Viral Cranford Breakdancer Files Lawsuit Against Township Alleging Censorship Of Free Speech

CRANFORD, NJ — Will Thilly, the man who's gained attention online for his demonstrations during Cranford Township Committee meetings over the last few years, filed a lawsuit alleging local leaders violated his First Amendment right to free speech.

Thilly filed the complaint on Monday in New Jersey Superior Court against the Township of Cranford, the Cranford Township Committee, Township Committee members in both official and personal roles, and the Cranford Town Attorney.

He and his legal team say his allotted maximum of five minutes for public comment has continuously been disrupted.

He also says the defendants participated in retaliation towards him and conspired to walk out together during a Nov. 10 Township Committee meeting. At that meeting, Thilly began his allotted public comments with an inflated beach ball.

Mayor Terrence Curran told Thilly that "props" are not allowed unless they stay right at the podium.

Curran then called a recess to the meeting before the room resumed public comments roughly 10 minutes later.

"No one, including Mr. Thilly, has ever been denied the right to speak in accordance with our content neutral meeting rules," Curran said in a statement on Tuesday.

Thilly, an independent candidate who ran unsuccessfully on Nov. 4 to win a seat on the Township Committee, says this latest act by the Committee is part of a continuous effort to undermine his calls for more transparency.

"I hope the lawsuit inspires residents to stand up for themselves!" Thilly said. "Our movement is about building community, and it feels like our government is afraid of that."

Thilly has shared his concerns over local leaders' actions to award a 30-year tax exemption to developers in the neighborhood.

Most notably, Thilly garnered hundreds of thousands of views across social media platforms following his Sept. 2 breakdance demonstration to raise awareness over what he says is the "resident-funded overdevelopment of Cranford."

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Thilly and his legal team said this was just one of many times when he has been the subject of "a willful pattern and practice that has, over time, become progressively more restrictive and censored."

They are also alleging violations of the New Jersey Constitution, the New Jersey Civil Rights Act, and the Open Records Meeting Act.

On Sept. 19, Thilly's lawyer sent a letter to the Township Committee's attorney concerning the alleged ongoing censorship of his comments and said he will sue if it continues.

"I love Cranford because it’s one of the few small towns left that still has a community feel," Thilly said. "My goal at that particular meeting on Sept. 2 was for everyone in the room, committee members and residents alike, to lighten up and start talking with and thinking of each other as friends. Before doing anything else, I think people need to be friends first and then start making decisions together."

He points to the development of luxury apartments and other community features being added to the areas of Walnut Avenue and Birchwood Avenue as placing the burden on residential taxpayers.

One of his principal gripes is the $55 million January 2024 bond referendum that was approved and was supposed to only raise tax bills by an average of "four hundred bucks on an average assessed home" while simultaneously enriching facilities and projects for the schools in the area.

Thilly is also looking to advance the lawsuit he and a group of attorneys have to nullify a 30-year, multi-million dollar tax break given to the Walnut developer.

"This is the third time Mr. Thilly has filed a suit against the Township," added Curran. "The prior two matters were resolved in Cranford's favor, and we are confident this latest lawsuit will be as well."

Thilly is asking for the following compensatory items as a result of the lawsuit:

• An injunction requiring the defendants to refrain from censoring public comment, refrain from unlawful recess or walkouts during public comment, and to conduct meetings in full compliance with the Open Records Meeting Act
• Civil violations against each individual Cranford official
• Compensatory damages
• Attorney's fees and other costs covered
• Other relief that the Court deems feasible

"Our movement is about more than my First Amendment rights," Thilly said, "it's about the rights of all Americans to be free and happy."

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