Published today is a half hour of discussion from Tuesday night’s episode of Free Talk Live covering the happenings around the recent bicycle headlamp/audio recording trial. Included are video from incidents cited during the radio show, featuring the coerced removal of a videographer from the lobby of the Concord District Court. See the full trial video at the FreeConcordTV youtube channel.
Media from the December 11 bicycle headlamp/audio recording trial continues to be created. Here’s an audio summary that was produced for Derrick J’s Peace News Now. Videos in raw format are available as arranged on a playlist here. Stay tuned for more.
Here’s the first, lengthy piece in a series from NewHampshire.com, which features Free State Project participant and two-time elected state representative Mark Warden:
Editor’s note: This is the first in a series that will explore the Free State Project. This week, we look at who Free Staters are and why they choose to live in New Hampshire.
It is a movement that began outside of New Hampshire by a group of people who describe themselves as “pro-liberty activists,” and in 2003 they made the decision to call New Hampshire their home. (more…)
On December 13, 2012 I had a trial in Newport District Court for expired vehicle registration. Specifically, I was charged with violating RSA 261:40. For those who aren’t familiar, Newport is a much smaller town than Keene. Normally in Keene, as well as Manchester, Concord and I would guess most other District Courts throughout New Hampshire, there are many people scheduled for trial at the same date and time. This was not the case in Newport. Aside from myself and seven others from Keene, the only people in the court were Trooper Hickox (who was prosecuting his own case), one bailiff, a court clerk and the judge.
Before the trial began, the judge issued an edict that only one camera would be allowed to operate during the trial, despite the fact that three individuals filed notices to record. He immediately took a brief recess so that the camera situation could be straightened out and stated that if a decision wasn’t reached on which camera was to be the camera to record the trial, that NO cameras would be allowed.
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Yesterday the case of State v Garret Ean was heard in regards to a $29.76 bicycle headlamp citation. While trial footage recorded by Free Keene videographers uploads, it’s worth making a note of the events before the trial, which resulted in one individual being temporarily banned from the courthouse for filming in the lobby. When I arrived just after 8:30am, I saw James of Shire TV standing outside of the front door and filming in. It was clear what had just occurred — he had been kicked out for filming. I’ve been in the same situation at Concord district court, where you will likely get ejected for recording outside of the courtroom. Sometimes, I am allowed through security with one camera but not another, and sometimes nothing is restricted.
On the inside, my videocamera was taken and replaced with a scruffy old property receipt, a number sharpie’d on it. I saw a slew of activists from Keene in the lobby speaking with bailiffs. Word was spreading that all cameras were being taken, even those with filled-out permission slips, until the judge authorized the forms. Myself planning to audio record the entire hearing, I had yet to fill out the blank media form which has three options: Still Camera, Video/Audio Camera, or Audio Recording. As my audio recorder and cell phone were not confiscated, I waited to fill out the copy in the courtroom.
Concord District Court head of security Peter Hamilton enjoying a pipe on break. Photo by Brian Blackden
I asked bailiffs why that today they had decided to seize all incoming videocameras. “The judge always authorizes recording, so why does everyone need to have their property confiscated?” The head of security, Peter Hamilton, appeared and stated that the judge who always grants approval of notices was out this particular day. He was possibly referring to judge Gerard Boyle, whom to my knowledge has not denied any press notifications placed before him. I have audio and video recorded others’ trials before both he and the sitting judge on this day, M. Kristin Spath, without hassle from either. This does not also include a lack of hassle from the bailiffs. My experience has been that having a filled out recording permission slip to present at the checkpoint does make one more likely to emerge on the other side with their camera unswiped. Hamilton cited rules handed down by Edwin Kelly as the basis for the restriction, Kelly being the very secretive administrative judge of New Hampshire district courts. (more…)
As I described in detail here, Palmer, MA court security flipped out over camera-toting activists yesterday. Here’s one angle, thanks to Lightspeedliberty:
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