In an act of civil disobedience in response to a recent City Council decision to grant $5000 to a private organization for a food co-op study, Jesse attempts to start another public food source in downtown Keene. He was planning to till and supplement the soil downtown into land he could plant vegetable seeds in. Jesse says he did not want money or any other compensation for his work. He just wanted the public to have access to a garden. You can read about Jesse’s plan in his own words on this recent FreeKeene post.
Fifteen to twenty minutes after Jesse arrives downtown, Lt. Shane Maxfield interferes with Jesse’s work and arrests him. Jesse is booked at the police station, and released with a $120 ticket for violation of:
Sec. 82-32. Excavations.
(a) No person(s), company, corporation, or any other entity shall excavate or otherwise disturb any surface (shoulders, ditches, embankments, swales, pavement, etc.) of any city street, highway, sidewalk, right-of-way or city owned property without consent of the public works department. Any person(s), company, corporation, or any other entity shall restore such excavation or disturbance to a condition as good as before the excavation or disturbance occurred with the expense of such restoration to be assumed by such person(s), company, corporation, or entity. The work of excavation, disturbance, removal and restoration of the surface shall in all such cases be done under the supervision of the public works director or designee.
As reported by FreeKeene’s Ian, Jesse says he will not consent to any fines, and will take the issue into the court.
Somewhere between 7-8pm on Friday, April 10, a Keene Police SUV was in an accident with a second vehicle. The incident near Emerald Street in Keene caused the police SUV to roll over, spilling it’s contents across the road. Seat cushions, medical kits, jumper cables, and baby wipes were across School Street. After the crash, the SUV was parked on the left side of School Street near Ocean Bank, while the second vehicle stopped on the corner of Emerald St. and School St, facing into the curb with heavy frontal damage.
I asked the driver of the SUV, Lt. Peter Thomas and nearby Officer Matt Griffin for a story, they both told me “no comment.” Asking for comments from other officers produced nearly the same results. The only further response I got was from Sargent Darusso, who told me he couldn’t comment now and would be out with a press release when his investigation is complete.
Copwatch was out today to witness a police cruiser shoot across central square to drive behind a suspect all the way down Main Street. While approaching the roundabout, he pulls her over. She stumbles during the “walk the line” test, and claims that her body size makes it difficult for her to walk a straight line. While being put into the cruiser, she looks over to me, and says “Thank You.”
While I must commend the police for taking dangerous drivers off roads, my question, to anyone who knows: where is the breathalyzer? Is it back at the police station? Some method to determine beyond an officer’s judgment that someone really is driving impaired.
On Thursday, March 19, 2009, Patrick Shields and Sam Dodson spoke to the city council regarding property taxes. While counselors may not have agreed with the words coming out of their mouths, there was no doubt that some were impressed with the forethought and planning that each put into his speech. At least 2 city counselors approached Patrick after the meeting and encouraged him to become even more involved in the city political system.
I think it is time that FreeKeene.com hold these people responsible for the votes they make, and make sure they feel the pressure from those of us that care about personal freedom in Keene. Hopefully this is only the beginning of our adventures getting to know the good and the bad going on in the council chambers.
Other stories on March 3rd were heavily overshadowed by Dave Ridley’s videography arrest. However, the stories of Andrew Carroll and Mike Barskey took another step forward on Tuesday. Both activists pled not guilty to their respective charges, and have trial dates set for May 1, 2009.
Andrew Carroll was arrested for holding marijuana in protest, and Mike Barskey is accused of breaking city ordinances by organizing the Keene Freedom Fest without a license.
