Seven Keene activists accompanied Darryl W. Perry to Newport District Court for an 8:30 AM trial on the charge of failure to register his vehicle, RSA 261:40. Darryl was issued a summons on May 16, 2012 after being pulled over on South Main Street in Newport, NH by State Trooper Jason W. Hickox.
Hickox acted as prosecutor and sole witness for the “State of NH.” He testified that his reason for running Darryl’s plates was that they were Texas plates that looked “unusual.” He claimed that when he asked Darryl for license and registration, Darryl provided a ‘driver’s license’ as well as proof of ‘registration’ from Texas, which he alleges was expired. Hickox stated that Darryl was not violating the speed limit, driving unsafely, or driving in any manner hazardous to other drivers.
Hickox testified that Darryl agreed to abide by the man-made legislation supposedly valid in this particular region of land simply by driving within the boundaries commonly known as New Hampshire.
Darryl mentioned article 3 of the NH Constitution and referred to the surrender of certain natural rights in return for protection. He noted that police officers are not duty-bound to protect and without protection, the surrender of rights is void.
Darryl also cited article 10, the right of revolution, and stated that he never agreed to nor signed anything to fall under the arbitrary jurisdiction. He claimed to be part of the Shire Society and cited the fourth precept, stating,
FOURTH, explicit voluntary association is the only means by which binding obligations may be created, and claims based on association or relationships to which any party did not consent are empty and invalid;
Jason W. Hickox was unable to provide any physical evidence proving Darryl was guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of the claims against him.
After the prosecutor finished testifying as the only witness, Judge Cardello denied Darryl’s motions to dismiss and to receive exemption. The judge deemed Darryl “guilty” of the alleged “crime” of failing to pay ‘the state’ for permission to own and operate his own property and said Darryl must pay a $100 fine and a penalty assessment fee of 24%, or $24.
Darryl’s request to donate $124 to charity in lieu of the fine was denied, but request for community service was granted; Darryl will complete 12.5 hours of community service.
Yesterday the case of State v Garret Ean was heard in regards to a $29.76 bicycle headlamp citation. While trial footage recorded by Free Keene videographers uploads, it’s worth making a note of the events before the trial, which resulted in one individual being temporarily banned from the courthouse for filming in the lobby. When I arrived just after 8:30am, I saw James of Shire TV standing outside of the front door and filming in. It was clear what had just occurred — he had been kicked out for filming. I’ve been in the same situation at Concord district court, where you will likely get ejected for recording outside of the courtroom. Sometimes, I am allowed through security with one camera but not another, and sometimes nothing is restricted.
On the inside, my videocamera was taken and replaced with a scruffy old property receipt, a number sharpie’d on it. I saw a slew of activists from Keene in the lobby speaking with bailiffs. Word was spreading that all cameras were being taken, even those with filled-out permission slips, until the judge authorized the forms. Myself planning to audio record the entire hearing, I had yet to fill out the blank media form which has three options: Still Camera, Video/Audio Camera, or Audio Recording. As my audio recorder and cell phone were not confiscated, I waited to fill out the copy in the courtroom.
Concord District Court head of security Peter Hamilton enjoying a pipe on break. Photo by Brian Blackden
I asked bailiffs why that today they had decided to seize all incoming videocameras. “The judge always authorizes recording, so why does everyone need to have their property confiscated?” The head of security, Peter Hamilton, appeared and stated that the judge who always grants approval of notices was out this particular day. He was possibly referring to judge Gerard Boyle, whom to my knowledge has not denied any press notifications placed before him. I have audio and video recorded others’ trials before both he and the sitting judge on this day, M. Kristin Spath, without hassle from either. This does not also include a lack of hassle from the bailiffs. My experience has been that having a filled out recording permission slip to present at the checkpoint does make one more likely to emerge on the other side with their camera unswiped. Hamilton cited rules handed down by Edwin Kelly as the basis for the restriction, Kelly being the very secretive administrative judge of New Hampshire district courts. (more…)
The Bearcat is unleashed upon the peaceful streets of Keene. This week’s episode: a compilation of video from the unveiling.
In an attempt to quell concern over Keene, NH’s newest acquisition: the Bearcat, city officials hold an “emergency vehicle day” showing. Despite the miserable weather, the open house ended up attracting a good sized crowd including local activists concerned over the growing trend to militarize the police force. Here’s some of the footage from the Dec 8th unveiling.
Things are going very well for PeaceNewsNow.com ever since I started the website back in November. I’ve begun a series of podcasts all under the head title “Peace News Now.” You can listen to the latest episode by clicking here. On Sundays, I host a one-hour program called “The Peaceful Resistance Report,” which covers the week’s top stories in the world of peaceful protest. Monday through Friday, I host a 5-minute podcast with a focus on civil noncompliance called “The Daily Peace.” On Saturday, I mix it up with a one-hour program called “As the World Burns,” which features shocking headlines reeking of dystopian nightmare. Here is a sample of Peace News Now:
