Sign the online petition to keep Keene Bearcat-free!

LENCO’s head salesman, Jim Massery admitted on the phone today that he didn’t think it should be shown to the council as it’s intended to market to the police.

Of course, that’s the point. LENCO is not marketing the BEARCAT to police as a rescue vehicle, as the council has been told. The councilors should see how this monstrosity is being promoted. If you haven’t, please watch the video that the city attorney doesn’t want you or the city commission to see. (Also, note that LENCO changed the permissions on their video to make it so it is not searchable and also so it can’t be embedded on other websites…like this one.) Then come out on Thursday evening and speak out against it. It’s our chance to reverse the deal and say, “Thanks but no tanks!”

LENCO’s head of sales also said he’d be attending the Keene committee meeting, which tells me LENCO doesn’t quite think they have this sale in-the-bag.

Since implementation, the following observations/feedback has been noted:
- Numerous mechanical difficulties have arisen with the machines and they continue to present.
- The public is finding the technology difficult to operate.
- The technology is not conducive to customers of the downtown businesses.
- Downtown merchants have reported constant complaints about the new kiosks and have reported down-turns in business as a result.
- Space usage and enforcement is down due to the mechanical issues and the difficulties the public has had with using it.

Although a 90 day trial period was requested, it appears that the trial period already undertaken is sufficient to indicate this technology will not work at this time within the City of Keene and that it will not produce the benefits originally believed.

Consequently, we will be suspending the trial period, removing the pay-by-space machines, and re-installing the coin operated parking meters.

Of course, what they should do is take down all the parking meters. It works during the week in the holiday season where only the two-hour limit is enforced – it would work all year long.

As you might imagine, many people in Keene do not want these parking meters, but they should speak for themselves. The Keene Sentinel recently published a letter from Luann Udell that outlines some great reasons the city council should say no to these awful meters. (Of course, ALL the meters should go, but that’s another issue entirely.) Here’s Luann’s letter:

Parking kiosks are a problem

To whomever makes parking meter purchase decisions:

I am not enjoying the new parking meter system in downtown Keene. And if we can judge by the unusually high number of empty parking spaces in that area lately, I have a lot of company.

I’ve had to wait in line at the kiosks, even when I simply need six minutes to run an errand.

No matter where I park, I have to detour to go to the kiosk. In fact, this system completely eliminates the concept of a “great parking spot.” It’s no longer in front of your destination store, because you still have to go out of your way to get to the kiosk.

When the weather is lovely and my arthritis isn’t acting up, and now that I no longer have small children in tow, a detour to a kiosk is no big deal. But when snowbanks are piled high, when it’s raining or freezing out, when sidewalks are icy, when I’m in a hurry, when I’m carrying a child or two, when I’m recovering from yet another knee surgery, that extra trip is just a pain, literally and figuratively.

The kiosks don’t accept debit cards or credit cards, so we’re still stuck fumbling for change. However, it looks like it will be lucrative for the city, because when the kiosks misfire and refuse to accept change, you have to put a dollar in no matter how little time you need. And when it refuses to make change, well, we lose again.

But who really loses? Downtown merchants.

This morning, I went to Prime Roast for coffee. The row of spaces in front of their store was completely empty, except for one car. I haven’t seen the street that empty, on a weekday morning, in 20 years.

If you make it a hassle for customers to patronize downtown businesses, they will go somewhere else to shop.

I’d rather have the old meters back. Simple and quick. Or better yet, a meter (no kiosk, please, God! ) that accepts change, dollars and debit/credit cards.

Or a parking pass card, like EZ Pass.

Pay a monthly or annual fee, get a car sticker or a swipe card, and never worry again about how many quarters I have.

Please — just make it less annoying to shop downtown, okay?

LUANN UDELL

271 Roxbury St.

Keene

You can download the edition for this week here. Topics covered include the latest on the BEARCAT, Kelly Voluntaryist’s return to the Manchester airport, and the Free State Project reaching 1,000 participants in New Hampshire.

You can add Radio Free Keene News to your podcast client via this RSS feed.

Sign the online petition to keep Keene Bearcat-free!

The public will have an opportunity next week to speak about the Keene Police Department’s acquisition of a new grant-funded armored vehicle.

Last month, the Keene City Council approved the acceptance of a $285,933 federal Homeland Security grant to purchase a LENCO BearCat Special Missions Vehicle. But some residents questioned whether such a vehicle is necessary in a community of Keene’s size, and a petition signed by more than 100 residents asked the council to reconsider accepting the grant.

Councilor Terry M. Clark submitted a letter to the council requesting the issue be sent back to the council’s finance committee to allow the public to speak on it, and the full council approved the request, supported by the committee’s chairman, Mitchell H. Greenwald, Thursday night.

“I think it’s good they decided to do that (open the topic for public discussion), but it’s unfortunate that it took Terry Clark to do that when we had a petition with over 140 signatures,” said Ian Bernard, a member of the Free Keene group who signed the petition and goes by the name Ian Freeman. He and other members of Free Keene attended Thursday’s council meeting, some holding signs that read “No Bearcat,” and “Thanks, But No Tanks.”

The vehicle comes with thermal imaging and off-road capabilities, as well as hazardous gas detection equipment, and police said the vehicle would be valuable when responding to extreme weather events, suspects with weapons and suspicious packages, among other situations.

u The finance, organization and personnel committee meets Thursday, Feb. 9, at 5:30 p.m. in City Hall.

Here’s a facebook event for the upcoming meeting.

Sign the online petition to keep Keene Bearcat-free!

LENCO, the manufacturer of the BEARCAT, has this video on their youtube channel. As you can see, this vehicle is all about making the police feel as militaristic as possible – it’s not a “safety” vehicle as is being touted in the Sentinel. Searching google for “Special Missions Public Safety Vehicle”, as it has been referenced, reveals articles about Keene, but nothing from LENCO or elsewhere. Clearly, LENCO didn’t just go and make up a new model just for Keene, NH, so it’s more accurate to call it by its actual acronym: “Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck”

This is not a rescue vehicle…at least not for you. The “LE”, or Law Enforcement iteration of this armored personnel carrier has on its website as a feature: “open floorplan allows for response and rescue of downed personnel“. (emphasis added)

Please come out this Thursday and speak to the city commission on this matter. They need to hear from as many people as possible that it was a mistake to listen to the cops over the people. They need to get the message that Keene doesn’t want this monstrosity.

Click the pic to the right for a full-size version.

UPDATE: A full photo album is here on Kelly’s website.

Nearly a decade after establishing roots in New Hampshire, members of the Free State Project are welcoming their 1,000th member to the Granite State.

The milestone member relocated this week and has found a home on the Seacoast, according to local members of the pro-liberty activists group.

Founded in 2001, the goal of the Free State Project was to recruit 20,000 libertarian-leaning people to move to a single state to concentrate their efforts. New Hampshire was selected as the target state in 2003.

Since then, 1,000 people from all over the country have moved to the Granite State and officially registered as members of the organization.

Portsmouth resident Michael Finger was the 932nd member to move to New Hampshire.

Finger said the way the Free State Project works is that participants sign a statement of intent, declaring they will move to New Hampshire within five years of the movement getting 20,000 signatories.

More than 11,500 people have signed the statement of intent.

Finger said he ended up moving to New Hampshire over the summer because he got anxious and decided to follow a separate, but related effort, called Free State Now.

Instead of waiting until the movement got 20,000 signatories, Finger said, the Free State Now effort encouraged people to not wait and make the move as soon as possible.

Finger, who moved from Manhattan with his wife, said he chose to move to Portsmouth out of all of the other places in the state.

“We like New Hampshire because we like the way it is,” he said. “People are friendly and it seems a little bit more sane.”

Finger said he considers himself to be a “refugee” from a big-government state.

Like many other members of the Free State Project, Finger said he moved to New Hampshire because of the state’s business-friendly climate.

“It’s got a low unemployment rate and it’s easy to start a business,” he said.

Finger owns a consulting firm called Centinel Consulting, on Middle Street. He said many of his friends in the city also own businesses and have moved from places such as Colorado and California.

Erik Voorhees, a former resident of Colorado, said he moved to New Hampshire with his girlfriend nearly one year ago.

Voorhees said he joined the Free State Project because he liked its principles.

“I like that it is effectively trying to move more libertarian types to one small geographic area to have a much larger impact,” he said. “People of our political persuasion tend to be scattered around. I consider this to be quite a smart thing.”

Voorhees, 27, said the movement is full of diverse and progressive people of all ages and interests.

“I know Free-Staters of all ages, from age 5 to 88 years old, and everywhere in between,” he said.

“This is an important benchmark” said Free State Project President Carla Gericke, who moved from New York City in 2008. “It shows people are willing to vote with their feet for more freedom. We are modern day pioneers.”

The “First Movers” have made vast strides, according to Gericke.

At least 12 are now state representatives, and numerous others serve on school and town boards. Others have founded or worked with organizations that highlight liberty-oriented issues, such as the N.H. Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy; the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance, which grades state representatives according to their voting records; and Cop Block, a police accountability organization.

Some have created a strong independent media presence in New Hampshire, such as Free Talk Live, a nationally syndicated radio talk show based in Keene.

Others have also started private charities and mutual aid societies, such as Shire Sharing, which delivers care baskets to the needy, and Fr33 Aid, which provides volunteer first-aid at events such as Liberty Forum and the Porcupine Freedom Festival.

When asked about the reasons for the movement’s growth, Gericke said a combination of factors have been at play. She cited the economic downturn, the popularity of Ron Paul and his message of limited government, the growing national debt, the federal government’s overreach on issues such as education and health care, and the country’s involvement in wars under President Barack Obama.

“With its ‘live and let live’ culture, its livability, its low taxes, its relative prosperity,” Gericke said, “New Hampshire is well-situated to become the beacon of liberty for the rest of the country.”

Additional images and interviews available on request.

The Free State Project (“FSP”) has reached its
milestone of having 1,000 pro-liberty activists living in the Granite State. The ultimate goal is to attract 20,000 liberty-oriented individuals to New Hampshire.

“This is an important benchmark” said Free State Project President, Carla Gericke, who moved from New York City in 2008. “It shows people are willing to vote with their feet for more freedom. We are modern day pioneers.”

The Free State Project was founded in 2001 with the goal to recruit 20,000 libertarian-leaning people to move to a single state to concentrate their efforts. New Hampshire was selected in 2003. FSP participants sign a statement of intent declaring that they will move to New Hampshire within five years of getting 20,000 signers. More than 11,500 people have signed the statement of intent.

The ‘First Movers’ have made vast strides. At least twelve are now State representatives, and numerous others serve on school and town boards. State representatives have worked on pro-liberty legislation like Right to Marry, expanding the Castle doctrine, and cutting the NH state budget.

Others have founded or worked with organizations that highlight liberty-oriented issues, such as the NH Coalition for Common Sense Marijuana Policy, the New Hampshire Liberty Alliance which grades state representatives according to their voting records, and Cop
Block, a police accountability organization.

Movers have created a strong independent media presence in New Hampshire. Free Talk Live, based out of Keene, NH, is a nationally syndicated radio talk show. The Liberty Radio Network hosts a number of shows, including ones focusing on LBGT and women’s issues from a
libertarian perspective.

Movers have also started private charities and mutual aid societies, like Shire Sharing which delivers care baskets to the needy, and Fr33 Aid which provides volunteer first aid at events like Liberty Forum and the Porcupine Freedom Festival.

When asked about the reasons for the FSP’s accelerating growth, Gericke said it was a combination of factors, citing the economic downturn, the popularity of Ron Paul and his message of limited government, the growing deficit, the federal government’s overreach on
issues like education and health care, and President Obama’s new wars.

“With its ‘live and let live’ culture, its livability, its low taxes, its relative prosperity,” Gericke said, “New Hampshire is well situated to become the beacon of liberty for the rest of the country.”

Contact: Stephanie Murphy (Free State Project Media Liaison)
Email: StephanieMurphy4 at gmail.com