September 6 was a national day of action for Bradley Manning. Some larger cities hosted civil disobedience arrests for trespassing via sit-in. The focus of the actions were mostly Obama campaign headquarters, though the Democratic Party headquarters in Washington, DC was the location of a tense letter delivery to president Barack Obama. A full report of the delivery of the letter to the national office is available here.
Sept 6 2012 – Concord, NH
The letter being delivered to the party headquarters was signed by eighty-three individuals representing a variety of organizations. Included in the list of signers is Art Brennan, a veteran and former New Hampshire district court judge who scheduled his own action to occur at the Concord Obama campaign office on September 6. He had notified the office that he would be reading his letter aloud and delivering a copy for Mr. Obama. When Mr. Brennan arrived with a small group from Veterans for Peace and NH Peace Action, the doors were locked and the lights were off. (more…)
Tomorrow morning at Keene Cinemas, Derrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree will make its theatrical premiere. Below are some chalkings that have popped up around town announcing the red-carpet event.
It is not often that an active duty law enforcement officer faces trial for a criminal complaint. But there is little that is typical of the recent case of Jonathan Evans, a Hill, New Hampshire police sergeant who faced misdemeanor charges for his role in the theft of a leather vest from a Concord storefront. There is no known video of the encounter between store owner Brian Blackden and five members of the motorcycle club, the ‘road dawgs’, but from the picture painted in court by witnesses and police, their actions blurred the line between a club and a gang, and exemplified that there are classes of men in modern society.
Prosecutor John Webb
The minutiae brought to surface surrounding an underground police organization remained intriguing throughout the nearly three hour ordeal. The Concord courtroom was host to a range of characters from around NH. Stemming from an incident involving police officers from everywhere in the state but Concord, CPD officers were the primary investigators and the first three witnesses called at trial. The single, B-misdemeanor charge of theft was prosecuted by Cheshire county assistant attorney John Webb, and heard by Concord district court judge Gerald Boyle. Witnesses to speak were three Concord police officers, the storefront neighbor of the victim, the store owner (victim), and the defendant, Jonathan Evans. Evans was represented by Eric Wilson of wbdklaw.com. (more…)
8 people, 8,000 miles across the US in a veggie-powered school bus, 40 days & 40 nights – it’s The New World Manifesto! Some of TNWM are from as far away as Poland, and others as close as Burlington, VT. They have just recently kicked off their tour and one of the first stops was Ademo’s “wiretapping” trial on Monday. I’ll post their video(s) when they are available, but for now here are some of the photos they took and their first blog from NH (they came to Keene to see our community after the trial was over).
On Monday, Ademo Freeman was convicted of three counts of felony wiretapping after a three hour trial in Hillsborough county superior court, Manchester.
Preparing for his trial from the Valley Street jail, and spending his lunch break in a cell at the courthouse, Ademo did an excellent job explaining his actions and opening himself to responsibility for them. Unfortunately, he did not present the defense necessary to win over the twelve (likely television-watching) everypersons to understand why his was such a case as jury nullification was intended for. Press and supporters filled the gallery. The judge presented a very relaxed demeanor, a respect for the audience and (some) of their rights, which Cheshire county magistrates have caged individuals over in the past. There were limitations on the press, as only two individuals were permitted to video or audio record despite several requests. Judge Kenneth Brown (more…)
WeAreChange released on their youtube channel yesterday a video update of events around the nation which begins with an overview of the military police occupation in Anaheim, California. After a series of shootings of unarmed suspects, protests have swelled in the streets of the Los Angeles suburb whose local government is dominated by Disney’s commercial interests.
This unidentified man was surrounded and arrested seconds after this photograph was taken. July 29, 2012. Anaheim, CA
The video then highlights happenings here in New Hampshire, featuring video from Ademo’s wiretapping pretrial hearing, and footage from the recently releasedDerrick J’s Victimless Crime Spree, a documentary composed of content created by many Shire activists. See the well-produced three minute video “Disney Wiretapping Crime Spree” attached below.
