Category Archives: princeton

Permits and Protests Redux

Posted on by under activism, princeton

I’m pleased to mention that a shorter and somewhat revised version of my October 18 post, “Whose Streets?”–on the supposed need for permits for street protest–has been published in TapInto Princeton. Thanks to editor Richard Rein for the invite.

Author Sireen Sawalha and activist Gina Hsu at Newark Airport, Oct. 31, 2026. Gina was arrested and deported from the West Bank along with thirteen other activists for the “crime” of harvesting olives on private land without a permit.

Incidentally, our next rally for Palestine and against the Iran War will take place at 2 pm on Saturday, November 14, starting on Nassau St at Palmer Square. We don’t have a permit, and don’t intend to get one.

Whose Streets?

Posted on by under activism, anarchism, migrant defense, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, Palestine, princeton

Permits, Nazis, and the Reclamation of Public Space

A pointed question came up during Public Comments at Princeton Municipal Council a few weeks ago, namely: “Why was a neo-Nazi group ‘allowed’ to march in Princeton despite lacking a permit?” As I’ve suggested here before, this is the wrong question to ask. It also diverts attention away from a series of questions that badly need asking.

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Salad Days with Sean Wilentz

Posted on by under princeton, Princeton University, slices of life

I’d just walked out the door of Alfalfa after enjoying a nice salad there when I unexpectedly confronted a pair of “piercing blue eyes.” It was Sean Wilentz, the subject of a recent post here. He gave me what seemed a look of disdain, then hustled down Nassau, too swift to catch except at the risk of my coming across as a stalker.

So many questions. “How come you never acknowledged my post, Professor Wilentz? And what do you think about salads? Tacos are one thing, but can we live on salads?”

ICE-Free Princeton Redux

Posted on by under activism, migrant defense, princeton

The Missing Piece of the Story
I was happy to see some modest coverage of Princeton’s having passed an ICE-Free resolution: the story was covered by The Daily Princetonian and Princeton Patch. But I have a bone to pick with both of these articles. In both cases, the passage of the resolution is described as though the initiative for it began with the Council. That’s not true. It began because I privately raised the issue back in June; the Mayor and Council agreed to pursue it, and kept me apprised of their progress. I then raised it publicly in August, and the resolution passed near the end of September.

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Princeton Is an ICE-Free Zone

Posted on by under activism, migrant defense, princeton

I’d intended to read a statement at Princeton Municipal Council tonight, underscoring the urgency of the need for an ICE-Free Zone in Princeton, but it turned out to be unnecessary. (An ICE-Free Zone is one which restricts the federal government’s use of municipal property for purposes of immigration enforcement when ICE lacks a judicial warrant; it’s not literally a zone that ICE can never enter.) Around 9 am, I got a voicemail from Councilwoman Mia Sacks telling me that a resolution was on the agenda, and up for vote. Resolution R-26-299 passed unanimously around 9 pm tonight. I’m grateful to the Mayor and Council for their efforts.

Rev Erich Kussman of St Bartholomew’s Lutheran Church, Trenton, leading the Peoples’ Prayer Vigil at Delaney Hall, Newark, June 2026

Why We’re Surrounded by Assholes

Posted on by under activism, Electoral Ethics and Politics, princeton, Princeton University, West Orange

What Dale Caldwell Has in Common with Justin Goldsman and Mikie Sherrill
West Orange Patch has a headline this morning, “Around West Orange: Political Scandal.” The headline suggests that a scandal has taken place in West Orange. Has it? No, the scandal Patch has in mind is the recent resignation from office of New Jersey Lieutenant Governor Dale Caldwell. Caldwell lives and works in New Brunswick. He answered to Governor Mikie Sherrill, who lives in Princeton and works in Trenton. It’s not clear exactly where the malfeasances alleged against him took place, but it’s clear that none took place in West Orange.

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ICE-Free Zone for Princeton (2)

Posted on by under activism, migrant defense, princeton

Statement to Princeton Municipal Council
400 Witherspoon St
September 28, 2026, 7 pm

As I know you’re aware, over the summer I made the case to the Mayor and Council for an ICE-Free Zone for Princeton, meaning a resolution or ordinance restricting the use of township property by federal immigration authorities. I appreciate the receptivity of the Mayor and Council to that proposal, and the work they’ve already put into it. But I wanted to highlight the urgency of the issue. 

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The “Trailer Parks” of Princeton

Posted on by under princeton

Adventures in Classist Self-Pity
Stephen Schreiber is the Vice Chair of the Zoning Board of Adjustment in Princeton, New Jersey. A zoning board of adjustment is a local government body that interprets and applies zoning laws, granting variances to existing law, and making special exceptions in certain cases. Schreiber has a remarkable letter in the September 16 issue of Town Topics, ostensibly on what he regards as the issue of over-development in town, but with the larger aim of proving that Princeton is a special place that ought to be regarded as immune to the imperatives of economic growth, development, and by implication, affordable housing.

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The Neo-Nazis and the Permit Raj

Posted on by under activism, cancel culture, Fatwas, migrant defense, Neutrality and Complicity, Notes on the Anti-War Movement, Palestine, princeton, War with Iran

Princeton Patch has now confirmed that a white supremacist rally did in fact take place in Princeton this past Saturday afternoon, August 29th. Don’t miss the neo-Nazi video embedded in the article, “Youth in Revolt.” Apparently, the spirit of Leni Riefenstahl never quite died.

Unfortunately, the rally is (like so many things) increasingly being seen as a law enforcement matter, and the police, fixated by definition on matters of law enforcement, are now pursuing the thought that the people participating in the rally lacked a permit to march down the street or through Monument Park, and should have had one. Law enforcement’s idea of a solution to the rise of neo-Nazism in Princeton is to set up a Permit Raj: demand that activists get permits to exercise the privilege of assembling, marching, chanting, or holding signs. And make sure to demote those activities to the status of privileges in the process.

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Circling Back to Roundabouts

Posted on by under activism, Fatwas, princeton, slices of life

I’m grateful for the many off-line responses to my roundabouts post, particularly those from decision-makers at Princeton Municipal Council. I thought I’d re-visit the issue to respond to some of what was said.

One set of comments suggested that I over-complicated a simple issue: roundabouts are safer than right-angle intersections, so that’s that. But it’s not that simple. “Safer” is equivocal as between safer at the intersection and safer all things considered, and it’s not clear that roundabouts are safer all things considered.

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