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.
After being trounced in the 1st federal circuit court, the Town of Weare and the notoriously corrupt Weare Police Department have settled with Free State Project President Carla Gericke to the tune of $57,500!
After Weare police had arrested her for “wiretapping” for recording a traffic stop then dropped the charges, Carla sued. She had recently won an “interlocutory” appeal case where the 1st circuit decided (again) that there is an established right to record government police doing their job in public and that police cannot claim “qualified immunity” from personal liability when arresting videographers.
The civil case against Weare, the WPD, and the individual officers was remanded back to the federal district court to move ahead to trial, but now that trial has been canceled with the news that Weare has given up and settled the case for over $57,000! Plus, there are no restrictions on her discussing the case, as are typically found with settlements. Congratulations to Carla and her attorneys for this epic win!
Early on Monday, June 2nd, a hardy band of Manchester activists met outside the Hillsborough County courthouse to distribute pamphlets to jurors. These pamphlets contain information regarding jury nullification rights, and by informing jurors of their right to find defendants not guilty of victimless crimes we could save lives. Among the activists present were Free Keene bloggers Pete Eyre, Robert Mathias, and yours truly.
Many of the jurors, however, had already received nullification pamphlets. Several of them came to court carrying the exact same pamphlets we were handing out. That means that our activism efforts haven’t been in vain, that people are taking their jury nullification rights seriously. We’re starting to have an impact.
One simple act of rights education. Consistent repetition. That’s all it takes to make a difference. What’re you waiting for?
Early last evening in Central Square, a troubling act of violence occurred when a local man, Matthew Oldershaw, known to many as ‘Yankee’, was shoved into the granite fountain and sustained head trauma. This occurred while Yankee was conversing near the fountain with business owner Dorrie O’Meara. An unknown man wearing a blue t-shirt and a Boston Red Sox baseball cap (now believed to be James Michael Phillips) was identified by witnesses in shaky footage from the scene as the aggressor. The man remained on the square several minutes after the attack, associating with another man wearing a bandana under a backwards cap who threatened those holding cameras and claimed ‘gang affiliations’ (since identified as Justin Paquette of Keene). Yankee was taken away on a stretcher and has since been moved to a hospital outside of Keene for additional treatment. Four KPD units responded, and left the scene without making any arrests. Images of the man have been published by Keene Peaceful Streets. Do you know who this man is, photographed smiling as he walks away after sending another person to the emergency room? What is additionally a sad reflection on society in Keene is the indifference displayed by some bystanders to a seriously injured person laying wounded in front of them. Some people can be seen casually pouring water on nearby chalkings at the same time that friends of the injured person are sobbing for someone to call an ambulance.
Bandana-wearing man claimed ‘gang affiliations’ and grabbed at cameras of bystanders. The perpetrator of the assault (wearing the blue t-shirt) that sent Yankee to the hospital smirks behind him. UPDATE: Bandana man has since been identified as Justin Paquette of Keene.
Smiling before leaving the Square, the attacker wandered off prior to the arrival of Keene police.
As you know, the people calling themselves “the City of Keene” are appealing their loss in the Robin Hood case to the NH Supreme Court. In order to appeal a case, the appellant must pay a ridiculous amount of money for a transcript of the case being appealed. In order to get three nearly full days of the Robin Hood hearings’ transcripts, the city folks spent $2,200 of your money. (That’s after city boss John MacLean admitted they’ve spent over $20,000 on the initial case.)
Apparently there are several errors with the transcripts (like when Pete said “decentralized” in his testimony, the transcriber wrote that as “centralized”). Would you like a copy? You paid for it, so here you are:
![Gericke_Carla2008[1]](https://i0.wp.com/freekeene.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Gericke_Carla20081.gif)
Many of the jurors, however, had already received nullification pamphlets. Several of them came to court carrying the exact same pamphlets we were handing out. That means that our activism efforts haven’t been in vain, that people are taking their jury nullification rights seriously. We’re starting to have an impact.
