Celebrating One Year of Continuous, Successful FIJA Outreach

July 17, 2009 by Ian
Filed under: Essay, Introduction, Issues, Outreach

FIJA I wrote this hopefully persuasive essay for the printed newsletter published by FIJA. I’ve missed the deadline for the Summer issue, but it should appear later this year. I had been reading their letters to the editor and been amazed that no one was writing about much else besides just giving Fully Informed Jury Association information to their friends, family, and co-workers. This is good, but not particularly effective. I hope that explaining what we do here in Keene will encourage others around the country to duplicate our efforts, or better yet come to NH and get active here.

I’m publishing this article here on the blog in the hopes that it will encourage similar activism other parts of New Hampshire, where honestly, there is no excuse for activists to not be doing this incredibly simple and effective activism. We’ve been challenging the activists in other areas to take this up for months now, and they haven’t. Which of course just makes Keene a more attractive destination in comparison.

Thanks to Chris Muskus for being the driving force behind this amazingly successful FIJA outreach, as it enters it’s second year this August.

In the last year, my fellow activists and I have distributed hundreds of Fully Informed Jury Association pamphlets into the hands of potential jurors as they arrive at the courthouse for jury selection. Month after month, we gather on the first Monday in front of the Cheshire superior court in Keene, New Hampshire and offer FIJA information to every single person walking into the courthouse. We arrive at 8am when the doors open and stay until about 8:45am, fifteen minutes after the potential jurors are supposed to be there, just to make sure we reach all the late arrivals. About 80-90% of the people we approach will take the flier. Usually I’ll smile and say something like, “Good morning, would you like some free information on your rights as a juror?”, and hold out a trifold. That’s all it takes!

I think it’s great that people are giving FIJA info to their friends, family, and co-workers. Reading the letters to the editor of this newsletter reveals to me that is happening a lot. I find myself wondering however, is Keene, NH the only place in the country where FIJA outreach is targeting potential jurors as they walk in the court for jury selection? I certainly hope we aren’t the first doing this form of FIJA outreach consistently, but in case we are, I wanted to share it with you as something you may want to consider duplicating in your area. Approaching potential jurors outside the courthouse is the most effective form of FIJA outreach, in my opinion. Here’s why:

1. Potential jurors are the best prospects for this message. They are about to go into the selection process and are more likely to be interested in matters regarding their rights as a juror at this time moreso than any other point in their life.
2. Jury selection usually involves a whole lot of waiting. People who have been before know this, but first-timers may not. They will really appreciate having something to read (the FIJA pamphlet) when they sit down in the waiting area.
3. Done consistently, you can reach every potential juror with FIJA information. That’s effective!

Yes, this does take a little time and preparation, but not much. The only costs are what you’ll spend either printing the fliers yourself using the .PDF files on FIJA.org, or ordering them from FIJA. (We print our own with our FreeKeene.com blog url printed in the area on the back.) Otherwise, you’re just spending a little bit of time. More populated areas probably choose juries more often than once a month, so go as often as you can. I also recommend you go with other activists. Don’t do this alone, or you risk police harassment. The more of you there are, the more likely you’ll be left alone. We find that four is the ideal number, with two being the bare minimum. We position two activists on each direction people can approach from, so we don’t miss anybody. If your courthouse has more than one entrance, you may need more people. In case the police or court bailiffs decide to harass you, make sure to have recording devices handy. Let them know they are being recorded as soon as they approach. Do not heed their demands to stop. If they are on the job and in public, they should be on the record. Assure them you are engaging in free speech and that you will not block entrances. Don’t be rude, but also don’t be meek and obedient. Practice asking questions of the officers rather than answering theirs. He who asks the questions controls the conversation. In our case, the first month we did this, two sheriffs came up and asked what we were doing, then went away and we never saw them again, but we had more than four volunteers right from day one. It helps if you outnumber them.

In most places in the country, it’s finding someone to help you that will be the biggest difficulty. When I used to do liberty activism down in Sarasota, FL, it was like pulling teeth getting people to volunteer to do things like this FIJA outreach. Up here in New Hampshire, we have more than enough volunteers show up every single month. Why? The Free State Project is the difference. In case you weren’t aware, thousands of people have pledged to move to NH and get active for liberty. That means everything from doing FIJA, to politics, civil disobedience, and creating our own media. It’s all happening and it’s happening now, since hundreds of people have already made the move and more are coming every week! So, if you’re frustrated by the lack of liberty activism in your area and really want a chance at liberty in your lifetime, you owe it to yourself to look into the Free State Project at FreeStateProject.org

I’m having the time of my life! The liberty activists moving here as part of the Free State Project are the nicest people and the best activists I’ve ever seen. To get a look at some of the other things happening our little corner of NH, visit our blog at FreeKeene.com and to get a wider perspective, the FSP features blogs from around the state on the front page of FreeStateProject.org

With that, I encourage you to get out in front of the courthouse while potential jurors are arriving for selection and get them much-needed FIJA info!

Comments

9 Comments on Celebrating One Year of Continuous, Successful FIJA Outreach

Steve on Sat, 18th Jul 2009 1:27 am

I would imagine that first-time jurors are pretty nervous, less about their “rights” as jurors but rather about their *responsibilities*.

Would it be worthwhile publishing a book with the US Constitution, NH Constitution, and FIJA info?

Jake_Witmer on Sat, 18th Jul 2009 8:33 am

I thought I was alone in desiring the systematic targeting of courthouses! Excellent work!

That said, the biggest obstacle to jury nullification of “mala prohibita” is “voir dire” (prosecutorial jury rigging). I’ve found that a short speech about the importance of getting seated goes a long way. (Otherwise, judges in the court simply confiscate the fliers, and nothing is accomplished.)

Read “Surviving Voir Dire” by Clay Conrad, here:
http://www.juryduty.org/JuryDuty.htm

I also strongly recommend the ISIL Jury Nullification links, for their concise language:
http://isil.org/resources/lit/history-jury-null.html
http://isil.org/resources/lit/new-hope-fija.html
(Many people won’t support jury nullification unless they believe that it is “how the system is supposed to work”.)

You also might want to encourage those who want to get out of jury duty to do so by proclaiming that they “know they are superior in power to the judge once they are seated”. That might get the word out a little more solidly.

Also: Try to keep track of the number of times a nullification results. By examining the court record, you can tell how effective you are.

Also: Take hidden camera video of what you’re doing. Send it to the local news, once you have a good spokesman.

DO NOT Dress up like Chewbacca while performing jury rights activism. Do not call it FEEJA activism, call it “jury rights activism” (FEEJA sounds like a cult, saying the full “Fully Informed Jury Association” also sounds cultish and abnormal, but everyone agrees with “jury rights” and “due process”)

-Jake

Keith on Fri, 31st Jul 2009 1:45 am

Thanks for the tips Jake. You have good ideas. I’m sure if you moved to NH and led an effort, you would have many backers. Don’t worry, we will keep doing the right thing in Keene, NH.

Ofer Nave on Mon, 17th Aug 2009 5:20 pm

“…no one was writing about much else besides just giving Fully Informed Jury Association information to their friends, family, and co-workers.”

Holy shit. I guess it’s because I first learned about FIJA activism from you guys, but I just naturally assumed that targeting jurors at the courthouse was standard operating procedure around the country. I’m shocked that it’s not – it’s so obvious (or maybe just in hindsight).

I also thought the time requirement was much, much more than 45m/month. That’s two major preconceived notions demolished.

Good article and video.

Ian on Mon, 17th Aug 2009 5:33 pm

Manch may have two jury selection days per month, increasing your time spent by 2 – but you have more activists, so you could divide the responsibility.

You’ll have to call the superior court and ask.

Ofer Nave on Wed, 26th Aug 2009 11:24 pm

I’ve launched a site to organize information about FIJA activism in NH:

http://fijanh.info/

I’ve posted an official launch thread and request for additional information here:

http://forum.freekeene.com/index.php?topic=1482.0

Check it out – thanks.

Rich on Fri, 11th Sep 2009 11:18 am

Manch now has FIJA.

Bob C. on Fri, 5th Mar 2010 12:53 pm

The Grafton County Superior court Jury Rights out reach has been successfully putting information in the hands of jurors for the past several months. There are plans to continue this every month until jury nullification is common knowledge and common practice. The prosecution of “victimless crimes” is a crime.

Jake Witmer on Tue, 27th Apr 2010 9:49 pm

I realized I didn’t leave my phone number on the above comment. Sorry. This is backwards, because it shows that I didn’t really place “getting the mission accomplished” over the expense to my personal comfort. Connectivity in the freedom movement benefits us more than it benefits our enemies (they probably have our information anyway, and any strategy that relies on weakness of the enemy is a bad strategy).

Therefore, my cell is: 907-250-5503

Post your comment below. Login in the far right column to get rid of CAPTCHA. If you want a pic to show with your comment, go get a gravatar!