Free Keene

An article in the Keene Sentinel on Sunday, 06-08, reports on the recent CopWatch activities and discussions:

Scans of Page 1 and 2
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See the article online.

Mr. Bantz does a pretty good job at summarizing what’s gone on to this point. It may be hard for people in this community to understand why it’s a “surprise” that the police were welcoming to the cameras. Just this week, news came out of a videographer taking news footage being taken down by an officer that just didn’t want to be recorded.

Copwatch isn’t about being aggressive. Aggression and force starts by the police when the blue lights turn on behind somebody. We just want to be there so that the officer involved knows everything he does must be able to stand up to scrutiny. There are police agencies just states and cities away from us that take questions and cameras as threats and challenges to their authority, and they don’t respond well to them. It’s great that Keene officers are open for the most part, and Copwatch is about making sure we’ll see it if they go down the road toward corruption.

On Friday, April 18th, I was told by a Keene Police Officer that I was committing theft by plugging my computer into one of the outlets that stick out of the ground along Main Street. These outlets have places to be locked or turned off, but they were neither locked, turned off, or marked with something saying they weren’t for public use. The officer told me “You can ask the City if you can use their electricity, but for now you’re stealing it.” I obliged and moved on with my night.

Tuesday, April 22nd, I went into City Hall and asked the Clerk’s Office about these outlets. Were they outlawed to the public? If so, why isn’t it marked, since they look as public as the public trash cans? How do I get permission to use them? Some of the workers were unaware that such plugs even existed, but they promised to call Keene Park & Rec and give me a call when they got the answer for me.

Tuesday, April 29th, I still had not heard from them, so I followed up with a personal contact I have in the same building. Perhaps he, being an employee on the inside, could push someone to find an answer for me. Today, May 4th, I followed up with him, and they told him the same thing they told me: “We’ll get back to you.”‘

***Update: Tuesday, May 6th, I finally got a call from Ms. Little in the City Clerk’s office. She said that the outlets are not for public use, and are for event use only. The city manager told her that if someone wanted to make some of them public, I could submit a written request to the city council. Sounds like fun…
This still does not answer the question as to why they are not marked, or how any person should know that an outlet on public property is not for public use.

This is a series of video and audio collected April 25th while we were Copwatching on Main Street. It outlines some people’s response to us being there. It is unfortunate that the only arrest we saw we were unable to document because we were being harassed by the public.

This “Ryder Report” covers the Keene activists’ mid-day tax protest on April 15, 2008.

*Now slightly better quality version is online, though the fast motion still causes YouTube to compress it fairly poorly

This is mostly raw, uneventful footage of Saturday night’s Keene Copwatch. We just recorded two incidents, however, they now know we’re out there and not afraid to use our cameras.

“Secretary of State Bill Gardner has just announced that the first in the nation primary will be held on Jan. 8.”

http://firstread.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/11/21/477708.aspx

I would, of course, encourage supporters to continue spreading the message of Ron Paul through road signs, pamplets, business cards, etc. We should gather interest on people willing to hold signs outside of polling locations in Keene.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 31 October 2007

Contact: Lee Perkins, Director, Cheshire TV (603) 283-6621
PRESS CONFERENCE: Heberdon Hall, Winter St, Keene, NH on Thursday, November 1, 8:30a

COMMUNITY PUBLIC ACCESS, FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS
THREATENED IN MONADNOCK REGION

(Keene, NH) Residents of this picture-perfect New England city best known for the annual Pumpkin Festival may lose their local community access channel, Cheshire TV, if mogul Time Warner Cable does not honor and amend its franchise agreement with the City of Keene.

Most pressing is that Cheshire TV will run out of money in about 30 days. (Read on …)

WKBK in Keene reported that Presidential Candidate Barack Obama is scheduled to make an appearance in Keene on Friday (3-16) as part of a New Hampshire campaign visit also including Concord. He’ll be at Keene High School for a 7:00pm event. Obama’s appearance will be covered by Keene’s Cheshire TV on channel 8. FreeKeene’s Free Minds TV will be live at 9:00pm the same night which could be a huge draw for new viewers stuck in the two party political quandary.