The Hudson County Board of Commissioners renewed their lease for the historic gun mount in North Bergen’s James J. Braddock Park, also recognizing Muslim Heritage Month, and approved contracts related to county park improvements at last week’s meeting.
By Dan Israel/Hudson County View
They unanimously (9-0) authorized an extension of the loan agreement with the Naval History and Heritage Command, Curator Branch for the historic gun mount for three yeas: December 30th, 2025 through December 30th, 2028.
The loan agreement is for the historic gun mount at Braddock Park, extending the lease retroactively for another three years from December 30, 2025 to December 30, 2028.
“I grew up just north of the park in Cliffside Park. For those who don’t know, there is a big piece of artillery, I guess, that’s displayed in the center of the park in the traffic circle … Every time I go through the park, and other people I know say the same thing, I find it very disturbing and jarring … It’s mounted on a base that’s inscribed with the word freedom,” Weehawken resident Mary Ciuffitelli said during public comment.
She asked them to vote the least extension down, which did not end up being the case.
According to Ciuffitelli, the gun mount is supposed to be a memorial for Vietnam veterans, but other than the word freedom emblazoned on its base it is not identified in any way for that purpose.
“It’s supposedly dedicated to Vietnam vets. I don’t know whose freedom we’re talking about when regarding that conflict, but I don’t really understand the connections … Whenever I come through that park … two things come to mind all the time. One is that the number one cause of death of American children is gun violence,” she argued.
“… And also, that were living in such an increasing violent and militarized country, that I think we should take every opportunity to turn down the temperature wherever and whenever we can… Tone it down, disarm, demilitarize the park, and display a symbol that expresses unity, and peace, and justice, and yes, freedom that makes sense.”
The commissioners also introduced three ordinances related to traffic safety, with one that would establish traffic calming devices on Hoboken Avenue and Central Avenue in Jersey City, and another to regulate parking at the East side of Central Avenue and West Side of Oakland Avenue, also in Jersey City.
Later in the meeting, the board also voted unanimously to approve a contract for engineering services for the design and construction management of improvements to West Hudson Park in Harrison and Kearny to French & Parrello Associates (FPA) for $183,917.
They also approved another resolution for a contract with the same vendor FPA for professional engineering and evaluation of the retaining wall at Braddock Park for $60,152, and another contract for $38,257.41 for the “Extension of Central Avenue in Jersey City.”
Hi I remember in Hudson County Park at North Bergen, Now James Braddock park
When their was a Beautiful Bed of Flowers during the Spring of the Year.
The Parks Department planted Tulips. Many generations have had their photos taken their from 40s to 2000.
This park is a Beautiful place for families
An in spring don’t miss out on the Trout Fishing. I haven’t for 60 years.
Great Improvements have resulted in this Beautiful Oasis here on our Palisades.
Dear Ms. Ciufftelli,
I believe you are mistaking the word Freedom included on a North Bergen VFW Monument next to the gun mount in question. While I might agree with you that the Vietnam (undeclared) War was in reality a Vietnamese civil war we should have stayed out of, you should not be so quick to dismiss the very real sacrifices those who served from North Bergen Township made, including those who paid the ultimate cost with their lives and the impact it had on their loved ones. Perhaps you have relatives who served inWWII? Perhaps you have seen the WWII enclosed observation platform on the roof of the WNY Municipal Bldg. on 60th Street between Tyler and Harrison Streets? Our National Emblem depicts an eagle with olive branches in one talon and 13 arrows in the other, because we always must be ready to make peace with our neighbors first, but be always ready to defend ourselves if diplomacy fails. With respect, Ms. Ciufftelli, Braddock Park does have a monument, “Iraqi Freedom “ located amongst monuments to other wars that are positioned in a circle near Bergenline Avenue a block or so south of White Caste/Nungessors/gas station that is indeed truly offensive to those who actually know the history of that war and why POTUS 43 actually wanted war there and promoted absolutely false narratives to achieve his goal. When his father, POTUS 41 correctly and courageously stood up to Saddam Hussein after the dictator’s invasion of Kuwait, Hussein waited for a chance to kill the good President George Herbert Walker Bush. When POTUS 41 visited a very grateful Kuwait shortly after his presidency. Kuwait authorities uncovered a very real plot to assassinate POTUS 41, including a car loaded with explosives which they were able to neutralize in time. This assassination attempt on George Herbert Walker Bush was not lost on his son, George W. Bush, who became hell bent on extracting revenge on Saddam Hussein. The younger Bush seized upon the Attack on our Country by Osama Bin Laden, son of a Saudi businessman to hold back on a decisive response to the Afghanistan facility where Bin Laden’s hijackers trained, and instead attack Iraq, using the absolutely false claim that Hussein and his country were behind or contributed to the September 11, 2001 terroristic attack on our Country. To that end, he humiliated Secretary of State Colin Powell to present dolctored up illustrations of supposed Iraq WMD, and fascillitated via VP Cheney’s Chief of Staff Scooter lLibby, the illegal “outing of the identity of a CIA operative, Valerie Plame when her husband, former Ambassador Joe Wilson wrote an expose in NY Times that clearly showed that Hussein did NOT have yellow cake uranium with which to make nuclear weapons. Of course Hussein deserves to rot in hell for what he did to his own countrymen and women, but over 4 000 of our brave men and women died for an Iraqi war brought on by the massive lies of George W. Bush, who now tries vainly to clean his conscience these days by painting portraits of the dead Americans who died in a war in Iraq, that Bush started illegally and immorally. Fight instead, Ms. Ciufftelli, to have that “Iraqi Freedom” monument removed from Braddock Park, and to have POTUS 43 tried and convicted for war crimes. Even President Trump, whom I don’t agree with much, agrees that Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.