PNN Reports on the Robin Hood Civil Suit

robinhood_wantedOn Thursday, six individuals associated with activities related to Robin Hood of Keene were delivered a stack of legal documents from Cheshire sheriff’s deputies. While responses are being crafted, independent media begins to disseminate information regarding this escalation by the royal forces against the merry men. Derrick J reports through his daily newscast Peace News Now with excerpts from the case file.

Just as police attempted following the Chalking 8 case, by attributing negative actions not to any individual but to an amorphous group, the police and city bureaucrats shirk the task of properly placing responsibility for whatever allegation they are attempting to advance.

In other Keene happenings, the newest variety program from the Aqua Keene Parking Force premieres in under 24 hours. AKPF #1 will broadcast at Free Concord and Free Keene at midnight on the morning of May 13, and at 7:00pm on Cheshire TV.

What Is ‘Joint Terrorism’ the FBI Investigates?

2013_04_20_freerichFBI Bomb Technician Phil Christiana spent the day following the attack at the Boston Marathon at the trial of Rich Paul in Keene. He gave the least consistent testimony of any of the state’s actors, and even altered specific facts as his cross examination evolved. At first, it is alleged that the investigation into Rich had nothing to do with the Joint Terrorism Task Force that Christiana is employed by. It ends with Christiana admitting that he wanted Rich to cooperate with a JTTF investigation in exchange for the dismissal of charges against him.

Rich Paul, from Trial to Appeal and Beyond

Greetings to all! To those who are following the Trial of Rich Paul, the saga continues. . .So much gratitude is going out to each individual for the overwhelming flood of loving support for Rich that is flowing his way! It has come in many forms, food, prayers, visits, mail, cash, paypal, bitcoins, oh my! Most important has been the activism supporting Rich with juror outreach and education, and the independent media coverage done by Rich’s friends right here in Keene, where history is being made and the world is able to watch thanks to them! A very special thank you goes to Ian Freeman for the incredible feat of filming the entire trial! Please tune in to this documented display of this cast of prohibition enforcement characters weaving a tangled web in the attempt to make a martyr out of Rich Paul.

Ian also did juror outreach every day of the trial (and for the last five years!), filmed Rich’s jurors as they left the courthouse after the verdict, and also filmed Rich’s interview from jail and posted it on vice.com. Thank you also to vice.com for covering Rich’s story before the trial began, and for also posting the interview with Rich from inside the jail. (more…)

MassLive.com Reports on my Palmer Videographer Arrest Court Case

Thanks to MassLive.com’s Lori Stabile, who was there in Palmer when I was arrested for video recording in the town hall, for her follow up piece:

A disorderly conduct charge was dropped against Ian Freeman, the New Hampshire man arrested last fall outside a public auction of town-owned properties at the Town Building.

Now he plans to fight the accusation that he violated a municipal ordinance before the event.

A hearing will be held May 22 in Palmer District Court on a motion to dismiss the ordinance violation of being disorderly before the public auction. Freeman is being represented by William C. Newman, Western Massachusetts director of the American Civil Liberties Union.

“I didn’t do anything wrong . . . It shouldn’t be a crime to record video in a public place,” Freeman, 32, said Wednesday. “I’m willing to go all the way to help protect people in a similar situation.” (more…)

FIJA Calls for New Trial for Rich Paul

RichWendyIn an editorial piece, the Fully Informed Jury Association calls for a new trial for Rich Paul based on “superior” court judge John C. Kissinger’s biased jury instructions:

Helena, MT—A Cheshire County, New Hampshire jury convicted local marijuana and liberty activist Rich Paul today on five felony counts of victimless drug charges. Paul had disputed one of the charges on the facts and had openly pursued jury nullification on the other four charges, which involved the sale of small amounts of marijuana. The buyer turned out to be an FBI-paid informant who had entrapped Paul in exchange for leniency for his own heroin offense.

In 2012, New Hampshire passed HB 146, a fully informed jury bill, which guaranteed defendants the ability in court “to inform the jury of its right to judge the facts and the application of the law in relation to the facts in controversy.” The measure took effect on January 1 of this year.

While the defense did make the case for jury nullification, the judge undermined the intent of the law through misinformation in the instructions he issued to the jury. An attendee at the trial reported on the Free Keene Facebook page that, “Judge John C. Kissinger is reading jury instructions, where he is emphasizing the word “I” in his claim that the jury “must follow the law as *I* explain it”.” (more…)