Free Keene

July 9, 2009
By James B Schlessinger Jr.

Cameras have caused quite a stir at Keene City Hall in the past and recent weeks have only seen an increase in the amount of drama surrounding these devices. Whether it is in a court room or a clerk’s office, local liberty activists have made many attempts at capturing the civil servants in action only to be thwarted by police and bureaucrats. At the focus has been a sheet of paper hung on the wall, the text of which declares a ban on the use of cameras in various areas of the building. The paper, which court personnel have alleged to be a lawful judicial order, carries no indication of any official authority nor bears any marking that would confirm its legitimacy. Inquiries about the ordinance from which the “order” is derived have been met with rhetoric and no real answers.

Today, liberty activists entered the City Clerk’s Office, one of the rooms where video taping is restricted, and asked the available clerk about the newly posted restriction. Local entrepreneur Nick Ryder spoke with Deputy City Clerk Bill Dow about the notice and why it was posted. Mr. Dow indicated that the clerk’s office needed to maintain and protect the integrity of the vital records and that he was “personally all for” the freedom of the press.

The inquiry was soon interrupted by City Attorney Tom Mullins who insisted that the activists leave the Clerk’s Office to “talk outside”. Upon exiting the office one of the activists turned on a camera and mentioned to the City Attorney that he was video and audio recording. Mr. Mullins indicated that he did not want to be recorded and then retreated to the confines of the clerk’s office. Not content with the answers received, the activists walked upstairs to the court room lobby and spoke with Chief Security Officer Lance Walton.

On Wednesday July 8th, Keene resident and liberty activist Sam Dodson entered the court lobby in order to photograph public records in preparation for his upcoming trial. Sam was denied a chance to photograph the records and was physically removed from the counter where the records were made available to him.

Upon talking with Mr. Walton today, activists asked whether he would allow records to be photographed. Lance stated that taking pictures of records was fine but indicated that his decision to allow it would depend on the situation. Mr. Walton also mentioned that he would talk with his bailiffs about this matter.

The last stop for the activists was the third floor, office of City Manager John MacLean.  Mr. MacLean provided some answers about the hierarchy and stated that the City Council was responsible for hiring both the City Manager and the City Attorney. Mr. MacLean also stated that in regards to policy decisions, the City Attorney would first be consulted and his advice would be used to form policy. When asked about the newly posted notice forbidding cameras the City Manager admitted that he was “not directly” involved with the decision but that he supported it. Given that City Manager MacLean did not make the decision to post the signs, the liberty activists left City Hall still wondering from what authority the signs were posted and who actually put them on the wall.