Roselle Park, NJ woman won't take down profane anti-Biden signs

ROSELLE PARK — Andrea Dick has no intention of taking down the anti-Biden signs hanging on the fence in her yard despite the threat of a $500 a day fine starting as early as next week.

Signs that read "F**k Biden, not my president," "Socialism sucks, Biden blows" and "F**k Biden" with an image of former President Donald Trump giving the finger, are hung on Dick's fence near the Aldene Elementary School in Roselle Park.

Mayor Joe Signorello told New Jersey 101.5 that Dick has had political signs in her yard for the past two years but he started getting calls about the profane signs on Friday.

"We have an ordinance on the books that prohibits sexually profane things and anything that is profane in nature. Nine times out of 10 it would be slightly less of an issue if it wasn't right by a school but it's literally a block away from an elementary school," Signorello said.

Dick was sent a notice of inspection that orders her to remove the signs by Monday or she could face a daily fine of up to $500 and a court appearance.

"Freedom of speech when it comes to politics obviously totally in bounds. The issue comes when using profane sexual language especially near an elementary school. All we're asking is for her to comply and take those down," Signorello said. "She can put up all the pro-Trump signs she wants as long they're not sexual and vulgar in nature."

Signorello, who is a Democrat running for the state Senate in the 21st Legislative District, said police Chief Daniel J. McCaffery is a friend of Dick's family and has tried to speak with her about the signs.

Dean told New Jersey 101.5 she is within her rights to post whatever signs she wants on her property and that no children who attend the Aldene School walk past her house.

"The kids don't walk on my street. There are no kids on my street. They walk the main street to get to the Aldene school. And even when you come to the corner that fence is back where you can't see it from the corner. You have to be in front of my house to see it," Dick said.

She said its people from "the other side of town" complaining about the signs and not her neighbors. Dick said said there are two reasons she put the signs up.

"Our country is going to s**t real quick and number two I am 100% a Trump supporter. I feel the election was stolen from him. I don't understand why we're not able to go to the polling and vote when we were able to wear a mask to go to the food store, to go to Target, to go to Walmart. We were able to go shopping but we couldn't go vote," Dean said.

Per an executive order by Gov. Phil Murphy, all New Jersey voters were mailed a ballot for the November election due to the pandemic and capacity limits in place at the time at polling locations. The ballot could be returned to a designated ballot box, to a clerk's office or mailed.

As for Signorello's concern about children seeing profane language, Dick said the mayor held a "drag queen bingo" event at the library with high school kids.

Signorello said the event was organized two years ago for Pride Month by the library trustees, which acts independently and are not a government agency.

"There were no signs up for that so it wouldn't have been a violation of the ordinance we're talking about," Signorello said, adding that he attended the event.

Dick said that Signorello marched in Black Lives Matter protests that included chants and signs that read "f**k the police."

"They're not going to learn the F word from my signs. They're going to learn it on the radio, they're going to learn it on TV, they're not going to learn it by walking past my house. It's my rights, First Amendment, freedom of speech to have those signs up. And I am not taking them down," Dick said

Dick said the ordinance she is being accused of violating is about nudity and she will take legal action. A lawyer said once she gets the complaint from the town they'll have a better idea of their next step.

"It's all political. I'm going to stand my ground I'm going to take it all the way to the end," Dick said.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNJ

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