Is Civility Dead? Ocean Co Group Plans 'Funeral,' More Activism

BRICK, NJ — "Everyone is saying civility is dead. So why not give it a proper sendoff?"

It was a tongue-in-cheek comment, but a local activist group says that comment was the inspiration for an event on Saturday that aims to draw more people to political activism.

The event, called "R.I.P. Civility," is a New Orleans-style jazz funeral "street theater" performance, set for 1 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24, at the courtyard of the Ocean County Library courtyard in Toms River. It will be a brief event, probably finished by 1:30 p.m.

The event is sponsored by Forward March, a new group dedicated to making political activism more creative, entertaining, and fun, its organizers said.

"We aren't so much mourning the loss of civility as saying 'good riddance' to it," said Dave Williams, one of the founders of Forward March. "The truth is, civility has always been a bit overrated, and in recent years it has been doing more harm than good."

Forward March was founded in early 2019 by Jim Tobias of Matawan and Dave Williams of Brick, who share an interest in writing song parodies and exploring creative and unorthodox ways to promote progressive ideals. The group recently performed original song parodies at the Empower NJ rally in Trenton (during a public hearing on the state energy plan) and the Lights For Liberty event at the ICE detention center in Elizabeth, and in June organized a pro-impeachment protest in Asbury Park.

For more information, please contact Dave Williams at DaveWilliamsNJ@verizon.net. You can visit the Forward March page on Facebook.