Keene Activists’ Main Battleground “In Trouble”

June 25, 2009 by Nick Ryder
Filed under: News

As members, supporters, and followers of FreeKeene know, the Keene District Court has been the site of several high drama situations. From Ian’s arrest for contempt of court, Dave Ridley’s arrest, Sam Dodson’s arrest, and the detainment, arrest, and citations of 6 other activists. So at minimum, we are at the Keene District Court at least twice a month. That will be increasing in the next few months as more activists face ridiculous charges from local police and prosecutors. However, according to the Keene Sentinel, the court could lose it’s legal legitimacy in those same few months if serious issues are not taken care of.

Unfortunately, the issues they speak of are not judicial or ruling related, but rather security related. Anyone who’s been to the Keene District Court knows it has no metal detectors, x-rays, or real “security” outside of a few officers with wands. However, I would go out on a limb and say many activists believe that “security” is more often “security theater”, despite what sort of intricate setup any court appears to have. The best security would be to allow everyone and their handguns into the court. The police are allowed, why aren’t we?

Keene District court is in trouble
By Anika Clark
Sentinel Staff
Published:
Thursday, June 25, 2009 12:46 PM EDT

For years, Keene District Court has been the target of complaints about its lacking facilities — an overcrowded space with little security or privacy for those who use it.

Now, a state commission says the issues are so bad, it plans to yank the court’s accreditation, a move that a judicial branch spokeswoman believes hasn’t happened to a court in years.

And local officials say they don’t know what the commission’s plans mean for the court’s future.

N.H. Supreme Court Chief Justice John T. Broderick Jr. provided official notice of the commission’s intent in a June 16 letter to Judge Edward J. Burke, Mayor Philip Dale Pregent and Keene City Manager John A. MacLean.

But, he wrote, the downgraded status wouldn’t become official for at least 90 days.

According to state judicial branch spokeswoman Laura A. Kiernan, this determination follows a routine security assessment of Keene District Court, which was completed by the U.S. Marshals Service and court security officers from the state’s Administrative Office of the Courts.

Broderick — who serves as chairman of the accreditation commission — wrote that on June 12, the commission heard “extensive testimony about serious deficiencies in the Keene District Court facility” and lists security among several problems.

In his letter, Broderick also said the commission voted to have state staff prepare a request for proposals either for a new Keene District Court facility or for a building that would house superior, probate, district and family courts.

Pregent attended the June 12 meeting with City Attorney Thomas P. Mullins, District Court Clerk Larry Kane, Judge Burke and Executive Councilor John D. Shea, whose district includes several area towns.

Pregent said he expects the city will receive a copy of the security report soon but that “the ratings that they gave us verbally, right there, were very low.”

In the meantime, he said, Broderick’s letter “just kind of puts us on notice. … We know (District Court is) unsafe.”

One of the main problems with security is that Keene City Hall — where the court is located — is a public space.

And since the courtroom also doubles as chambers for public city government meetings at night — with no security officers — it diminishes security even further, Pregent said.

But while it’s well acknowledged that Keene District Court doesn’t cut it, numerous members of a local task force of lawyers, judges and city, state and county leaders — a group that formed to consider the future of Keene’s courts — had questions about Broderick’s letter.

Among them is, “What does losing one’s accreditation mean?”

State statute sheds little light on the matter but says “not accredited” is the lowest of three designations.

Judge Burke referred to the issue as “uncharted water.” And Kiernan said she didn’t recall a court losing its accreditation in New Hampshire.

This latest development follows months of uncertainty about Keene District Court’s future, which was sparked by Gov. John H. Lynch’s recommendation in February that several district courts in the state be joined with existing facilities to shave costs.

Keene District Court appeared on the list, and in March, Broderick outlined a plan to move Keene District Court into the Cheshire County Court House building on Court Street.

Although the latter facility is already cramped, Broderick said room could be created there by moving cases involving families and juveniles into a yet-to-be-created family division in the Jaffrey-Peterborough District Court building in Jaffrey.

Still, several local figures railed against the idea of moving any of Keene’s court proceedings out of the county seat.

Among problems, they said, was the added cost lawyers, litigants and police could face in being forced to travel to Jaffrey.

The matter was muddied even further when the N.H. House passed a budget that called for Keene District Court to be merged with Jaffrey-Peterborough.

However, in May, the Executive Council approved a lease extension to enable the District Court to stay in its current digs for nine months.

In June, the Senate amended the state budget to allow Keene District Court to stay in the city. This was upheld in the state budget that passed Wednesday, and Sen. Molly M. Kelly, D-Keene, said despite the lease’s term of nine months, the budget contains 12 months of funding for Keene District Court.

“That’s quite a bit of time to see where we’re going to go,” she said of the nine-month lease term. “I think the ultimate goal is that we have a safe, secure court system here in Keene.”

In the meantime, with the Court Accreditation Commission scheduled to review the District Court’s accreditation status in September, local leaders are left with a major question:

What now?

At Wednesday’s task force meeting, members directed County Administrator John G. Wozmak, City Manager MacLean and John G. Dugan, president of the private nonprofit Monadnock Economic Development Corp. to examine building options and funding strategies for Keene’s courts.

In an interview with The Sentinel, Wozmak described city and county input in the process as key to ensuring that whatever’s determined for the courts’ future, it is favorable to local interests.

Options include using space in the city-owned complex at 350 Marlboro St. and expanding the Cheshire County Court House, according to Wozmak.

In addition, he said, converting the soon-to-be-vacant Keene Middle School to house court proceedings is “not inconceivable.”

Regardless, County Commissioner Stillman D. Rogers urged haste in the matter:

“I think it’s critical that we move forward as fast as possible,” he said.

http://www.keenesentinel.com/articles/2009/06/25/news/local/free/id_361333.txt

Lance

Sen. Molly Kelly: “I think the ultimate goal is that we have a safe, secure court system here in Keene.”

Have there been incidents of violence at the courthouse in Keene? What am I missing? Seems like fear mongering to me.
http://gibson.mp/ Richard

@Lance: I've never actually been to Keene, but have seen video evidence of significant violence there at http://ridleyreport.com/ (and a few other sites, including freekeene.com). Unfortunately, moving to a new building is not likely to reduce the frequency of attacks.
LSNL

After watching the HCR6 voting, when the armed people in the building did nothing when "their reps" publicly committed treason, ignoring their constituents, and betraying their oaths to the US, and NH, Constitution, I can't imagine they have anything to worry about.

On the other hand, if they want to make the buildings safer by keeping their thugs from harming people, not only would that be welcome, but they probably don't need metal detectors to do it.
Hutchingson, Bradfor

In October 1997, During the Jumanjiville/Kangaroo/"keene" District "court" proceedings that morphed into NH Sup Ct Docket # 97-537, a blatantly illegal meeting occured in the main court room. (…where the Jumanjiville Town council shitheads meet for their mutual masturbation sessions…) Present were Plaintiffs' "atty", Douglas K. Watson, judgelette Howard B. LAME(Lane), jr., Richard J. Talbot (esq., ret.,) Mr & Mrs Richard Whitney of Walpole, (also innocent victims of a corrupt American legal system…), Clerk Lucille Gorges, and "court security officer" Frank Smith. Despite my personal role as the Tenant in question, I was not invited. After this meeting, Smith attacked me. He tried to combine a pain-compliance hold w/a "take-down" move, but I instead let him "back-step" me to the wall, where I said to Smith in a firm voice, "Let go of my shirt!". At the farce of a trial on the trumped up charges "they" FABRICATED to cover their own asses, I openly challenged "Judge" Runyon the RUNT: "You decide, judge, which one of us, Smith or myself, is COMMITTING PERJURY"? (Obviously, Smith was the lying sack of shit). RUNTYON couldn't decide. That's only one reason I call him "Bow-tie Boy". I will "fight" you MOTHERFUCKERS until I get my stolen house back. Molly Kelly, sweetheart POLITI-CUNT that she is, will never "get it". Will she, Coach Luptowski???…When even one of us is threatened, ALL OF US ARE THREATENED. SHUT DOWN THIS FUCKING COURT! GET OFF THE BENCH, BURKE, YOU FUCK-FACE. EAT SHIT and DIE, LANE! That's just how I feel. I'm fine w/o it, finer w/it. And no, I will never, never, NEVER quit "sniping"(verbally) until I get JUSTICE! Shit yeah, you're all as physically safe as I am, now. I just hope you feel the acid burn of fear that you've caused me to learn to live with. Yes, I really, really, really do hate all your motherfucking asses. Why shouldn't I? How have you treated *ME*???…See what I mean???…I feel better already…You're safe, as long as I'm NEVER AGAIN IN YOUR PATHETIC LITTLE "court-room". FUCK BURKE! FUCK LANE! I WANT MY HOUSE BACK, Mr. "Michael Edward Price"…you know…133 Spruce, Keene…stolen from my fathers estate, his widow, & disabled son. That was the house my Father bought for me. YOU MOTHERFUCKERS STOLE IT! HOW "safe" is that???…WHY THE FUCK SHOULD YOUR SORRY BLACK-ROBED ASSES BE SAFE IN YOUR OWN COURTROOM? KEEP ME OUT OF IT! YES, if one of you "free-stater" wing nut whack-jobs did iceburke, I'd feel a bit sad for any surviving family/friends, but I'd dance a jig for joy, also…I hereby swear and affirm that the above is true and correct to the best of my knowledge. Copyright 2009. (This is a writing sample. I'm trying to sell my work to various crime-novel publishers. Should I do a non-fiction, instead???…Hey, if Burke can fuck over my elderly widowed mother, I should be able to make a little $$$ off it, right, Frank???…Sorry the brakes *did* work that day, huh, Doug-lette Watson, you fuck-face?…*grin*…(Well, how much time have *YOU* wasted, *READING* this irrelevant, but true, crap???…*GRIN*…) FUCK YOU TOO, Luca Paris!
Hutchingson, Bradfor

Yo, BURKE! Wanna 'nother bite of the "buck-apple"????….be patient. I may be able to help, there…maybe he really *IS* a kiddy-diddler, after all…RING MY BELL….(yeah, you know you want to…~.~.->::<-…be patient. you'll get it……….
http://newhampshireunderground.com Russell Kanning

they might have to spend more money … what a shocking solution for the government

i also agree … that court will not be safe until they stop letting those armed thugs in funny outfits in there
anarchojessespalelkf

What us natives have been trying to tell you people all along is that Keene really isn't what it seems to be…You all have my deepest gratitude for your efforts…you've done more to expose "them", & their corruption, than I ever could…BRAVO!…"They" are accustomed to doing whatever they want, regardless of the "legality", safe in the knowledge that "they" could get away with anything, up to and including murder. Yes, murder. (A Keene city employee was murdered at the old Dump. After a month in jail, his murderer was let free, to go off and start a new life…Not even charged with "Unlawful discharge of a firearm in City limits"…Nothing.) So, when we have so little, if any, respect for the "courts", & the "law", is it any wonder???…Only the removal from the bench, & permanent disbarment of Lane & Burke could begin to restore my lost faith in so-called "Justice"….don't hold *YOUR* breath for that glorious time, either!…KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, FOLKS!
http://libertytiger.blogspot.com LibertyTiger

I think that maybe the authoritarian sociopaths have realized that the moral authority of the of the Keene District Court has been challenged and that Burke and his henchman have lost control. The statists need to bring this court under a larger, more powerful authority. This is simply the the bureaucratic equivalent of an armed retreat. The minions must regroup under a larger banner. The whole story reminds me of the movie A Bug's Life.
elkfartthebrave

…is it "preying mantis", or *PRAYing mantis*?…sorry to bug you guys like that…I'm at my ant's house, ///…ANY "moral authority" that Jumanjiville/Kangaroo/keene District "court" might have once had, has long since been irretrievably lost…and all those bleeding-heart liberal "Democrats" here in Jumanjiville are all brain-dead dupes, stooges, and puppets for those "authoritarian sociopaths"… Burke-the-Jerk never *WAS* in control…how do you think he got on the bench in the first place???…But yes, they've lost control. Proof of that is that the Sentinel has been *FORCED* to end their "news blackout" on you Keene-based Freestaters. YOU GUYS ROCK! And, even an "armed retreat" is still a RETREAT!…You've got 'em on the ropes, now, kick them while they're down, before they get back up again!…I'll go get *MY* Doc Martens!…(…anybody seen the ghosts of Mao Ze Dong and the German soldier lately???…I've got a new temp. assignment with DIA/DOD, & I need a lookout/backup, with DU experience…& if you think that's "Ducks Unlimited", you're too *CLEAN* for me…Y R U still *reading* this crap???…*grin*)