Hero Rich Paul is behind bars again! He is currently wearing orange and being held in D-Block. (That’s where they keep prisoners who haven’t yet been sentenced.) He can accept visitors, but not phone calls. The best way to write to him is using a free service called http://MailtoJail.com. He might be in there for a while, so please write him often, as it is his only connection to the outside world.
Except one. The Jail Sign-Wave is an activism event where people bring banners, posters, and flags outside the jail, and they wave up at the prisoners caged inside. Word quickly spreads around the cell block, and soon everyone is at their windows waving back. Many of them will never have a single visitor for months or years. There’s a reason they come to the windows and wave every week. Humans need connection.
Every Saturday in Keene is Smiley Saturday! Activists armed with chalk drew pictures and wrote messages of peace to share with the passing public. Here is raw video from today’s event. Subscribe to see more raw video from Keene.
Do you love to watch the activist videos you see at FreeKeene.com? Did you know that there are two “raw” channels where you can find all the uncut versions of the footage–before they hit the editing room floor? Garret Ean and I upload all of our footage to YouTube daily, whether it gets used or not. If you’re a skeptic, this is a great way to call out the activists for what you believe they’ve edited out. Dig in! Here’s just a taste of what you’ve been missing:
Matthew Oldershaw is a 30 year old father of one. On June 3rd, 2014, at about 6:30pm he was writing with sidewalk chalk on the ground by the fountain in downtown Keene, NH when a man came up and pushed him in the fountain, injuring his neck, ribs, and legs. He was rushed to the hospital where it was determined that some of his injuries are so severe that they may never heal correctly. The man who did this to him has been identified by eye witnesses and on camera, but one week later, the Keene Police have yet to arrest the assailant. Here is the story in Matthew’s own words.
Chris Cantwell published a blog post this week in which he made the case that violent revolution is moral, possible, and practical.
To me, Cantwell’s argument comes down to: “Violent revolution is the right thing to do.” Specifically, he advocates for killing in self defense. In other words, killing police that would otherwise be killing you. He argues that peaceful resistance is fruitless because, “ideas require teeth.” He seems to assert, “Why allow our friends to be relegated to the dustbins of history for standing on principle? As long as the State can legitimately kill and cage us, we’ll never have peace or freedom!” (more…)