FRANKLIN BOROUGH— When a borough employee threatened to call the cops on Michelle Ayala for breastfeeding at a public beach last week, she decided to make the most of what could have been a sour situation.

Ayala said she decided to hold a "nurse-in" at a local park, where she said around 40 people came to show support for breastfeeding, even if they themselves had passed that stage, or never done it.

"Not only do people breastfeed, and it's normal, but there's also supporters," she said.

Michelle Ayala
Michelle Ayala
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Ayala said she was at the public beach in Franklin last Tuesday where she said she had nursed her child "a multitude of times" this year, and was surprised when she was confronted on this particular day. The beach was opened this year, but Ayala said she knew she was allowed to nurse there, despite the objections. She said she was told that nursing her 2-year-old was "offensive," especially with children and other people around.

"I said I'm perfectly fine the way I am. She then raised her voice and yelled 'well then I'm going to call the cops on you,'" Ayala said. "I said 'okay.' She stormed off and then called the cops."

Police who responded to the call confirmed to Ayala that she wasn't doing anything wrong, and apologized for any issue that may have come up. She said that while the officer thought it was an anonymous complaint she told him it was not, and surprised him when she told him who it was. The woman has not been identified.

Michelle Ayala
Michelle Ayala
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The people who came to the event represented different groups, which Ayala said was the point of the event in the first place.

"I think it was to get the word out that this is a normal thing and to call the police on someone because they're nursing their child is absurd, regardless of what your opinion is or what somebody's views of nursing in general are," she said.

Now that the event is done Ayala said she hopes she can go back to going to the beach like everyone else and enjoying being there as the summer winds down.

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