Two days ago the New Hampshire Supreme Court upheld the conviction of Brian Beauchemin, a Henniker, NH man, for the shocking offense of leaving salt and corn kernels in the woods on his own property.
The thing that I found interesting about this particular case is that when the officer questioned him about what he was doing his response was a stern (and rife with New Hampshire pride): “I can do whatever I damn want on my own property.”
It has been some time now since I have shared thoughts or experiences here on the Free Keene blog as I have been dealing with personal issues surrounding the re-organization of my life after leaving the law enforcement profession.
I have been a mere mortal for about a year and two months now and throughout that time I have often found myself reflecting on things that I miss about my former career.
Whenever I start feeling a sense of loss or regret I remind myself of the countless victimless laws I used to enforce (and the subsequent victims I created).
Remember: when the state enforces a victimless law, it creates a victim.
I recently found myself crossing from Quebec, Canada into Vermont… and I decided to not answer any of the questions that the US Customs and Border Protection agents grilled me on. Here’s both what happened to me and some information to arm yourself with when dealing with the very dangerous federal government.
It’s not just Pete and Ademo— Massachusetts cops seem to be serial lawbreakers.
When driving to Smith College today to see heroic Afghan politician Malalai Joya, I was pulled over in Deerfield, Massachusetts, a few miles south of Greenfield. (Why? Who knows.)
I received a ticket for having an out-of-date registration and had my car towed.
Fair enough. That’s the law in Massachusetts, and my registration expired back in ’09. I knew the risks of driving my car. (If you were wondering, I’m not intentionally engaging in car registration civil disobedience— the lapse was the result of procrastination, some confusion about the law [much harsher than Texan laws], and coordination problems with my mom [the car’s in her name]. If it weren’t for a minor paperwork delay during the last week, I might actually have had it registered by today.)
But that didn’t satisfy the officer. He went on to interrogate me about drugs in my car. I laughed and answered no, I don’t have any. In light of my personality, and the nature of the traffic stop, it was hard not to laugh. It was an absurd leap. He asked again, and I denied again, still chuckling. (He didn’t seem to appreciate the absurdity of his questions.)
He did a real-life version of “no srsly”— and you should be honest with me because even if you aren’t, I’ll search your car and find your drugs. I did a real-life version of “no fer realz”— and, by the way, don’t you need some kind of probable cause to do that? (more…)
Ademo and Pete from CopBlock have released a detailed video chronicling their harassment and arrest for “wiretapping” for using video cameras in a public place in Greenfield, MA. More detail is at Copblock.org/Greenfield
Here’s a report on the return of the 4:20 celebrations appearing in today’s Keene Sentinel, featuring Free Keene’s Ademo!
While St. Patrick’s Day enthusiasts participated in the “wearing of the green” in downtown Keene Thursday afternoon, a small group of activists celebrated a different type of green at Central Square.
Smoking pipes and rolled blunts, activists used marijuana as a way to express “self-ownership,” according to one participant.
This group of nearly 20 was the first of this year to hold a rally supporting marijuana legalization, but similar demonstrations have been a fixture in Central Square since 2009.
“I wish the government would stay out of the issue forever and allow people the right to choose their own medication,” said Ademo M. Freeman, who moved to Keene in January.
Allowing medicinal marijuana, a measure that was passed by the N.H. House in a 221-96 vote Wednesday, is just one step, according to Freeman. (more…)
The video footage was FINALLY retrieved from Greenfield PD today, well, 50% of it due to a technical difficulty with Ademo’s camera. Here’s the raw footage from Pete’s camera including their interaction with the bureaucrats in the jail and their arrest outside. For full detail on this incident, visit Copblock.org/Greenfield.
Part 1/2: Inside the jail, threatened by the guards over recording video:
Here’s a 
