The New Hampshire legislature never passed a law stating that Merry Man Graham Colson was banned in the Keene Common known commonly as Central Square. Despite this, Graham was issued a ‘No Tresapassing’ order from the square, which he believes is because he was riding a skateboard there. In an order issued by KPD’s Jason Short on May 10 2012, Graham is explicitly banned from ‘the common referred to as Central Square Keene NH 03431’. Aside from this ban, Graham has been neither charged nor convicted of a crime related to the town common. Last Thursday, he was arrested on a warrant while in the downtown for allegedly having been in the common on the previous day.
On April 22, Graham and I took an adventure into legal land to accomplish two tasks. First, we travelled to the Keene police department to obtain a copy of the original order, which was refused when originally issued last year. Then we crossed town to drop off a discovery request with the district court clerk at city hall, and the prosecutor’s office at the county courthouse. Demonstrating how common violations of petty rules on the common are, during the drive we observe a youth casually longboarding through the square. (more…)
A crowd of about 100 people gathered to celebrate the 4/20 holiday at 4:20pm in front of the state house in Concord this evening. This years’ event was hosted by the NH Teapot Party, covering for the usual organizing of the 420 Foundation. Rich Paul, founder of the 420 Foundation and outspoken opponent of the war on drugs was convicted on Thursday afternoon by jury on multiple counts of cannabis distribution. He remains detained while awaiting sentencing, and today marked the first annual celebration without Rich since the rallies began in 2010.
While Rich was blasting his ideas through a bullhorn last year, the New Hampshire Drug Task Force as well as the FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force were conducting an investigation into Rich’s not-so-discrete sale of cannabis. Multiple purchases totaling 81 years of prison time were made through a confidential informant who himself had been busted for heroin distribution. Despite the questionable ethics and honesty of the DTF, FBI, and the confidential informant, the jury did not find Rich’s victimless crime worthy of nullification. Unlike many involved in the drug trade, who profit from actions that they hide from public scrutiny, Rich’s openness made him an easy target, though he was incorrectly profiled as an easy mark. When told that his charges would go away if he would incriminate others for the FBI and DTF, Rich courageously stood on principle and said, ‘No’. In a way, Rich is going to jail in place of the unknown others whom he chose not to involuntarily substitute for his position. (more…)
Today outside of day one of the historic trial of Rich Paul for cannabis distribution, myself, Pete Eyre, and Ademo Freeman had the opportunity to interview FBI Special Agent Phil Christiana. Earlier in the day, on the witness stand, Phil admitted to working for the joint terrorism task force, and was very reluctant to reveal any information about his asking Rich Paul to wear a wire. When asked directly why he was investigating the Keene Activist Center, he stated that he could not speak about the KAC. Coincidentally (or not) two weeks after Rich’s arrest, city bureaucrats obtained a search warrant to inspect for smoke detectors and evidence of a ‘lodging house’.
Phil Christiana
As he exited the courthouse following his testimony today, the three of us asked Phil about his investigations into peaceful people in the Keene area. According to him, Rich’s case is the only time he has worked with the NH Drug Task Force, receiving approximately six calls for service from local and state agencies per year. His responses were brief and slick. When Kim Kossick, Rich’s public defender, inquired why Christiana offered to drop charges if Rich would wiretap others at the Keene Activist Center, the agent responded that he was not at liberty to discuss an investigation relative to the KAC. Christiana has had an interest in finding informants within the New Hampshire liberty movement for a few years. He approached Dave Ridley in 2005 but ceased interacting with him once informed that everything he relayed to Ridley would be shared publicly. According to Dave:
My experience with him was that he was more or less polite and professional…but creepy. He came to the same Keene house when I lived there, to learn more about Russell Kanning’s plans for civil disobedience at Manchester Airport’s TSA checkpoint. (more…)
Thanks to Kyle Jarvis for penning a decent Keene Sentinel article, and Michael Moore for snapping photos for a front page story on Robin Hood of Keene and the Merry Men. Robin Hooding has been the interest of local media outlets recently as the city expended over $1,300 to pay for under 50 hours of amateur videography performed by former KPD detective Peter Thomas.
Twenty-four hours after two days in a row of new Aqua Keene Parking Force episodes, entry number seven has just released on the AKPF youtube channel. In this edition, Cinco Tarjetas, the Parking Force must combat the confusion of multiple parking passes on display, inspired by an image which circulated widely across the internet within the last month. Jigsaw doll character guest stars.
In the sixth installment of Aqua Keene Parking Force, Fred Parsells opens up about his perspective on Keene’s local liberty activism scene. Denying his own statist tendencies, he even dubs himself the ‘original free stater’ after beginning the conversation with “…why you guys are so stupid?” See the exciting conclusion to the cliffhanger ending from Episode 5.
You’re not even from Keene, but now that you’ve moved to Keene…You’re from elsewhere. You’re not native-born. Well, I don’t know, but you’re not from Keene, that’s the point. But yet you’ve come here, and you’re trying to, to tell people in Keene, you know, we did away with meters back in the mid eighties. No, no, that was something, I’m talking in the mid eighties — you probably weren’t even alive then.
