Bellville Mayor Michael A. Melham says the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office is skirting its duty to protect him and others by not bringing harassment charges against a Belleville resident who created a fake mage featuring the mayor’s actual home, altering it to make it appear the home was an Immigration and Customs Enforcement facility, flanked by a watch tower, barbed wire, security cameras and an ICE vehicle — all posted to social media.
Melham issued a statement Thursday, Feb. 19, in response to the ECPO’s reported decision not to prosecute the man responsible for the image.
Here’s Melham’s statement:
“As Mayor, I understand that public service comes with criticism.
Over the years, I have been a frequent target of verbal attacks, as well as physical threats. I have largely handled those matters quietly, often working with private security or directly with the Belleville Police Department, which has consistently had my back.
The constant threat of harm is something, sadly, that I have grown accustomed.
The times are now changing for the worse. In today’s deeply divisive political climate, we cannot afford to dismiss serious threats or conduct that places elected officials, their families, and their homes at risk.
I am writing to express my outrage and disbelief at the decision of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office not to approve criminal harassment charges against an individual who targeted me and did so in a manner that reasonably appeared to encourage others to perpetuate violence against me and my residence.
A photograph of my home was posted online. My home address was published. My property was digitally altered to resemble an ICE detention facility. Social media users were told that I may be seeking to rent my property to ICE.
Some may dismiss this as absurd. But within the past week, an individual was arrested for attempting to set fire to a building they believed ICE was about to occupy. That is not hypothetical. That is reality. This is the environment we are operating in.
Publishing a home address and photograph, while inflaming followers with false and provocative claims, is not harmless political speech. It is deliberate conduct reasonably likely to cause alarm or fear and to encourage dangerous behavior.
Under New Jersey law, harassment includes communications made in a manner likely to cause alarm or serious annoyance. Social media is unquestionably a form of communication within the meaning of that statute, which is why I remain baffled by the decision not to allow the charge.
The reality is that the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office had the discretion to allow this charge to proceed. It chose not to. Now the Belleville Police Department has had to increase patrols and take other security measures.
The issue of protecting elected officials must transcend politics and party affiliation. In recent years, we have seen the assassination of Sayreville Councilwoman Eunice Dwumfour, who was shot 15 times at point-blank range in front of her home, and the killing of a federal judge’s 20-year-old son at their residence in North Brunswick.
These horrific events remind us that rhetoric and targeting can escalate with devastating consequences.
Daniel’s Law shields the home addresses of law-enforcement officers and members of the judiciary. Elected officials are not included. I find it deeply ironic those whose home addresses are already protected under the law are the very ones making cavalier decisions not to extend similar protections to those of us who remain unprotected.
This is not about politics. It is about safety. It is about preventing escalation before it turns into tragedy. When a public official’s home address is published and paired with inflammatory messaging, it must be taken seriously.
I will continue to serve Belleville proudly. But I will not stay silent when decisions are made that I believe put public officials and their families at unnecessary risk.
If you are unhappy with the tone of my statement, I invite you to spend a night at my home and bring your family. My address is online.”
This is a developing story. The Observer will update it tomorrow as we attempt to reach the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office and other officials for comments.
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Kevin A. Canessa Jr. is the editor of and broadcaster at The Observer, an organization he has served since 2006. He is responsible for the editorial content of the newspaper and website, the production of the e-Newspaper, writing several stories per week (including the weekly editorial), conducting live broadcasts on social media channels such as YouTube, Facebook, and X, including a weekly recap of the news — and much more behind the scenes. Between 2006 and 2008, he introduced the newspaper to its first-ever blog — which included podcasts, audio and video. Originally from Jersey City, Kevin lived in Kearny until 2004, lived in Port St. Lucie. Florida, for four years until February 2016 and in March of that year, he moved back to Kearny to return to The Observer full time. Click Here to send Kevin an email.