This is a little late, but the video of the Municipal Services, Facilities and Infrastructure Committee meeting, addressing disorderly behavior in Central Square, is available online, courtesy of Cheshire TV and the City of Keene. (The City of Keene has been working, successfully, to make local government more accessible. The video requires Microsoft Silverlight to play, which is frustrating, but a lot better than no video at all. [Update: Steve, a computer whiz, says you can also play it with VLC media player. Download the relevant program at the link.])
Some highlights:
22:45 – Police Chief Kenneth Meola doesn’t want any new laws.
31:00 – Ian Freeman discusses the unintended consequences of curfews and the war on drugs.
36:00 – Kay Georgina, daughter of city councilwoman Cynthia Georgina, weighs in against the proposed curfew.
40:45 – Mark Capuzzo warns that police can cause disorder themselves.
42:30 – Dorrie O’Meara, owner of bright yellow Pedraza’s and candidate for city council, wants a curfew.
45:15 – Bradford Hutchinson (a.k.a. “The King Of Keene” in Free Keene blog comments) discusses rampant drug problems in downtown Keene.
50:40 – Chris Miranda argues for voluntary alternatives, such as knitting.
1:13:15 – Councilor James Dunn suggests that any extra spending caused by Central Square disorder should be funded by voluntary donations, to avoid raising taxes.
I’m excited. This is the best showing in city politics that I’ve seen since I’ve been here. Those who spoke maintained a respectful, practical tone, and they were rewarded with a respectful hearing. Liberty activists and friends noticeably tilted the character of the discussion — from ambivalent about the proposed curfew to overwhelmingly opposed, from unanimously supportive of more police to a bit doubtful. Granted, this isn’t a whole lot, yet, but it’s a hint of what is possible when activists take a more serious, thoughtful approach to in-the-system activism.
There are definitely enough activists in Keene to be a major political force on the local level. The only thing that has been preventing this is the misguided ideas many have about how politics works, a holdover from the days when the civilly disobedient faction of the libertarian movement competed head-to-head with those involved in-the-system, rather than open-mindedly cooperating.
I think this meeting is the start of something very interesting, the emergence of a new, more sophisticated take on politics that has been missing in Keene, and I look forward to seeing more.
