A new face showed up at tonight’s Nightcap. Dorian told her story of the Keene police, who she previously had been a fan of, harassing her for doing spray painting (artwork on paper, not graffiti on buildings). They threatened her apparently and demanded she beg for permission from the city government people and pay some absurd amount of money for their piece of paper. Instead, she told them she was joining the “free staters” and showed up with a fire breathing performance tonight:
A woman arrested while topless in downtown Keene last week was arrested again Tuesday, this time clothed, for protesting outside Keene District Court.
Heika Courser, 26, formerly of Richmond and currently listed as residing at 20 Forest St. in Keene, was charged with common law criminal contempt and obstructing government administration.
Courser was one of about 15 people standing on the sidewalk in front of the courthouse about 10:30 a.m. protesting a hearing for fellow Free Keene member Richard Paul.
Police Lt. Darryl Madden said Courser was arrested for “yelling” into a bullhorn, causing ruckus that led Keene District Court Judge Edward Burke to recess court. (more…)
I arrived on-scene as Heika was being loaded up into a KPD cruiser. Her crime? “Free” speech over a megaphone. We were kicked out of the court earlier by the robed man because a bunch of activists stood for Rich Paul when he was called. It was because we were kicked out of court that Monica went to get the megaphone – I had run home at this time to make a phone call I was late for, and when I returned, Heika was being arrested for “disorderly conduct”. According to witnesses, Heika was not on the megaphone when police arrived. They didn’t give her a warning that she was being “disorderly” – they just came up and arrested her. They are calling it a bail violation, so she’s in jail at least for the night and the arraignment is expected for tomorrow. Hopefully she won’t lose her job. 🙁
Varrin Swearingen is the president of the Free State Project, and lives in Keene. Here’s his letter to the editor that appeared in the Keene Sentinel about the Central Square controversy. These are his opinions as Varrin the individual, as he is not speaking for the FSP:
Some people feel the topless, smoking and drinking demonstrations in Keene’s Central Square have gotten out of hand. Others feel the government and its police are wrong for making and enforcing unjust behavior codes.
So far, this debate has centered mostly around what behavior is acceptable.
Ironically, what some would call immoral behavior simultaneously illuminates and distracts us from the true moral problem. There are two facets of this previously-hidden moral problem I’ll highlight. (more…)
Expect local officials across the state to review state and local nudity laws following weekly protests by topless women in Keene, according to the head of a police association.
“It will cause people to look and review their policies … and make sure they are protected about this issue,” said David Cahill, president of the New Hampshire Association of Chiefs of Police.
“Sometimes, the worst thing you could do is create a knee-jerk reaction,” said Cahill, Sunapee’s police chief.
More than a half-dozen people were either ticketed or arrested last Sunday after police received reports of people drinking alcohol and taking off their clothes in Central Square.
Keene police Lt. Jay Duguay said no women were charged for being topless because it wasn’t deemed lewd behavior. The city prosecutor concluded a man painting a woman’s breast didn’t violate the state’s public decency law either, he said, adding the city has no local nudity law.
The topless women sparked discussions involving public morality, free speech and the political Free State Project, whose members were involved in last Sunday’s incident. (more…)
