GOV, Nyberg solicits Dick Devine's assistance in dealing with Mayor Serpico [MP]

Last Wednesday I was invited by Maria Hernandez to a meeting of her neighbors with Mayor Ron Serpico. Serpico demanded I leave the meeting and threatened to arrest me. Hernandez has been leading her neighbors in opposing abuses and indignities perpetrated by the Melrose Park police department.

I have written State's Attorney Richard A. Devine to inform him of the threat and to explain to the good mayor of Melrose Park that he is a mayor not a warlord.

From my letter:

Hernandez invited me to be a witness to the meeting with Mayor Serpico. The meeting was held in the Village of Melrose Park board room at 7 PM. Mayor Serpico asked for the meeting to begin with introductions.

I introduced myself as, “Carl Nyberg from Forest Park.” Mayor Serpico interrupted the introduction process. He said, “If he stays, I leave. He doesn’t live in Melrose Park.”

I asked Hernandez if she wanted me to stay. She said, “It’s up to you.” Absent a definitive “yes” I decided to leave. I finished writing, “If he stays, I leave. He doesn’t live in Melrose Park,” and got up to leave.

At that point Mayor Serpico escalated the hostility of his remarks. He called me a “troublemaker” and told me I didn’t have a right to be in Melrose Park. I responded by telling Mayor Serpico, “The Constitution gives me the right to go anywhere in the country.” I also asked him, “Who are you?” a couple times.

Mayor Serpico then threatened to arrest me if I didn’t leave. He might have mentioned something about disorderly conduct. One witness said he threatened to arrest me in two minutes if I didn’t leave.

By no reasonable interpretation of the law was my conduct disorderly. I raised my voice and spoke to Mayor Serpico in a confrontational tone, but I wasn’t louder than the mayor and I wasn’t any more confrontational than he was. I didn’t swear at him. And I complied with his request to leave rather than contest the point.

I met with Deputy Chief of Police Gary Montino and that meeting was a success. The Melrose Park Herald (David Pollard) wrote about the initial problems, but the search function on the Pioneer Press website doesn't seem to be working.