WKBK’s Dan Mitchell Discusses City Council Drinking Game

August 20, 2010 by Sam Dodson · 79 Comments
Filed under: Audio, Keene, Noncooperation, Personal Freedom, Response, Video

I called into the morning show here in Keene to discuss last nights Keene City Council drinking game and the Anti-Free Keene hecklers that showed up to disrupt filming. Keene City Councilor Pam Slack called in to announce that Heika’s letter would be addressed on Wednesday at 6:30.

Grab the Archive here to get my perspective on this video:

Here’s an Update based on the comments:

I’m currently editing the video for the event. The full footage from this incident is shown in the beginning. This version seems to have cut two previous occasions where he was disrupting my interview by holding the cup in front of the camera. He was repeatedly asked to stop interfering.
Read more

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.

City Council Drinking Game Video

August 11, 2010 by Sam Dodson · 61 Comments
Filed under: Corruption, Keene, News, Noncooperation, Obscured Truth Network, Personal Freedom, Police, Thuggery, Uncategorized, Video

Here’s the video the people calling themselves “The City of Keene” don’t want you to see:

After reviewing their city council rules, city ordinances, and state laws; Dale Pregent seems to have made up the rules barring alcoholic beverage containers (not containing alcohol) in order to target free speech. When the Police Chief Ken Meola is unable to determine what is in the closed containers held by Ian Freeman and Sam Dodson, they were arrested for refusing to consent to search. The video clearly shows, Heika – who consented to the search – being told “your fine” as she remained in the meeting drinking from her bottle.

Let’s not forget they did all of this on live TV with the community watching. Plans are in the works for the next City Council Drinking game, Aug. 19th, 7pm. Mark your calendar, it’s going to be a special event.

Keene City Council Drinking Game Making International News!

August 9, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 49 Comments
Filed under: Laugh at the Aggressors, News, Noncooperation, Police, Update

NPR:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129077277

AP:
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/bizarre/7144804.html

The Toronto Sun (theirs is the best story outside of NH, as they actually bothered to look at FreeKeene.com for our perspective on things):
http://www.torontosun.com/news/world/2010/08/08/14962111.html

Constitutional Rights Were Violated in Keene

August 7, 2010 by Bradley Jardis · 48 Comments
Filed under: Hypocrisy, Issues, Keene, Laugh at the Aggressors, Living Free, News, Noncooperation, Outreach, Personal Freedom, Police, Response, Thuggery

It is no surprise to those of us who write here at FreeKeene.com that we have many readers from the Keene community and beyond that firmly disagree with various things that we advocate. If you happen to be one of the aforementioned, chances are that you’re a supporter of the state and the constitutions that define how it can behave. Hopefully, I can appeal to you through this brief article.

Two nights ago two of Free Keene’s contributors had their constitutional rights violated by government employees that they both are forced to fund. The argument of whether Ian Freeman and Sam Dodson were looking for a confrontation is irrelevant and no excuse for the behavior of government officials that was initiated by government officials. In this state and country the government is prohibited from interfering with peaceful free speech and protest. The onus is on government employees to comply with the entirety of the state and federal constitutions, at all times… even when confronted by people peacefully expressing their displeasure at the continued enforcement of a government policy.

Especially when confronted by people peacefully expressing their displeasure at the continued enforcement of a government policy.

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!

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

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.

Keene Sentinel Reports on Yesterday’s Mass Arrests

July 19, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 24 Comments
Filed under: Civil Disobedience, News, Noncooperation, Update

The Keene Sentinel is reporting today on yesterday’s mass arrests in Keene. It’s nice to see an article from them that doesn’t mention “Free Staters” or “Free State Project”. Only Free Keene is mentioned here, and that’s far more accurate as liberty activists are not all “Free Staters”. Heika, for instance, is an awesome activist and Keene native who was activated by Pete and Adam of Liberty on Tour. She started coming out to the Nightcaps and then yesterday courageously defied the aggressive Keene PD, which led to her kidnapping and the subsequent arrests. Here’s the article:

Several people affiliated with the libertarian Free Keene movement were arrested in Keene’s Central Square after police responded to a report of a group of people drinking and disrobing Sunday evening, police say.

Police were called to Central Square about 6 p.m. by a passer-by who reported seeing people drinking and taking off their clothes.

When they arrived, they found Heika Courser, 26, of Richmond drinking a beer, partially undressed, while someone painted on her breasts, according to Keene police Lt. Darryl W. Madden.

Courser was charged with having an open alcohol container and resisting arrest. Jonathan E. Ray, 33, of Keene was also issued a summons for an open container.

As Courser was being put into a police cruiser, other people from the group stood in the way of the cruiser trying to pull away, Madden said. Read more

Raw Video – Jim Johnson in Court for “Disorderly Conduct” & Cop Block

July 16, 2010 by Ian Freeman · 12 Comments
Filed under: Laugh at the Aggressors, Noncooperation, Video

Jim Johnson has fun in court with the bureaucrats who are aggressing against him. This is the trial over him standing in front of a cop car as they attempted to kidnap a young man. Jim was kidnapped weeks later at his home and charged with “Disorderly Conduct”. Following the trial, Pete from Liberty on Tour does some Cop Blocking.