While buying tobacco last week at the Corner News (on main st in Keene) I had a pleasant conversation with the owner, Roberta Mastrogiovanni, about her store and the ‘free staters’ within Keene. I asked if she’d be interested in selling CopBlock.org and LibertyOnTour.com shirts? She stated she wasn’t interested in the ‘message’ but if it made business sense, she’d entertain the idea.
This morning I went down to the store to show Roberta the T-shirts and to provide a better background on each site. After a brief conversation she decided to give them a try. (*Please note that Corner News takes no position on the goal, missions or tactics used by CopBlock.org and/or LibertyOnTour.com, this is purely a business decision.*)
I’d like to thank Roberta and Corner News for displaying our swag and look forward to continuing our professional (not to mention voluntary) business arrangement.
If you’d like a CopBlock.org or LibertyOnTour.com shirt head down to Corner News, you can find their hours and more on their Facebook page. If you’re not in Keene but would like a shirt, please visit CopBlock.org or LibertyOnTour.com’s Support pages.
As an activist, I try to support as many other activists as possible. So when I heard about Bob Constantine trial in Grafton County I did all I could to attend (pulling an all nighter the night before the trial). I thought the day would be boring as most court proceedings are but that wasn’t the case this time.
Right away we were told about a double security check and a ban of cameras from the courtroom. It didn’t take long for the activists to start asking questions and pushing the limits of these tyrannical rules. As seen in the video below Ian Freeman, fellow blogger here, did his best to get electronics into the courtroom, yet, was threatened with arrest if he didn’t leave.
What do you think? Should cameras ever be banned from a public building? If I have to pay for it shouldn’t I be allowed to record the actions that take place in such a place? Should undercover officers be protected? Aren’t they public servants? Do real public servants need to hide their face? Is this the world you want your children growing up in?
Evan, the Emperor of Free Grafton, has been in custody since last Monday when he dared to wear a paper hat in front of a man, who just so happened to be wearing a dress (makes sense right?). After that encounter armed men in costumes (aka – police) put personal information and/or finger prints into a computer, where another ‘sister’ organization (Keene District Court) to theirs claimed Evan owed $384 to them. (NOTE: No proof of contract, evidence of damage to property or a victim has never been presented to the Emperor.)
The most upsetting part of this is that Evan is being held in segregation. Which is a single cell, about 6′ x 8′, that you spend 23 hours a day in. When asked why Evan was being held in segregation Rick Van Wickler, superintendent of the Cheshire Co Jail, reportedly stated that ‘his’ policy is to hold those who refuse to pay the fine in segregation – see this FB thread.
Nevertheless, the Emperor is supposed to be released this Wednesday at 7:06 am after spending 8 days on lockdown – something that cost taxpayers approximately $1,000 – bravo guberment. To celebrate his release I’ll be taking the Emperor out to breakfast and hope you join us- details here.
If you have time to get up to the jail before Wednesday please do so, I know it’s one day before his release but it’d be great to make it fly by for Evan with a bunch of visits, plus it will get him out of his cell for more than just one hour.
Evan also wanted me to thank everyone for the support, he’s gotten several post cards from Mail To Jail. Thanks 🙂
The post below was written by Pete Eyre and posted this morning to CopBlock.org.
By Pete Eyre
On July 24th I was thrown to the ground and arrested after questioning Keene District Court bailiff Pete Macy’s demand to remove my hat. Rather than behave like a civil person and have a conversation about his request, Macy and his accomplices, Keene Police Department employees James Cemeralis and Matt Griffen resorted to force.
While I was still handcuffed on the ground Pete Macy was ordered to submit an incident report by his supervisor Lance Walton. After two months of phone calls to Walton and Walton’s boss, Jason Jordanhazy (who never returned my calls) and physically stopping by Keene city hall multiple times, I finally received the report in the mail. It was chock-full of inaccuracies – Macy purposefully submitted a skewed version of the truth to protect himself.
Fortunately my friends had captured their unjust actions on video and shared it online at CopBlock.org, FreePete.org and elsewhere. Thanks largely to the outrage many felt and expressed about the actions of the government employees, my charges were later dismissed. Yet no one has been held accountable nor even apologized (I see Cemeralis almost weekly when doing “Don’t Take the Plea” outreach and have asked him numerous times to meet to discuss what happened and to apologize. Though he expresses interest in meeting he has yet to follow through).
But is it really too surprising that Macy lied on his report? What fear of repercussions does he face? Macy, like other government actors, may claim to “serve” or “protect” you but we all know in reality they are not accountable to you or I. They claim the right to steal from us (taxes) and if we question their actions or inaction’s we face the threat of or actual use of force.
Ask yourself – if given the choice, would you voluntarily choose to hire such liars and thugs? What would happen if you behaved in such a way? If you lied to your boss? If you attacked, kidnapped and held hostage a customer?
The past week or so supporters of the Free State Project (FSP) have been voting (yes, we do vote – voluntarily) for the FSP design, by Adam Sloan, in hopes that the car would one day be seen by millions on the Nascar’s national stage. Just yesterday the FSP car took the lead in votes, though this is only one of five steps to winning the contest, which means we still have work to do.
So if you have a few moments today (tomorrow and/or the next day), please, vote and/or share this video. Thanks again to all those working hard to make this possible and to Pete Eyre for making this catchy video.
