True to form, a group of hardcores came out this afternoon and enjoyed a smoke commenced after Rich’s iconic, “We smoke these in remembrance of lost liberties and in hope for a day where the people no longer fear their government because the government fears the people! Smoke ’em if you got ’em!”
Much conversation was had and a lovely afternoon was enjoyed by the near half-dozen in attendance.
420 celebrations will continue in Central Square through (and beyond) April 20th when a larger event will take place at the state house in Concord. (There will still be a Keene 420 that day as well.) However, the Concord 420 is expected to be well-attended, as it is every year. Here is a facebook event for the Concord 420 on 4/20.
Mayoral Candidate Nobody and City Council Candidates Ian Freeman and Robert Call toke up at the 420.
In September of 2009, liberty migrants and New Hampshire natives gathered in Keene’s Central Square to commit mass civil disobedience in violation of the state’s prohibition against cannabis. They did this heroic act despite the risk of misdemeanor charges that could have resulted at the time from the simple possession of cannabis.
The 420 rallies were historic and made local, state, national, and international headlines. They started small, with just a handful smoking cannabis in the iconic New Hampshire town common and quickly grew to upwards of 150 participants at their peak. The celebrations of cannabis freedom went on daily and lasted for weeks, despite desperate attempts by Keene police to crack down.
Once the events grew to a crowd, Keene police arrested a couple of the perceived leaders of the event in hopes of intimidating the peaceful tokers into calling it quits and going home, but the police aggression had the opposite effect. Instead of scaring away the protestors, dozens marched down to the Keene police headquarters and smoked cannabis behind the police station and later smoked up inside the lobby!
After that, the police never returned to the daily 420s and they eventually died off due to winter weather setting in. Though the rallies were revived the following Spring, we had clearly won the ground as a demilitarized zone for open cannabis use. It was a beautiful thing. Beginning in 2010, on April 20th the 420 rallies continued as a yearly event at the Concord state house steps and participants even came to include multiple state representatives.
Last weekend, the 420 rally returned to the place where it began – Keene’s Central Square. The founder of the rallies, then known as Rich Paul, now known as Nobody and running a campaign for mayor of Keene had the prior week announced a special rally to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the historic events. Held on Saturday September 28th at 4:20pm, the 10th anniversary rally was attended by locals, liberty migrants, and even included Robert Call and me, who are both candidates for city council in this year’s Keene municipal election.
Here’s a music video I made from footage of the original rallies in 2009, footage from the Concord rallies, and fresh footage and photos from last weekend’s 10th anniversary 420 rally:
In the past decade, we’ve seen some political progress in New Hampshire, including medical cannabis passing in 2012 and decriminalization of less than 3/4ths of an ounce of cannabis and 5 grams of concentrate passed in 2017. However, prohibition is not over and it continues to be a felony to grow or sell cannabis – an amazing plant that has helped countless people.
As long as prohibition exists, expect the 420 rallies and the civil disobedience to continue.
It’s 420 at 4:20pm Saturday 9/28 at Keene’s Central Square!
Ten years ago, in September of 2009, a group of liberty activists and NH natives made history by gathering every day in Keene’s Central Square at 4:20pm to smoke cannabis in an act of mass civil disobedience protesting New Hampshire’s insane drug prohibition. You can watch a bunch of videos of it here. The group grew larger as the days went by to where, at its peak, there were at least 130 people in the tiny little common in the heart of Downtown Keene. The Keene police were unsure of how to handle the situation after a couple of arrests they made at the rallies resulted in a bunch of protestors smoking cannabis inside the police station lobby!
After that, the police simply ignored the ongoing civil disobedience, publicly stating that they investigated and had found no one was smoking – which was a lie. The historic events garnered local and even international headlines and most importantly got a conversation started among the community about ending cannabis prohibition.
Eventually, the weather got too cold for most to bear, but the following spring, the daily rallies returned! Over time, people went back to their regular lives and the rallies continued yearly at the Concord, NH state house steps. We’d won the territory of Central Square and had essentially turned Keene’s little town common into a demilitarized zone where cannabis prohibition was not enforced!
We have made a lot of progress in 10 years, but we have a long way left to go. We have gained medical, we have gained decriminalization, we have, most recently, loosened the cruel and pointless constraints on medical marijuana. Most importantly, we have won the hearts and minds of the people but we are not done. We must serve notice that the people will not be satisfied until the crime against humanity that is the “war on drugs” is over and those responsible brought to justice, or at least to peace.
Cannabis users are not disposable people. Whether we use it for medical, spiritual, or recreational purposes, we retain our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, even if we seek that happiness through unapproved chemical means.
Nobody has invited people to bring cannabis to smoke and share, though in case of a police crackdown, avoid having over three quarters of an ounce, since that is the decrim limit in New Hampshire. As of 2017’s overwhelmingly passed slight decriminalization, possession of under 21 grams of cannabis or five grams of concentrate will only net the first time offender a $100 ticket. Whereas previously it would have been a misdemeanor arrest. So, now the risk to participants at 420 rallies is lower than ever.
However, if the police do show up to attempt to confiscate your cannabis and you end up with a ticket, I highly suggest you don’t take the plea deal! Take the ticket to trial and make them work to get their conviction, and even when you’re found guilty, refuse to pay the fine and instead do community service. Or just sit in jail for a day, since NH allows you to sit off fines at $150 a day. Whatever you do, don’t pay the fine, as that only encourages them to target peaceful cannabis users for fundraising purposes. If the police know they can’t get money out of people for cannabis “violations” and the police’s victims will instead clog up the courts via their right to trial, the cops may just stop ticketing people for cannabis entirely.
I look forward to seeing you out this Saturday, 9/28 at 4:20pm on Keene’s Central Square for the return of the 420 celebration rallies! If it goes well, we might even come back the next day…
After the 420 celebrations had hit Keene and Manchester in 2009 on a daily basis, liberty activists created semi-yearly 420 events at the Concord state house, one on November 5th, the other on April 20th. The April event turned five this year, and dozens gathered on the steps of the state house to smoke cannabis in defiance of the insane “war on drugs”.
As has been the tradition NH natives and Free State Project participants first held signs and conversed out by Main Street before walking to the state house steps to officially kick off the event.
FSP early mover Rich Paul, the event organizer, who was absent last year due to being incarcerated for selling the illegal flowers, once again took the helm and megaphone to issue his standard call to action,
“We smoke these in remembrance of lost liberties and in hope for a day when the people do not fear their government, because the government fears the people! Smoke ’em if you got ’em!”
Cannabis was smoked by many and even a couple of NH state representatives got into the action, including Mike Sylvia, who had pledged to toke up if there were enough people wearing fancy outfits to the event. Kudos to Mike and all the others who had the courage to come out and face possible misdemeanor charges for possession of a plant. Of course, as with previous years, the police left us alone – this year not even making an appearance besides driving by on Main St.
It’s time for drug prohibition to end. If you love freedom, please move to NH and get active! Already in NH? Check out the 420 Foundation and NH NORML as well.
Keene’s Central Square was empty yesterday as the daily 420 celebrations have been moved to the beautiful Ashuelot park at West and Island St!
Celebration spokesman Rich Paul wouldn’t cite reasons for the venue change and encouraged readers to decide for themselves. Celebrants cleaning up some garbage in the park noticed the city’s cans were nearly overflowing! This has been a problem at other city parks in the past and is more proof that the violent monopoly can’t even handle the garbage. It would seem likely that the city’s janitors don’t work weekends and holidays, which are the times they are needed most!
As Rich Paul’s trial looms, he has called for the return of the 420 celebrations in Keene’s Central Square.
Much conversation was had and a lovely afternoon was enjoyed by the near half-dozen in attendance.
