For What?
That’s the question Andrew Quemere was asking himself as he was walked from his workplace to the Keene Police Department this morning. Apparently arrested for loitering in the back of a truck. However, Andrew was assigned by his workplace to be in the back of that truck. While exercising his right to not show ID, Andrew does not appear to have been confrontational or aggressive; he simply wanted to get back to work.
But when officer Chris Simonds threatened to throw him into the parking lot pavement, Andrew followed the officers’ commands and was handcuffed. Charged with “Obstructing Government Administration”, he was released on $2000 PR bond and has an arraignment date of August 10, 2009.
More details are in the embedded video:
Ah, America's Finest™.
Forcing him to take a day off work to show up for court after they knew he was not loitering shows you that they don't understand people that have to work for a living and have bills to pay. — They are charging him with frivolous lawsuits to cover their own ass. I wonder if those pigs can be sued for false arrest and kidnapping. They don't enforce laws they just come up with random things to take people way and run them through their system. What happens if he does not take the day off work? What happens if… Read more »
I wonder how often Police charge someone with a crime they know s/he is not guilty of, and will attest to it themselves. Wouldn't you think simply including it in their report would have been sufficient, since he thought that's what he was investigating initially?
If this is routine, and the people of Keene are paying for court costs re: charges that every party agrees never took place.. I'd think that would be one policy that everyone could unite against.
Okay, here's the story straight from the horse's mouth. I work for a telephone book delivery company. For the current delivery, we're renting out the Knights of Columbus building which is right next door the the Police Department. I do two things at work: I do work in the office (paperwork, phone calls, etc.) and I work outside on the trailers helping our delivery people load their vehicles with phone books. Today, around 8:30 am, I was outside on one of the trailers taking an inventory of the remaining phone books to ensure that we had enough to complete the… Read more »
Personally, I find the details sketchy and I need more information.
What does Andrew's job consist of? Has he had any run-ins with the police in the past?
Why did the police arrive in the first place? Having a door open, standing on a truck and being near the police department would not generally spark an officer's interest.
Andrew also mentioned a police investigation. Why is there a police investigation? When did it begin and for what purported reason?
I have questions and not many answers. Being a supporter of Free Keene will not automatically give you my support.
Questions, First, if you didn't see it, Andrew's story is above your post. 1. Looks like he was counting phone books. 2. He's never been arrested before. Run-ins, I don't know 3. Do you not believe that cops could just be "going fishing" on a young adult, as they often do? 4. Andrew may have mis-spoke if he mentioned an investigation in the video. He may have just meant they were "investigating" what they thought to be a suspicious sighting. I hope that getting some documentation of the arrest report later this week will offer more answers as to what… Read more »
Question, You must not have watched the video, or read Andrew's post, because he makes it pretty clear that he works for a telephone book delivery company (Directory Distributing Associates), which is right next to the police station. Are you basically saying that they alllowed that "suspicion" to marinate for a while before they actually investigated some kid moving phone books around? Sounds like incompetence to me. And again, it seems like you didn't read or listen to anything here. Andrew was told that "were investigating a burglary"– one that they were clearly imagining in the first place; they had… Read more »
Thanks for the information, Dr. Q. Sounds to me like an injustice was done to you.
Who the fuck would steal phone books anyway? Doesn't seem like to cops were thinking about much more than victimizing another young person who doesn't know their rights. Unfortunately for them, it was Andrew, and he does know his rights. Were the cops thinking, they'd have backed down, but no, they escalated it and will now proceed to cover with excuses and pretend they were right in stealing his freedom.
Another fact that I forgot to include in my last comment: 4)The Police Department did *not* have copies of the local or State law codes for me to consult. I repeatedly told Bower that I did not feel comfortable with what was going on if I could not see the text of laws relevant to my case, but instead of making an attempt to obtain copies for me, he put pressure on me to make decisions. Because I was unfamiliar with the process and because I was caught off guard by the arrest, I can assure you that I felt… Read more »
I may have taken this out of context, but I am curious about how some of these questions are relevant. I'm really not trying to be confrontational, and would be interested to read what you had in mind… "What does Andrew’s job consist of?" Would it matter what his job specifically consists of, as long as he wasn't doing anything illegal, and was actually performing his job duties at the time? "Has he had any run-ins with the police in the past?" If he had, and everything else was as it seems, would this change the fact that these thugs… Read more »
It's amazing how much bullshit like this goes on and how oblivious most Americans are to it. That there appears to be no way to actually hold them accountable, that they are often immune to a civil suit or any other method of being held accountable and to justify their actions is just ludicrous and unjust. But what are the alternatives? Is there anything that can be done or do we just have to take it? It's frustrating as hell to see them get away with this crap time and time again. They're no different than common thugs, thieves and… Read more »
Zeus,
This is one way to hold them somewhat accountable. We know the police Lts read this blog. I've submitted officer complaints before, and they've always treated my complaint with respect and concern.
Of course they could be faking, but every possible angle to let police know we won't accept this behavior anymore helps.
Good report Nick!
You people do a good job of wailing and gnashing your teeth.
When are you going to start doing something actually constructive? Fill out a bad conduct complaint on the officers and sue the city, for chrissake.
But you run the risk of people thinking that you have a brain and some sack.
One would almost have to conclude that you're making this shit up. Fake moral outrage… mmmmmm delicious!
Jackson, I surmise that many people are not optimistic that a "bad conduct complaint" will result in any real change.
Trust me, there's no fake outrage.
Jackson, you should not be so presumptuous. It's only been two days. Believe it or not, that's not enough time to work out a thorough legal strategy for someone who works full time and has limited knowledge of the legal system.
<blockquote cite="ZEUS">I find it sadly ironic there’s no method of recourse for being abused by the state.
sure there is. if you're abused by the state, you can ask the state to punish the state by filing complaints with the PD or lawsuits with the court, as Jackson suggests:
<blockquote cite="Jackson">Fill out a bad conduct complaint on the officers and sue the city, for chrissake.
sure there is. if you’re abused by the state, you can ask the state to punish the state by filing complaints with the PD or lawsuits with the court, as Jackson suggests: Isn't that a bit silly? That's like asking a thief or a murderer to arrest himself or his buddies. The Thin Blue Line protects its own, right or wrong. Hell, in the case of Sam Dodson, the very same judge involved in wrongdoing is the one who will be deciding the case because he refuses to recuse himself. I'm fairly certain he's going to decide he's done nothing… Read more »
That’s like asking a thief or a murderer to arrest himself or his buddies. Indeed. John Locke argued that even though all people are born into, and have a right to remain in, a state of nature (not subject to any other person's power or authority), he thought that as a matter of practicality civil governments should be set up. His primary reason for this is that people tend to have a hard time being impartial judges of their own cases. Hence, they set up civil government to act a neutral third-party to arbitrate disputes between individuals. The problem, of… Read more »
just another prick Keene cop. It's too bad I'd really like to have someone around that will help me defend myself against people looking to steal, threaten, or hurt me. Doesn't seem like that is what Keene cops like to do. It's too bad I wish they could come around and help people instead of doing this evil unjust bs. that would require a little courage. Keene's finest talk a good game, but not an ounce of courage. Any sack of meat can jump in front of a bullet to save someone. It takes real balls to stand up for… Read more »
Any sack of meat can jump in front of a bullet to save someone. Which is a rarity anyway. How often do cops take a bullet saving someone else? Compare that to how often peaceful people take bullets, beatings and taserings from cops and see which is greater. Those cops who are honorable and doing their jobs with the utmost integrity (insofar as one can as an agent of the state) should at least be respected for doing so. Not because they're cops but because they're honorable human beings helping other human beings. Those cops who commit violence on others… Read more »
Took me less than 5 minutes to find the law on the NH.GOV site. All NH laws are searchable on that site. Here it is: 642:1 Obstructing Government Administration. – I. A person is guilty of a misdemeanor if that person uses intimidation, actual or threatened force or violence, simulated legal process, or engages in any other unlawful conduct with a purpose to hinder or interfere with a public servant, as defined in RSA 640:2, II, performing or purporting to perform an official function or to retaliate for the performance or purported performance of such a function. II. Flight by… Read more »
'…if there is a state or city ordinance requiring you to provide ID when requested by a police officer…'
If it is required, then how can it be called a request?
This is a big one that cops grab people with. Listen for the word 'ask', folks, and then politely decline.
These people serve at OUR convenience, for our protection (allegedly). Start treating them like it
For cops to lie so quickly (and poorly – re: he went into the building, called out, didn't see anyone) shows that they are quite confident about how their justice system will treat them in the case of any "wrongdoing." This "go getter/bully you" attitude of the Keene cops is truly disturbing. Where are they getting their recruits? From the Bosses' military division or are they all from Texas? These people must be held accountable. I'd recommend sueing all the liars and the gang they work with. PS: Thank you Andrew for standing up and exercising your right to refuse… Read more »
Have you considered a civil 42USC1983 suit for illegal seizure to recover damages?