It was neat how excited folks were to get out and Copblock in a big group. Unfortunately, many Copblock groups are little more than a few dedicated activists in various areas of the country. The Copblocking during the conference showed how much more effective Copblocking can be when done with larger numbers. This is why the Free State Project is so important. When we concentrate activists, activism becomes more effective. It’s been proven over and over. Imagine 300 active Copblockers living in Manchester. You’d have enough to have 30 Copblockers on the streets every day of the week. Wherever the police might pull someone over – odds are a Copblocker would be nearby to respond.
This afternoon, I was happily reunited with my beloved Canon Vixia HFR21, after it had spent nearly two months in the custody of the state police. Since the unsealing of the secret search warrant, it is still unclear what caused judge Edward Burke and trooper Joesph DiRusso to believe that they had a right to conspire to steal property. Their search warrant lacks anything resembling probable cause of a crime, and the ‘victim’ of the alleged wiretap was royal court jester Tom Mullins, who collects funds from captive taxpayers. Mullins also has an active lawsuit against myself and five friends whom he suspects are behind the filling of parking meters downtown, depriving his organization of their coveted ticket revenue. Even without evidence of any criminal activity, Mullins nearly succeeded in depriving myself of a defensive tool by stealing my camera, a device that I carry with me when Robin Hooding without exception. Thanks to my friend James Cleaveland, I was re-armed with a Sony HDR-CX190 that evening following the shakedown, minimizing the intended damaging effect of the property seizure.
Also retrieved with the camera is the footage of the shakedown, which occurred just out of earshot of my home, while my roommates occupied the porch as I had just bicycled off to go Robin Hooding. At the corner of Leverett and School Street, a car that had earlier been circling my home appeared at a stop sign, and that is where the footage begins. Unfortunately, it appears DiRusso stopped the recording shortly after taking possession of the camera, so not included in this clip is the three to five more minutes I spent on the corner waiting for the receipt for my camera and verbally laying into DiRusso’s subordinate about the morality of their career choice. (more…)
“We’re building a domestic army” – In this video by Bikerbill, a Marine Corps Colonel named Peter Martino speaks out against police militarization at the Concord BEARCAT hearing:
Mr. Martino is a Colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve who has been mobilized three times. During his military career, he commanded an infantry platoon, company, and battalion. He was also the senior U.S. adviser to an Iraqi Army brigade. Mr. Martino has had a successful civilian career providing training, consulting, and program management services to private companies and to state and federal agency contractors. Mr. Martino presently holds a top secret security clearance.
As reported here, Manchester police issued a summons for violating a sign / zoning ordinance for using a laser projector during a Peaceful Streets event which warned citizens of the dangers that lay ahead at the suspicionless checkpoint being operated by MPD. In response we set up a successful go fund me campaign to help with legal expenses.
Attorney Seth Hipple was hired to handle the case and a letter was sent to the city requesting that they clarify exactly which subsection of the ordinance we were accused of violating. The response we received was unexpectedly positive, the summons has been cancelled. Here is a copy of the letter. MPD LASER LETTER
As of right now, the Green Beam is ready and waiting to deploy at the next event. The law office of Martin and Hipple will remain on retainer in case the planning department decides to pursue the matter or the city devises a new strategy. Any remaining funds will be used to upgrade and maintain the laser. Thank you for your support.
Yesterday on Peace News Now I was joined by Robin Hood of Keene for a recap and update on the City of Keene lawsuit. Guests Ian Freeman, Garret Ean, James Cleaveland, Kate Ager, and Graham Colson provided excellent insight into the motives behind their actions.
While Robin Hooders prepare to spend a full day in court, this evening Concord city bureaucrats will hold the public hearing on the now infamous BEARCAT grant sought by the police. At 7pm, the public meeting is slated to begin at the council chambers on Green Street. Check out the informative response from Occupy New Hampshire, reformed following the decision to label them a terrorist group by the local police, who gathered to express their opposition to militarism and corporate protectionism. Additional coverage has recently run in Mother Jones, The Washington Times, Common Dreams, and The Boston Liberal. As posted to the Concord-NH.patch.com:
Participants and sympathizers of what was the Occupy New Hampshire movement are shocked to learn that the city of Concord considers us a potential threat to public safety and that we “present daily challenges.” In fact, the city considers us such a threat that it filed a fraudulent grant request to purchase a quarter of a million dollar armored attack vehicle to protect the community from non violent activists in this state.
Occupy NH established an explicit nonviolent ethic at its onset. No ONH event has ever witnessed a single act of violence. Furthermore, while Chief Duval claims that this is for the protection of the citizens of Concord, and wonders about the concern of citizens outside of Concord, he made this process a statewide issue and invited non-Concord residents to participate in the discussion and decision making process by targeting statewide organizations such as Occupy New Hampshire, and the Free State Project. (more…)
