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“Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise therefore; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or of the right of the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.”
This is the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States.
On Friday, Oct. 5, the New Jersey Division of Youth Family Services, represented by Deputy Attorney General Tara K. Catanese, made an emergency filling with the court for a temporary restraining order to, among other things, require that the defendants “be restrained from speaking to the media, including but not limited to the press, and/or any third parties concerning and/or relating to the facts and/or particulars surrounding the present matter, consistent with N.J.S.A., 9:8.10(a) and (b). And that should there be any violation, the defendants subject themselves to criminal prosecution pursuant to N.J.S.A. 9:6-8, 10b and N.J.S.A. 2C: 29-9(a).”
The extraordinary step was taken after a scheduled visit to the home of Gerard and Deborah Hall by Family Service Specialist I Cheryl Campbell and the assigned DYFS caseworker Anika Freeman did not go as expected.
According to a signed statement by Campbell, “ As we entered the home Mr. Hall snaped (sic) our photographs one after the other (two total). Mrs. Freeman asked Mr. Hall why he took our photographs He responded since he was not allowed to tape record out visit he was taking our pictures,”
Asked by the newspaper for his version of the incident, Jerry Hall concurred with Campbell’s statement.
“There have been too many times when DYFS and I have disagreed on the basic facts. There have been incidents that I was told by other people, where either the people got the worker’s name wrong or maybe the worker was deliberately misidentified. I am just trying to protect me and my family form lies and misinformation,” said Hall.
Hall had previously taped the workers who came to his home but ceased the practice when ordered to do so by the court.
“I am doing everything that the court tells me to do. The judge said ‘no taping’ so that was the end of it. I respect the court.
He came up with the idea of taking pictures when he learned that DYFS agents frequently took photos when they went into people’s homes.
“I don’t really understand why they can come into someone’s home and take pictures of everything-including your children-without permission, but you can’t photograph them coming into your own home just for purpose of accuracy,” said the bewildered Hall.
He said that neither he nor his wife, Deborah, learned of the motion to show cause being filed until Saturday morning when they found it in their mailbox.
“I didn’t know about it or I have been there,” Hall asserted.
The newspaper has learned from a reliable source that neither his attorney nor his wife’s attorney were aware of the hearing for the temporary restraining order in time to actually attend.
The court granted part of the order to show cause and the temporary restraining order sought by Catanese dealing with the DYFS workers’ photographs.
It ordered the Halls to “relinquish to the court any existing photographs, negatives of photographs, digital reproductions made thereof, tape recordings, ect. Concerning and/or relating to any division caseworkers or representatives,”
“They were also ordered to refrain form doing it again and a hearing date was set for Oct. 18 at 1:30 p.m.
The judge did not grant the DYFS request for a “gag order,” which would have stopped them from speaking to the press.
Tara Catanese did not return phone calls.
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