Think you have freedom of the press? Think again. Watch as Sheriff Richard Foote emerges from the Cheshire superior court to threaten journalists with arrest if they come inside the ostensibly “public” building:
Radio Free Keene News is a five minute newscast which is available as a podcast and also will air at the top of some hours on LRN.FM.
You can download the edition for this week ending 2011-07-29 here. Topics covered include the drug-prohibition-fueled murder of a local teen, KPD threatening a memorial gathering with pepper spray, and the continuing crackdown at Keene’s courts.
This episode focuses on the story of Thomas Ball, a man who self-immolated in front of Cheshire County Superior Court on June 15th, 2001 and a discussion about the number of police shootings in New Hampshire.
GREENFIELD, MA – A war against cameras is being waged everywhere there are unaccountable governments. On one side you have the public “servants” and law enforcers who like to film others but don’t want to be filmed. On the other side you have those who want government to be more transparent, especially in areas of justice where they enjoy monopoly privileges.
At first the jury for the State v. Pete Eyre and Ademo Freeman had four people who were ready to vote “GUILTY” for their use of cameras inside a government building to record government employees (law enforcers). The other two jurors were not and, at least in the case of Darcy Merchant, were willing to sit there all day until the Jury declared Pete & Ademo “NOT GUILTY.” We were fortunate that Darcy agreed to speak with us for the following episode of Talley.TV:
Pete & Ademo had a lot of support. From the internet and the hundreds watching the live stream to the over fifty individuals who traveled to Greenfield to witness their trial. Other supporters were from the local community. But the most important supporter had never met Pete or Ademo before the State brought them together. Darcy Merchant essentially “Cop Blocked” from inside the jury room. This isn’t the last we’ve seen of Darcy. The weekend after the trial, Ademo had the random opportunity to meet up with Darcy in Keene, New Hampshire where they played cards.
Thanks to Jason Repsher and Hannah Hoffman helping to solicit jurors and ask questions. Thanks to the Civil Disobedience Evolution Fund for paying the “$20 for 5 minutes” we offer the jurors.
You can read a transcript of the interview at Talley.TV but I’ll leave you with the following from Darcy:
Merchant: I didn’t believe that just because I hear a recording that – I didn’t know where it came from – I mean, honestly, I don’t know if you got to the police station and they recorded you because they were pissed at you. Just because you have a badge doesn’t mean I believe what you have to say.
You can learn plenty more about this case at CopBlock.org/Greenfield or Pete’s recent blog post with footage from the trial thanks to Beau Davis of Liberty on Tour.
I hope to speak with more jurors like Darcy Merchant or Juror Jim who spoke to Ian. If you were a juror and would like to discuss your experiences please contact me at [678] TALLEYTV or talleytv@gmail.com.
Here’s the edited version of Pete and Ademo’s historic trial in Greenfield in two parts:
Part 1 of 2:
Part 2 of 2:
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