwood Avenue. Just as he was walking towards me attempting to engage in a physical confrontation a Weehawken Police car happened to be driving by. I flagged the car down and explained to the officer what was happening. The man retreated to his car and said he had no problem when the officer questioned him. During my “conversation” with the man he asked me who the hell I thought I was writing the letter to which I replied “a taxpayer and life long resident”.
Weehawken residents on payroll never speak up for what they believe to be wrong in town in fear of losing their jobs and departments such as the Parking Authority and DPW take it very personally when their job performances are publically criticized. Last winter after writing to the Reporter about residents not picking up after their dogs and asking the town to do something about it, one of the town snow removal trucks whizzed by me at 30 mph getting uncomfortably close as I dug my car out of a mound of snow. It seems that there are a few henchmen on the Mayor’s payroll who put out “hits” on people who practice their first amendment rights.
Artie Strandberg.