Today at Concord District Court, I had attempted to audio and video record a hearing at the defendant’s request. I was given last minute notice, and ended up missing the brief hearing by the time I had arrived. When I entered the courthouse, I did not appreciate that security had disarmed me of my harmless accountability mechanism, the camera. They also took my tripod, and would give me back none of my equipment until a judge gave me permission to act as the press.
To protest the violation of my first amendment right, I exercised different first amendment rights outside. Utilizing my speech, I chalked out against the press restrictions practiced by the monopolist court officers. I was almost finished when the head of court security exited the building and asked me to stop chalking and leave. He implied that I was doing something illegal, but never spelled out exactly what. He even identified himself as a police officer. Due to some NH court’s crackdowns on press freedom, in the more restrictive venues it is rare to see a court security officer in action, especially outside of his normal domain inside the building.
An article by Michael E. Ross entitled The Epidemic of Police Brutality published at The Root yesterday. It comes alongside news from Tampa of police misconduct resulting in homicide. On December 23, Reason’s Hit and Run blog published the story of Nick Christie, who was tied to a chair and repeatedly pepper sprayed by Lee County, FL deputies (photo included in link). His death was likely caused by asphyxiation, though there could have been a number of factors at work as Nick Christie had a medical condition. According to a witness, who at the time was a corrections officer, “He had a spit mask on and was naked.” The witness testified that the restrained man had pleaded with officers to remove the spit mask because he could not breathe.
Brad Jardis and Tommy Mozingo take questions from the crowd
It was showtime, and no one much desired to be the first to stand in the courtyard. In front of the Hartman Union Building (HUB) at Plymouth State University, first came the journalists, then the (technically) counter protesters. They were organized with signs. Their protest began as they stood in a line, more signs than students. A familiar cast from independent media streamed in. Sheriff’s deputies, state troopers and, to a much lesser extent, university police formed compacted columns at all major walkway points of entry.
The chalk sat locked in my trunk, but I bore two arms as I awaited Brad Jardis and Tommy Mozingo’s responsible gun carry outreach event. My customary sidearm, the Nikon Coolpix S570 sat mounted atop my telescopic tripod. On my hip was a spare battery and a fully unloaded 8 gigabyte SD card. Slung on my back, in a portable DVD player case that functions superior to any camera case I’ve seen for the purpose, was a a JVC mini DV camcorder with a single battery pack. The young dinosaur of the pre-digital age was at the ready in the case that I expended all of my digital video, or if any action required the 32x optical zoom capability. (more…)
As I was walking downtown the other day on Winter St. by the “superior court”, I couldn’t help but notice this. Had it been an emergency, the car would have been parked in front of the court’s front doors and probably had its lights on. This is just bad parking.
“Do as we say, not as we do.”
You or I would probably get a ticket for parking like this, but government employees tend to get “professional courtesy” – the unspoken agreement that they will lay off persecuting each other. Obviously, there are exceptions to this rule, but it’s still a rule.
The Shire Choir dropped by the monopoly liquor store today, sang several carols out front and distributed 50 fliers to store patrons in a successful outreach event. There was chalking of the sidewalk and street with anti-drug-war and pro-freedom messages, jubilant singing, and a good time had by all! There were cameras present, so be on the lookout for video of the event, which will likely be posted here at some point. As we were leaving, Keene Police arrived and accepted a copy of the freedom carols. We’re putting the finishing touches on the song sheet and will post it here when ready.
Occupy New Hampshire survived four complete nights as an intentional community. The first two in Victory and the final two-plus in Veterans Park had such a spurious air about them. The environment created by the occupation was that of a foreign presence upon a national ground. A presence foreign in that it was a horizontally organized competitor to the established order in Manchester. And while the occupiers were claiming no ground but that which they’d camped upon (and demonstrated a willingness to shuffle between parks to accommodate previously scheduled events), it still seemed so apparent, and would be confirmed through arrests, that there was something fundamentally challenging to the status quo by people camping out in a park that they are forced to pay for.
The quiet Elm Street in front of Veterans Park on October 19, approx. 2:00am.
I spent two long periods of time at the occupation (more…)
Today at Concord District Court, I had attempted to audio and video record a hearing at the defendant’s request. I was given last minute notice, and ended up missing the brief hearing by the time I had arrived. When I entered the courthouse, I did not appreciate that security had disarmed me of my harmless accountability mechanism, the camera. They also took my tripod, and would give me back none of my equipment until a judge gave me permission to act as the press.
