Westchester Village Conspires to Target Veteran’s Display of “Trump is MY President”
By Dan Murphy
The issue of an American citizen’s First Amendment right to Free Speech has morphed into several different cases in Westchester County. Last week, we reported on two instances where public employees, civil servants, made what many thought were inappropriate comments about the death of Charles Kirk.
This week takes us to the Village of Croton-on-Hudson to highlight a First Amendment case that has received national attention.
Lenny Amicola is a long-time resident of Croton. He recently placed a flag that read
“TRUMP IS MY PRESIDENT” on his property.
The Village of Croton issued a violation ticket to Amicola for violating the Zoning Code.
Amicola hired an attorney and planned on fighting the ticket in court. The Village government then caved and withdrew the violation.
However, the Village Government, led by Mayor Brian Hugh, may be in more trouble due to claims by Amicola’s attorney that Lenny’s First Amendment rights were violated by a democratic-led government that sought to remove a Trump sign.
Another layer to this self-induced soap opera came when the Village Code Enforcement Officer, Thor Snilsberg, wrote a “Whistleblower” letter to the Village, which claimed that he “was asked to enforce the code unjustly” by the Village Manager.
That letter was obtained by The Croton Chronicle, a website that has excellent coverage on this topic and is worthy of your subscription.
After Snilsberg’s letter became public, Roseann Schuyler, Amicola’s attorney, issued the following statement. “Today’s release of a whistleblower complaint proves that the leadership of the Village of Croton on Hudson conspired to force a resident to remove a Trump flag from his property under threat of legal action against him. President Trump is personally involved in the matter; earlier this month, he congratulated resident Leonard Amicola after the Village announced that it was withdrawing its code enforcement case against Mr. Amicola in the village court.
The whistleblower was Village Code Enforcement Officer Thor Snilsberg, who stated that he “was asked to enforce the code unjustly” by the Village Manager. At risk of his own job, Mr. Snilsberg stood up for free speech, and we admire and thank him for his principled stance against the Village’s violation of the US Constitution.
The Village’s attempt to violate Mr. Amicola’s free speech rights also infringed on the rights of seventeen other residents who were subject to code enforcement action as a pretext for the Village’s targeting of Mr. Amicola’s flag. The rights of all people are threatened when the rights of one person are taken away.
Roseann Schuyler, attorney for Mr. Amicola, stated, “We are reviewing today’s disclosure and will be following up with the Department of Justice, which has been monitoring this case.”
Roseann Schuyler, Esq
The only comment from the Village government or any of the officials involved was this statement: “The Village of Croton-on-Hudson has withdrawn the violation and appearance ticket issued for the display of a banner, in violation of the Village’s Zoning Code.
This violation was part of routine, Village-wide code enforcement that identified 17 non-compliant locations. Our code enforcement team worked with each property owner to seek voluntary compliance, successfully resolving most violations without further action.
Village staff have been falsely accused of engaging in a politically motivated enforcement action. The facts above make it clear that this is categorically false.
What began as routine code enforcement was transformed into a national spectacle through social media and traditional media coverage before any hearing could take place. This has resulted in abusive messages and threats of violence directed at Village personnel who were simply performing their professional duties. These threats are currently under investigation by law enforcement.
Further, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) has sent correspondence to the Village regarding this matter. While the DOJ letter drew no conclusions about the claims made about the Village, it stated that the Department has the authority to initiate civil action against local governments. The DOJ encouraged “the Village to review its ordinance and enforcement practices promptly to ensure compliance with constitutional requirements.”
Our village government is not in a position to contend with continuous anonymous abuse of staff, threats to personnel, and a potential federal intervention regarding a minor civil citation for a non-safety-related provision of the Village Code.
Given these circumstances, the Village must prioritize the safety of its personnel and the conservation of taxpayer resources. After speaking with the Village Prosecutor, the current case has been withdrawn, and no further enforcement actions will be taken.
The Village Manager will be recommending to the Village Board that the section of the Village Code at issue be reviewed to ensure it is written and remains fair and easily understood, and directing our code enforcement team to suspend enforcement of the section of the Village Code at issue until the Code is amended. This is the best option to ensure the safety of village staff, the orderly administration of municipal government, and to uphold the spirit of fair and consistent enforcement.”
Congressman Mike Lawler said, “Selective enforcement erodes trust in government. The Village of Croton can’t pick winners and losers when it comes to enforcing the law and protecting free speech. Why are some folks held to the letter of the law while others get a pass? The Village owes residents real answers and a proper investigation.@thejusticedept.”
One long-time Croton resident commented, “I lived in Croton for years. My husband’s family has lived in their home for most of their lives. I worked in Croton for 40 years, and I graduated from Croton Harmon High School. Anyone can be in this group. I see many people in this group who are not from Croton. That is not a criteria for this group. Over the last couple of weeks, I made this Village a better place. I helped other people as part of a group to protect someone’s First Amendment rights. To protect Lenny’s First Amendment right. By doing so, it protects all of your First Amendment rights in the Village of Croton. There are people in this group who don’t even want to hear from you. They don’t like anything we have to say because they disagree with our politics, religion, or knowledge, or the way we look. I couldn’t care less, I’m using my First Amendment rights. This is not North Korea, I can say what I want. The Croton Gestapo can’t stop me. That’s what I’m going to call you guys now, the Croton Gestapo. Have a good day.”
Amicola and Schuyler appeared on Newsmax to discuss their case.
Now comes word that the Croton Police Department is investigating a death threat sent to village personnel.
The email read, “Mangione targeted the wrong individual. Hopefully, others will get it right. F*$@ You, Leftist Pieces of Dog S*&%. President Trump 2016-2028!!!”
The threatening email is where we get off the bus. While we agree that Mr. Amicole, a Vietnam Veteran, has every right to fly a Trump Flag, or any flag on his property, we do not condone any threats of violence.
