New Jersey teen behind Black Lives Matter rally receives bill for thousands of dollars for police overtime

[CBS NEWS]

A New Jersey teen thought she was only exercising her First Amendment right when she organized a rally in support of Black Lives Matter. Not long after, she received a bill for thousands of dollars in the mail from the mayor, CBS New York reports. 

The mayor has since said he is rescinding it. 

Emily Gil, who is 18, was inspired to hold a rally in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, this summer after watching thousands of Americans show support for the Black Lives Matter movement. 

“It’s an issue we care about. And we notice these issues in our own town, so we can do something about it,” Gil said. 

She also wanted to highlight a lack of affordable housing.

Gil said she notified local officials in June about the protest and even met with the police chief to iron out logistics. The protest went off without a hitch on July 25 and lasted about 90 minutes.

A few days later, Gil said she received a letter from Mayor Mario Kranjac, billing her for about $2,500 worth of police overtime used during the protest.