Talkback: Liberty Activists Call in 2010-08-07

August 14, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 40 Comments
Filed under: Audio, Civil Disobedience, Issues, Noncooperation, Police, Thuggery

Radio Tower Liberty-minded people called “Talkback” on WKBK last week to discuss KPD’s lemonade stand crackdown and the city council drinking game. Local activist supporter David calls in to share his thoughts about Keene’s liberty activists. One of the local “dissenters” group calls in as well.

Grab the archive.

Please join us for our weekly chat and calling sessions on Saturday mornings from 9a-12p. If you’re in the Keene area you can tune in to WKBK 1290 AM or 104.1 FM. The Talkback discussion thread is here on the Free Keene Forum.

Announcing the Keene City Council Drinking Game

August 4, 2010 by Sam Dodson · 40 Comments
Filed under: Announcement, Civil Disobedience, Noncooperation, Personal Freedom, Police, Social

Not a Beer

Where: 2nd Floor Keene City Hall

When: Thursday August 5th: 6:45 P.M.

Who: Open Container Activists, Onlookers, Press/media

Rules:

All participants drink when:

1. There’s a call to order

2. A bureaucrat claims to do something as “The City of Keene”

3. Everyone stands up

4. The City Council votes for Violence

5. A vote is unanimous

6. A council member says the phrase “master plan.”

7. They plan to do something “for the children.”

9. Raise your glasses (drinking not needed) if someone suggests rolling back the size, scope or enforcement power of the government IE supports more liberty/freedom

Feel free to join us with the beverage and container of your choice. If you have feedback or input on the event, please join us in the discussion thread.

Anyone who wishes to come out in support of this event is invited, drinking or not, with or without cameras.

See you tomorrow night!

Video: Meet Some Keene Nightcappers!

August 3, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 4 Comments
Filed under: Civil Disobedience, Living Free, Video

Pete and Adam from Liberty on Tour report from the event they created – Keene Nightcap!

Heika’s Letter to the Editor

August 2, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 80 Comments
Filed under: Civil Disobedience, Noncooperation, Response, Update

Heika Heika’s letter to the editor was published in the Union Leader yesterday, but they apparently don’t put those on their website, so Heika kindly sent Free Keene a copy:

First things first: Baring one’s breasts in public is not a crime, nor is it illegal. That said, I also want to make clear that, contrary to what your article of July 19 implied, there were not several of us parading around downtown, taking off our clothes. A very talented local artist and I decided it would be beautiful to have my breasts painted. He was very respectful of not touching my body in any way except on a professional level. We were sitting on a park bench, covering what was not being painted.

I was officially—and wrongfully—arrested for holding an open container of alcohol in a public place. For the record, I was not intoxicated. Part of the reason people gather daily on the common in downtown Keene is to peacefully protest this ludicrous law. Some drink, while others socialize. Many people feel we are not properly going about achieving our goal to see changes in personal freedoms (such as drinking a beer on a property that we are required to pay for), but at least we are trying. Writing the government to ask them to change the law simply doesn’t work.

We are very peaceful in our gatherings. We leave the park cleaner than the way we found it, we don’t scream belligerently at cars or people passing through, and we do not threaten or harm anyone in any way. That sort of behavior is frequently seen on the patios of downtown restaurants and bars, yet the police do nothing about that. Why are we the ones being singled out and crucified? Read more

Keene Police Called “Draconian” in Union Leader Update Piece on Heika

July 29, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 24 Comments
Filed under: Civil Disobedience, News, Personal Freedom, Police, Update

From the Union Leader’s Melanie Plenda:

A woman arrested while topless in downtown Keene last week was arrested again Tuesday, this time clothed, for protesting outside Keene District Court.

Heika Courser, 26, formerly of Richmond and currently listed as residing at 20 Forest St. in Keene, was charged with common law criminal contempt and obstructing government administration.

Courser was one of about 15 people standing on the sidewalk in front of the courthouse about 10:30 a.m. protesting a hearing for fellow Free Keene member Richard Paul.

Police Lt. Darryl Madden said Courser was arrested for “yelling” into a bullhorn, causing ruckus that led Keene District Court Judge Edward Burke to recess court. Read more

Heika Arrested for Using Megaphone

July 27, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 39 Comments
Filed under: Civil Disobedience, Update, Video

I arrived on-scene as Heika was being loaded up into a KPD cruiser. Her crime? “Free” speech over a megaphone. We were kicked out of the court earlier by the robed man because a bunch of activists stood for Rich Paul when he was called. It was because we were kicked out of court that Monica went to get the megaphone – I had run home at this time to make a phone call I was late for, and when I returned, Heika was being arrested for “disorderly conduct”. According to witnesses, Heika was not on the megaphone when police arrived. They didn’t give her a warning that she was being “disorderly” – they just came up and arrested her. They are calling it a bail violation, so she’s in jail at least for the night and the arraignment is expected for tomorrow. Hopefully she won’t lose her job.

Please move to Keene and help us end this madness!

Open Container CD Idea Update

July 23, 2010 by Bradley Jardis · 26 Comments
Filed under: Civil Disobedience, Update

Regarding my last blog… a commenter spurred an idea in my head.

If I was going to drink beer in public in violation of the law, I do it from a beer bottle that can be closed with a cap and keep the cap with me. If the police approached me I’d simply put the cap back on the beer.

If the police asked me if the beer is mine… I’d say that it is, because if I didn’t it is essentially abandoned property and they can pick it up and dump it out.

If someone, say you, claimed the property as your own, in order for the police to legally open (and use in court) the beer that you just closed, they now need a warrant. Be sure to assert that you consent to no search of your property, as opening the cap of a container is a “search.” This takes anywhere from 2-4 hours of the police and court time. This will get old real fast for the police… or it is already old, and they’re not going to do it.

As the police cannot lawfully seize someones closed beverage without the intent to get a warrant (and heaven knows they’re not going to want to invest hours and hours and thousands and thousands of dollars in applying for warrants) to investigate whether or not the beverage was used in violation of the law… it seems to me that they are only left with the option to leave peaceful people drinking beverages alone.

PS: If they did take my closed beer without the intent to apply for a warrant to determine if it is alcohol (and a violation of the law) I’d probably will have a good civil suit against the police for stealing my stuff. I’d be sure to follow up on this to make sure that they did apply for a warrant. Once the statue of limitations has expired and the state can no longer initiate a prosecution against me for violating an open container ordinance, I’d be calling Attorney Lance Webber to see what type of civil action I could bring against the government for violating a slew of different statues and constitutional amendments.

(I am not an attorney, this is not legal advice… Lance is though, and he is exactly who I’d go to if this happened to me.)

Open Container Civil Disobedience Idea

July 23, 2010 by Bradley Jardis · 54 Comments
Filed under: Civil Disobedience

Want to make it impossible for the police to attack people for the completely victimless act of possessing an open container, grind the courts to a halt, and force your local police department to alienate the state forensic laboratory… all while not actually breaking a law?

Here’s how:

Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund Looking For Volunteers

July 21, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 1 Comment
Filed under: Announcement, Charity, Civil Disobedience

Cuffs The Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund is looking for media volunteers. Want to support the good people who break bad laws like Keene’s Disobedient Seven? We’re looking for volunteers to assist with new media initiatives like researching, writing press releases, blogging, social media broadcasting etc. Want in? Get in touch.

Raw Video of Mass Arrests

July 19, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 3 Comments
Filed under: Civil Disobedience, Noncooperation, Personal Freedom, Video

First, thanks for all your support while I was in jail! If you want to help Rich Paul, please chip-in at the Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund. Here’s 26+ minutes from my arrival on the scene to when the cops took my stuff at the police station.