This issue recognizes the volunteer efforts of Dale Everett and Heika Courser.  The blog brief returns with a recap of the blog posts over the last year.  Check it out!

We expanded to 4 pages with this issue.  It is looking like the Free Keene Press will be putting out an independent quarterly publication for the Keene area starting with a release slated for the autumnal equinox.  Keep an eye on freekeene.com for more information!

Thanks to BJ Wurts for the great letter about his trip to Keene.

The Free Keene Press is going to be looking to expand the amount of pages we have to fill.  The next edition will be four pages instead of one.  This means I am going to need more Keene-centric content and could use some help with that task.  Currently I am paying for the printing costs out of pocket, with the cost going from $70 to $200,  I will also need help paying for the printing costs.  I am open to the idea of running some ads and pricing is negotiable.

What I am looking for as far as content is:

• Articles in general
• Photographs with caption or brief context description
• Re-printable art
• Opinion pieces
• Comics, puzzles
• Press releases for events around Keene

In terms of the articles I would like to see:

• Taxes
• City Council watch type report
• Events around the Keene area like Pumpkin Fest
• Social needs and services and a critique thereof, both public and private
• Important Cheshire county news stories

And much more of course.  I plan on keeping an open mind as to what gets printed.  You can submit an item for consideration by sending an email to press@freekeene.com.

And just to clarify things: By submitting you give the Free Keene Press permission to reprint and edit your item as we see fit.  You will not be compensated.  You will be credited and if your item is edited a note will be made.  Please limit profanity.  More than likely if an edit is made it will be for length.

If you have questions please feel free to email the above address.

Six individuals were arrested by police this afternoon at Pumpkin Fest.  The daily 420 event was moved to the area directly in front of City Hall due to the massive pumpkin display at Central Square.  Rich Paul of Keene took to the megaphone in front a large crowd and at the proper time lit a pipe presumably containing marijuana, a plant.  Police quickly surrounded Mr. Paul and placed him under arrest.  Noah Wood and Evan Pierce were also seen lighting up and were arrested as well.

Three other individuals were also arrested at city hall, when asked about the charge officers indicated that they did not know why they were arresting the three.  A witness reportedly saw one of the individuals attempt to enter the city hall building prompting police to arrest him.  It is unknown at this time exactly what happened.  Ryan Maddox, Dan Steward and Yadra, all from the Keene area.

Latest update:  Rich Paul, Noah Wood and Dan Steward have been released; Ryan Maddox, Evan Pierce and Yadra are reported to be at the Cheshire County Correctional Facility.

Keene, the Peaceful Civil-Disobedience Apex

James B Schlessinger Jr.

October 5th, 2009

Words on paper are not stopping activists and locals from living like free people in Keene, New Hampshire.  Whether it is marijuana consumption on the Commons or a young woman going topless on Main Street, Keene has become the place to challenge unjust, immoral, and simply foolish laws.  This has naturally rankled many state and local civil servants.  The Keene City Council voted against sending a resolution to the state house begging for marijuana decriminalization legislation–instead individuals on the council were encouraged to send a personal message.  The Keene Police Department has shown both professionalism in its dealings with the 420 events and violence though Police Prosecutor Sergeant Eliezer Rivera.

April 13, 2009, was the day that David Ridley, of Grafton, was to be arraigned for videotaping in the second-floor lobby of the Keene City Hall.  Sam Dodson was arrested on that date, while videotaping there; his charges changed several times over the following months.

Six individuals who were concerned for the well-being of their friend when they heard Sam screaming in an adjacent room were issued summons or arrested for not vacating the scene of the abuse.  The trials for five of these six, all from Keene at the time of the incident, have concluded, and the results are as follows:  Tim Danforth – charges dropped; Richard Onley – charges dropped; Nick Ryder – charges dropped following a trial; Patrick Shields – found guilty of resisting arrest, sentence suspended; David Krouse – found guilty of disorderly conduct, fined $250, mitigated with 6 days in the Cheshire County House of Correction.

Kurt Hoffman was scheduled to have two trials on Friday, October 2, one for his arrest in connection with the April 13 episode, and another for an unrelated incident where he was cited for a stop sign violation and disobeying a police officer.  Mr. Hoffman seems to challenge the root of the problem with the state–what he views as the lack of legitimacy and authority in controlling individual’s lives.  Judge Edward Burke requires a certain level of pageantry in the courtroom, and found Kurt guilty of contempt of court before the trials had even started.  Mr. Burke sentenced Mr. Hoffman to 180 days in jail, at $80 a day this is going to cost taxpayers $14,400.   Kurt decided that he did not want to cooperate with his own caging, and assumed a passive position on the floor.

Police Prosecutor Eliezer Rivera moved in and executed the arrest and then tried to clear all the non-state employees out of the room.  Aubern Goodwin was able to stay with Kurt for a short while when he was placed into a holding area.  She reportedly witnessed Mr. Rivera violently attack the handcuffed Mr. Hoffman.  A call was put out to the Keene Fire/EMS for an ambulance as the attack injured Kurt’s neck.  The EMS and sheriffs arrived and started ordering cameras turned off and areas cleared of people, all while spouting irrelevant HIPAA regulations in a blatant attempt to assert authority.   One of the EMS workers, Captain Ronald Leslie, even stole a camera, directly snatching it out of a videographer’s hand.

Sam Dodson’s trial concluded more than thirty days ago, and Judge Burke has yet to provide a ruling.  Having watched the video of the incident that was on Sam’s camera and read a transcript, one item to note is the seemingly callous nature of arresting officer Eliezer Rivera.   As Mr. Dodson cried out in pain, Rivera was heard laughing, saying, “Louder, louder!”  Taking that into consideration with the latest attack made against Kurt Hoffman, it appears that Sergeant Rivera may be a liability for the Keene Police Department and the taxpayers of Keene.

On August 23, 2009, 18-year-old Cassidy Nicosia of Manchester decided to walk around Keene topless just as her male friends were doing.  This caught the ire of the Keene Police Department, who made it a point to stop and harass her.   Not knowing how to proceed, the police resorted to the default option: violence.  They arrested Cassidy and charged her with indecent exposure and lewdness, only to turn around two weeks later and drop the charges, admitting that what she did is not illegal.

Rich Paul and Noah Wood of Keene decided to enjoy a marijuana cigarette at Central Square every day at 4:20 PM–a time significant to the marijuana-smoking culture.  The first day, it was just the two of them, but over the next couple of days, more and more friends showed up to enjoy the toke time.  The first day I went, about thirteen people were in attendance and the occasion was still private.

On September 23, a reporter from the Union Leader was in the area, investigated the gathering, and published an article about the event that appeared the next day, triggering an open call for marijuana smokers to meet up with those already participating daily.

The turnout for the September 25 event was between 80 and 100 individuals, with the Keene police standing by doing nothing more than talking with those who walked up to them.  The result was a resounding success for the liberty movement, and sent a clear signal.

The marijuana rally on the 26th was the largest to date, and rumors that police were planning to make arrests were confirmed when Rich Paul was taken into custody.  The arrest caused quite a stir, and an impassioned throng marched to the police station.  Once they arrived, a group moved to a restricted area and set up a circle in which more marijuana was smoked.  Police Lieutenant Shane C. Maxfield came out and spoke at length with the press and activists.  Mr. Paul was released on a $1,000 personal recognizance bond, with a court date of November 2.

The following day Evan of Keene was arrested when police suspected him of smoking marijuana.  It was in fact a chocolate mint cigarette.  Evan was released shortly after arriving at the police station and met an even larger crowd en route to the police station.  The crowd decided to push the envelope even further by going into the police lobby and lighting up a joint.  I wasn’t able to get a hold of the actual cigarette, but the scent in the air was clearly that of marijuana.  Since then, Keene police have indicated they will not be harassing smokers.

Due to extensive media coverage, people in the rest of the state, and quite possibly the nation, are looking to Keene for a fresh approach toward finally repealing antiquated, unconstitutional, and socially destructive laws prohibiting peaceable behavior.

In between fits of laughter and cheering, people were heard pointing out the Keene Police cruisers circling the center.  Officers did not step upon the center but instead stayed on the street and were seen talking with activists and locals; no arrests were made or summons handed out.  Reporters were on hand from both the Union Leader and the Keene Sentinel as well as a video crew from the Obscured Truth Network.

This event is scheduled to take place everyday at 4:20pm.

August 07, 2009

Public discussions about health care reform have soured amid protests.  Senator Jeanne Shaheen has had three such events affected by large numbers of individuals who voiced disapproval with the current legislation in Washington D.C.  Sen. Shaheen put out a press release yesterday calling the protests a “disgrace” and insisting that good people had their “rights trampled on.”  The Senator’s press release also states, “Protesters were present at office hours held today in Grafton and yesterday in Hampstead.”

“These are not town hall meetings but rather office hours that we host in Town Halls across the state in order to make our caseworkers available to New Hampshire citizens who need help,” said Shaheen.  After visiting Sen. Shaheen’s website most of the “office hours” are listed as “Town Hall” lending the impression that they are meetings to be held in a public place.

This was not the case in Keene today as Sen. Jeanne Shaheen’s constituents gathered on the second floor of the City Hall for a chance to speak with Keene City Councilor Pamela Slack, Ward 2, who was there on behalf of the Senator.  The individuals were taken in for one on one conversations with Councilor Slack who would not allow any cameras into the room.

Sam Dodson, a resident of Keene, placed a call to the Senator’s office and was asked by the staff if he was calling from the Ridley Report, a daily internet news service.  The Ridley Report captured the crowd at the Grafton Town Hall held yesterday and summarized it as such.  “Senator Jeanne Shaheen’s representative tries to limit videotaping and limit expected “town hall meeting” to a few people at a time. Apparently there was a general miscommunication to the public regarding the nature of the event…Shaheen operatives say it was not supposed to be a town hall meeting.”

Shaheen’s press release also stated, “The organizations that staged these protests knew these weren’t town hall meetings because we called them to tell them so.  I recognize the right of people on both sides of the aisle to protest, but impeding the ability of New Hampshire citizens to get the help they need is a line that shouldn’t be crossed.  They should be ashamed.”

“It was heard advertised on the radio that this was open to the public,” said Ian Freeman, who was in line to speak with Councilor Slack.  “First Pam Slack said she was here to meet constituents, then she shut down the meeting.  She’s also afraid of cameras – what are you hiding, Pam?”

Angry crowd blocked from “Obama-care event” – 1/4 – Ridley Report

Footage from Grafton meeting

Click here to view the embedded video.

The trial was very similar to the two held on Monday, July 27 where David Krouse and Nick Ryder faced charges of Disorderly Conduct from the same incident. Police Prosecutor Eli Rivera provided the State’s Testimony, repeating the same statements heard Monday.  Mr. Shields’ argument focused on the fact that Officer Rivera, the arresting officer per the summons, had no physical contact with Mr. Shields and because of this there was nothing to resist as far as a physical arrest.

Patrick also testified that his thought process at the time, given the situation, provided him with one moral option.  He chose to attain a purely passive state and not interact with the Officers.

Judge Edward Burke first congratulated Mr. Shields on his preparation for the trial and then found him guilty.  The punishment handed down was a $1000 fine – suspended.  Should Patrick be convicted of a Class B or greater misdemeanor or a felony within the next year he will have to pay the fine or serve roughly 20 days in jail.

In this issue:

Hope for the Chapel

A local chapel asks for help and the community responds loudly.

Keene Court Drama

3 local activists have trials at the Keene District Court.

Blog Brief

Announcing the Keene Police Scanner Feed!

Celebrating One Year of Continuous, Successful FIJA Outreach

Also

Coming changes to the Keene Free Press include expanding the number of pages and coverage.  I am looking at opening up the paper to local reporters and photographers.  My idea at the beginning was to establish a more “open source” media resource allowing individuals in the liberty community and community-at-large a voice.  So send me an email at press@ freekeene. com .  I am also looking for people who would be willing to take assignments.

Thanks,

JJ