Originally posted at LadiesInKeene.com
August 13, 2012, Ademo Freeman, founder of CopBlock.org, was found guilty on three counts of felony wiretapping after recording his conversations with public officials in an attempt to bring accountability to a situation where it was noticeably absent – an incident where excessive force was used against 17-year-old Frank Harrington, a student at Manchester’s West High School, by Darren Murphy, school resource officer and an employee of the Manchester Police Department.
If you are not familiar with Ademo’s situation, learn more.
Ademo was sentenced to one year in Valley Street Jail, all but 90 days suspended, as well as 1-3 years in NH State Prison suspended for 5 years of good behavior.
In a letter from jail, Ademo wrote: “By the time this is posted, we’ll already know the outcome and hopefully the jury is understanding of my position. I don’t, or won’t, blame them if they find me guilty.”
Ademo may not blame them, but I do.
Each individual juror made the decision to find Ademo guilty knowing that he faced up to 21 years in prison and knowing that those he recorded conversations with are public officials. The public officials involved are responsible for their actions, obviously, but the jurors are responsible for their decision to consent to the actions of the public officials seeking to jail Ademo.
Ademo said, “Judge Brown will start and end the trial with specific instructions for the jury. If the jury follows them – for whatever reason, but most likely out of fear or lack of understanding of the justice system – they will find me guilty.”
Being ordered to remove your conscience because it is written on a piece of paper does not mean you can do so. If you have the ability to remove your inner sense of right and wrong because somebody tells you to, then you don’t really have a sense of right and wrong. You are responsible for every decision you make regardless of outside suggestions or commands.
Whether they are misinformed and truly believe Ademo deserves to go to jail for recording phone conversations with PUBLIC officials, voted ‘guilty’ because they were afraid, gave in to peer pressure, or just didn’t care – they were wrong, and they are responsible for their decision.
Besides the aggressors themselves, those 12 people are the only ones who could have put an end to this nonsense. Each one of the jurors is responsible for consenting to enforcers of the state putting a man in a cage for recording a conversation with public officials concerning another public official slamming a 17-year-old boy’s face onto the cafeteria table over a sibling dispute.
Every night that I, and everyone else who cares for him, have to wonder if he’s okay, every night that Ademo spends multiple locked doors and armed men away from the freedom to move, eat, live as he desires, I hope each one of those jurors reevaluates their choice to stand behind an arbitrary piece of paper read aloud in the form of a command rather than standing behind what is right.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” Â -Edmund Burke
