May 1 Update:

May 1, 2009 by Nick Ryder
Filed under: Freedom Fest, News

This brief report is to update people on the happenings of the May 1 trials at Keene District Court.

Mike Barskey’s charges for organizing Freedom Fest were dropped prior to the trial. Andrew Carroll was found guilty for possessing marijuana, and will likely turn himself in to the jail on Monday instead of paying any fines. In addition, many activists refused to stand as Judge Burke entered, and it was not even mentioned.

Video will be forthcoming tonight and throughout the weekend.

Mikearchy

For what it's worth, at least Sam will have another activist on the inside w/ him.

*sighs*

Any other details on the camera protest? I wish I could have been there for all of it…

M.
Edward J. Burkah

I had a spy outside City Hall @1:30PM today. Saw a small, motley crew of scraggly folks holding mostly illegible signs. 6, 8, maybe 10 people at most. More inside? One very bored looking KPD "rookie". Whatever you guys are doing, it sure as shit ain't your numbers, or "professionalism"(yeah, I know, lame word, but my thesaurus is up my ass again…)that's got them running scared. Sorry this post is so pathetic. I smoked the Andrew Carroll case evidence…*HOW* many grams was it? Please post the NH Crime Lab report. Thank-you. and remember, as Tenzin Gyatso says so: "Never give up."…
http://webryders.net nick

Burkah,

If you went by after 1:30, then most activists were inside, and a few remained outside to hold signs and watch. Had you gone by about 20 minutes before, you would have seen close to 35 activists out there.

We have the numbers, and they're growing every week.
stoops

hmmm, i walked by at about 1:10 today and saw MAYBE 20 "activists"…35 is stretch
Edward J. Burkah

Nick's math works better for me. So, how many grams *did* he "posess"???…How long does he plan to stay in jail???…Longer than Ian, I hope!…as for Sam, well, remember, the Superintendent of the Cheshire County House of Corrections is Mr Rick Van Wickler, a very vocal & well out-spoken member of L.E.A.P….seems a bit of a stretch, what we're hearing about Sams' treatment…ARGHH! MY FUCKING HEAD EXPLODED AGAIN!….goddamn scanners….
http://webryders.net nick

Stoops,

Arguing numbers is pointless. I know that Lauren counted about 28 at one point, and then a good 4-6 more arrived.

There will be video of the group up later. I'm sure you'll be able to see it.
http://speakoutdanville.org/bbs Curt Springer

I'm pleased that nobody went to jail today.
Jazz

Ummmmmm…isn't it true that Andrew could do community service instead of paying a fine or going to jail?
Markus

I wonder if they are starting to realize (to some degree) that they can't go on making up the rules as they go, because there are too many people now watching. And, that the really unwarranted stuff is bringing even more people, faster, so it's best for them not to even go there.

Maybe someday they'll realize it's best for everyone to simply leave peaceful people alone.

PS: Did you know Mr. Burkah's Have a Seat YouTube Video has got more than 100,000 views?
http://webryders.net nick

Hmm… the Sentinel Article states:

"Between 30 and 40 people with ties to the Free State Project showed up to support Carroll during the trial. Many of them protested the state’s marijuana laws, holding up homemade signs outside the courthouse, before the trial was under way."

They were there the whole time, so I'll take their word for it
cyberdoo78

Jazz: Yes, he can pay $420 fine, he can serve some 40+ hours of community service, or he can sit in jail for 9 days.

From my point of view, if I were in his place, I wouldn't pay the $420 fine because it would go to fuel the very machine that most of us have a problem with. Community service would be providing support to the machine in the form of free labor which is just as bad as giving it money.

Jail time is great because it actually puts more wear and tear on the machine by giving it nothing it needs to survive, and by taking as much as one can from it. I think more people ought to take the jail time. A week's break in horrible place while not a vacation in anyone's mind is a break from life.
http://speakoutdanville.org/bbs Curt Springer

This will have only the most negligible effect on the "machine." The maximum cost to the system would be if Andrew did not pay the fine and the county had to pay the expenses of housing him for a week or whatever. But really, in these days of trillion dollar budgets, it's chump change and will be passed onto the county taxpayers.

But I do worry (as I have said) about the effect on Andrew. Now he has a criminal conviction, which could hinder him some day in employment or educational opportunities. You might know that the federal government is poised to get even more involved with student loans than it is now.

If anybody is hurt by this episode, it will be Andrew, not the "machine."
cyberdoo78

Curt, while they could, I'm sure, charge him for his time in jail, however I have never heard, perhaps never looked into, someone being made to pay for their incarceration. Generally speaking it is those who are not incarcerated that are made to pay for the incarceration of others.

Imagine for a moment 50 'freedom fighters' sitting in jail. How much would that cost? Would they move on to executions instead because it would be more cost effective? Since we know who are footing the real bill for the cost of caging people, at what point to those footing the bill say, enough putting people in cages for not harming people, they don't want to pay for it?

As I understand it, the point of a judicial system is to check the other four branches of government. If the judges are tired of seeing these cases eventually they will stop hearing them.

Take for example my current location, just north of Contra Costa county in California last week the District Attorney has issued a statement that it will no longer prosecute most misdemeanors because it no longer has the funds to do so. Regardless wither they actually do it or not, doesn't matter, the fact they considered this move goes to my point.

I'm sure Andrew well understands that he will have a record now, and so what. All the more reason to not work within the system but work outside it, read agorism.
http://speakoutdanville.org/bbs Curt Springer

I wasn't contemplating Andrew being charged for his incarceration.

There won't be 50 "freedom fighters" in any one jurisdiction.

It seems to me that many people are willing to cheer on an 18-year-old jeopardizing his future while rationalizing their own lack of commitment. I have a job, I have a family, etc. You don't need to move to NH to do civil disobedience. You can hold up pot in your own town square.

But don't get me wrong. I don't criticize anybody for looking out for his or her own self interest. I would smoke pot in public or maybe more realistically a Cuban cigar if I could do so without penalty. I just don't like the idea that people project their unrealized dreams and aspirations onto Andrew, Patrick, and other extremely young people, egging them on to take the hit that we older people won't take for a host of good reasons.
Lpviper

Buddy of mine has a couple kids with a couple different girls.When his more recent ex went to the courts she said he was in the chips when he was actually laid off, and he got a huge bill. Even now the guy makes 20 bucks plus an hour and gets to take home 200 a week. Anyway, he went in front of the judge when they arrested him and the judge said, 'you got 5 GR? He was like, nope. And the judge says '45 days'. And here in good ol Michigan you don't get out on good behavior for child support, you get to spend your whold term in there. So robbers and rapists and such get out on good behavior but not child support guys. Anyhow, he gets out and gets back to work at some point, but right after he gets out he gets a bill from the County. 66 bux a day for 45 days. 2970 bux. Pay up kid. I'm sure it helped everyone out. Yay gubment. So yeah, definitely they can charge you to be incarcerated. They can do whatever the hell they want!