I took my children to the playground in April 2020 and got charged with disorderly conduct & criminal trespassing. My trial is August 11, 9am @ Concord District Court (32 Clinton St. Concord, NH). Show up (early if possible) to show your support, with or without signs. The more people the better! – Rochelle Kelley
What: Legaland trial for Rochelle Kelley
When: 9am, Wednesday, August 11th, 2021
Where: Concord District Court, 32 Clinton St., Concord, NH 03302 [map]
UPDATE August 11, 2021: Rochelle Kelley Found Not Guilty for COVID Playground Arrest – Full Trial Video
A bit of backstory and relevant links are below. What this boils down to is that Kelley and others involved questioned the aggressors and refused to cower. This of course is blasphemous to those who demand obedience.
Will justice emerge?
Text on the Concord Police outfit’s website claims that “Our department strives to develop strong relationships with our citizens…” If that were true the initial harassment of Kelley and others would not have occurred, the ongoing legaland threats against them would cease, and in the least an apology would be given. But instead, Stevens and his accomplice have yet to make right. Further, their colleague John Thomas has only dug in his heels.
In an interview with WMUR Thomas made clear the real cause for the ongoing harassment of Kelley, saying they had “No respect to the officers. It was very saddening to see how these folks carried themselves in front of their children in how they spoke to the officers that day.” Personally, I think it’s saddening to see how Thomas and his accomplice acted. What sort of world are they constructing? What sort of world are they apparently satisfied to leave the next generation?
The person who will oversee Kelley’s legaland proceedings is Edwin W. Kelly. His track record seems to indicate a person who’s not too fond of transparency. But, people can change. Let’s hope Kelly does the right thing and chooses to side with the law. (And by “law” I don’t mean legalese, but with the actual law, where a victim must exist before another is held to task.)
The court of public opinion is powerful. Your presence at this legaland hearing may help sway Kelly to do the right thing. If however, Kelly chooses to side with injustice he’ll only succeed in lessening the clout people grant to him and others responsible for these rights-violations. Either way, Kelley will have stood up for what she knows to be right.
Background:
April ??, 2020 Two Concord police employees — Steven Carter Badge #72 and an unidentified female — approached parents and children using the playground equipment at Rollins Park in Concord, NH and demanded they leave. Carter and his accomplice pointed-to dictates made by another person not on the scene — Christopher T. Sununu — as justification for their actions.
April 26, 2020 Ian Freeman posted VIDEO: Concord Police VS Parents at Playground in which he pointed-out that Concord police employees “have ignored groups of protestors at the state house but are more than happy to target a small group of parents at a local playground, when called to scene by a local cowardly snitch.”
Freeman concluded, “Kudos to these parents for calling out the police and recording video of their thuggish behavior. Thank goodness some people are standing up for freedom here in New Hampshire.”
September ??, 2020 Many have recognized the audacity and draconian nature of these police actions and have stepped-up. Friend Andrew Manuse started a fundraising campaign to help Kelley, which has raised over 4,000 Federal Reserve Notes.
September 24, 2020 Ian Freeman posted UPDATE: Parents Arrested Several Months After Bringing Kids to Concord Playground in which he shared that after video of the interaction surfaced, arrest warrants for three adults present — Rochelle Kelley, Pamela Jewell, and Tyler Workman — were issued for “Criminal Trespassing” and “Disorderly Conduct”. Freeman continues, “Just to be clear, multiple parents in the so-called ‘Live Free or Die’ state are now facing two years behind bars for bringing their kids to a playground. It’s a perfect example of how insane this Fear World is and how far the state is willing to go to ensure people’s obedience.”
November 06, 2020 Kelley posted, “So I went to court on November 2. They offered me to plead guilty to one of the charges (of my choosing) and pay a $100 fine. I declined, obviously. But that tells me they don’t really have much solid evidence that I committed either crime.”
