Protesters gather at Statehouse to throw jabs at Christie

Environmental, education and labor activists along with the heckler whom Gov. Chris Christie once told to “sit down and shut up” have braved frigid temperatures to protest his policies.

About 80 people gathered Tuesday outside the statehouse to denounce Christie, shortly before he delivered his fifth State of the State address. They criticized the governor’s handling of the economy, school funding, public pension reform and the environment.

New Jersey Working Families director Analilia Mejia says Christie’s speech is a smoke screen for a presidential campaign.

Jim Keady says the governor should give up national ambitions and focus on helping residents who are rebuilding their homes, more than two years after Superstorm Sandy. Keady gained notoriety when Christie told him to sit down and shut up during an October event.