Mom Files Lawsuit: Says Military and Police Treated Her Like a Terrorist

A New Jersey mother, 35-year-old Angela Reading is suing the military, the police, and various individuals over the treatment she received when she voiced her complaint about sexually explicit posters at a local elementary school. The posters had the terms such as “polysexual” and “genderqueer.”

Named defendants include North Hanover Township, Police Chief Robert Duff, multiple officers at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, and Helen Payne. Payne, who was serving as North Hanover School District Superintendent at the time, is named in her individual capacity.

The posters were taken down allegedly because of coercion by the North Hanover police and military personnel from the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst took over. That should have been the end of the story, but then, the police and the military decided to go after Reading.

A military officer, U.S. Army Reserve Major Christopher Schilling, decided to censor and instituted a smear campaign against Reading. Reading is represented by the Thomas Moore Society. Their lawyers filed a federal civil rights violation complaint in the United States District Court. The suit claims that individuals acting alone and in a conspiracy to rob Reading of her civil rights promised by the US and New Jersey constitutions.

Thomas More attorney Christopher Ferrara said in the press release:

“This intention to trigger a preposterous widespread law enforcement investigation and state of alarm over Mrs. Reading’s protected speech as if it were an ‘incident’ of potential, or even actual criminality, is a violation of Mrs. Reading’s civil rights.”

Reading told The Blaze

“The civil rights lawsuit I have filed is a critical step towards seeking justice for the irreversible damage inflicted upon my personal life, professional reputation, and capacity to meaningfully contribute and serve my community.”.

“As this case progresses, I hope it illuminates the pervasive issue of government censorship and the retaliation against parents who strive to safeguard their children’s well-being while at school.”

Derek VanHorn, chief of media relations at JB MDL, told The Blaze in an emailed statement:

“Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst was made aware of the social media exchange involving a Soldier stationed at JB MDL. The opinions expressed were posted from a personal account unaffiliated with the military and were not official statements made on behalf of the Department of Defense.” 

“Any information or concerns received by the installation were passed on to the local civilian law enforcement responsible for jurisdiction. As fellow members of the local community, the safety of our service members, their families, and the community we live in, is of the utmost importance and we take every concern seriously.” 

Schilling should be all right as long as he knows the proper pronouns and takes his children to raunchy drag shows.