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.
Keene city councilor Randy Filiault is proposing a prohibition on all chalking downtown at tonight’s 6pm committee meeting at city hall. He actually says he wants to stop kids from playing hopscotch downtown, at about five minutes into his interview with WKBK’s Dan Mitchell this morning,
“What about the kids that want to play hopscotch?… If they want to play hopscotch, they’re more than welcome to in their own yards and their own neighborhoods, just not, they’re not going to chalk up city streets downtown.”
If the city council is foolish enough to pass such an ordinance, they better get ready to pay thousands more taxpayer dollars to defend their attack on the freedom of speech in court! I bet the NH ACLU and the Hopscotch Keene Preservation Society will be very interested in bringing a case.
Interestingly, he admits that he was the one who chalked the war monument and says that when police asked him to remove it, he did.
Finally, he clarifies that he’s not with Free Keene, but instead part of the Occupy movement.
The Sentinel interview was conducted from Yankee’s hospital bed, where he has been diagnosed with a broken shoulder blade, fractured collarbone, several other hairline fractures and a concussion. He has since checked himself out of the hospital, rejecting their recommendation of surgery. He can barely walk.
This week on Wednesday at 6pm a city committee will hear a proposal for a new graffiti ordinance with “teeth”, because chalking must be stopped! Looks like the War on Chalk continues to escalate as the peaceful chalkers continue to occupy the square with happy, positive artwork. Indeed, a new community group has been formed, the Hopscotch Preservation Society.
Chalk Wars • Protesting Memorial day “End the wars” • Violence is violence • Sriracha wins! • 10 genres you either love or despise • Jay joins • Show notes, audio, and archives at: BlackSheepRising.org
Yesterday (6/3/2014) at about 7:30PM, approximately 40 minutes after a man was slammed into the fountain, a man entered the square, walked past myself and a few others, then lifted his shirt to display what appeared to be a glock pistol, pointed to it with his hand which was very close to it, and then came back later (still armed) and sat on the gazebo steps nearby the group who saw his exhibit.
Rich managed to catch this display on video despite his camera being mechanically defective (it keeps zooming in).
I posted pictures of this man to Facebook and was soon contacted by a source that told me he is Craig A Faulkner, a member of Stop Free Keene and son of Dorrie O’Meara. (Note the ear on photos below).
I have no problem with people carrying tools for self-defense, but I feel that the display was an attempt to intimidate and threaten the people at the square with violence and not for his defense.
The following pictures show further evidence he might not be a peaceful-minded person.
