Activist Arrested for Borat Bathing Suit

A few weeks ago, Asbury Park, NJ made national news as a former city councilor called for the enforcement of an ordinance banning wearing swimsuits on the boardwalk. Liberty activists from the area organized a swimsuit-wearing civil disobedience event in response. The event transpired despite town officials promising the ordinance will not be enforced, as it had not been.

However, during the event, Steven Ettinger was arrested for allegedly exposing his genitals as he bent over in a Borat-style swimsuit. Chris Cantwell of Marlborough was there with his camera:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOgp8Y5Ob6w

Ademo Freeman – FreeKeene.com blogger – Caged in Manch

This post was originally posted to CopBlock.org on July 12th.

On Wednesday, July 11th, 2012 CopBlock.org founder and my good friend Ademo Freeman was put in handcuffs and taken to a cage. In this video I give an overview of the situation.

It’s said that when legislation conflicts with law a good man will side with the latter. That’s what Ademo did. He acted to point-out double-standards.

Some say if you don’t agree with legislation to change it through the courts. Ademo tried. But he wasn’t even given his day in court to argue to merits. Instead, a bureaucratic error conveniently meant that he wasn’t informed of his appeal date.

Below are related posts, a video playlist that begins with the video Ademo made live two days ago, on Monday, July 7th, 2012, about his situation, and WePay donation buttons (25% of which will go to Ademo’s commissary and will be used by him after he’s free(r) and 75% of which will go to advance CopBlock.org’s mission). (more…)

Outreach Campaign in Richmond, VA Spearheaded by FreeKeene.com Blogger

This video was posted to CopBlock.org on June 30th, 2012. It details a project FreeKeene.com blogger Meg McLain has brainstormed and will soon make a reality with Nate Cox, founder of Virgina Cop Block, in Richmond, VA.

Since the post went live they’ve expressed interest at having a capstone know-your-rights summit at the conclusion of their outreach similar to that which the Peaceful Streets Project just held in Austin, TX.

Visit Virginia Cop Block to learn more about the Liberty Empowerment Project and to donate or advertise to help make it a reality!

Toilet Safety Raid at the KAC

It was a strange morning at the Keene Activist Center on Thursday, June 14, when Fred Parsells, Gary Lafreniere, and a slick videographer named John walked their unwelcome way into the private residence. With a warrant for a dubious inspection, and asking vague questions about tenants from years past, the uncomfortable fire captain and the ever-mcgruff housing inspector creeped their way around the house. Looking for smoke detectors, they awoke the sleeping Darryl, who was ignored thereafter when he requested an explanation and apology for why he was woken up. Darryl works a late shift and has a long commute, so his sleep cycle began earlier that morning, and he had to go to work later that day. He has since filed suit against the bureaucratic interrupters of his rest.

Here is the video of the Keene city bureaucrats invading the KAC, with the assistance of the Toilet Safety Administration, a homeland security program with offices in South Park, Colorado. Original raid video w/out TSA (youtube).

Chalking Protest Attacked by Police in LA

From freeconcord.org:

Riot police responded to the scene of a Chalk Walk celebration in Los Angeles last evening and forcibly disbursed a crowd. Unfortunately, some in the crowd responded to the police’s violence in kind, escalating the situation, and motivating the better armed aggressors to deploy rubber bullets and batons on civilians. Seventeen people were arrested in total, nine for chalking (including a juvenile), two for failure to disperse, one for receiving stolen property, two for simply resisting arrest, and three for assaulting a police officer. Two of those charged with assaulting the police also received the subtitle ‘with a deadly weapon’. One officer was reportedly given a minor concussion by a bottle smashing against her helmet.

The chalking protest itself was a response to the arrest of twelve Occupy LA chalkers over the past four weeks in the United States’ second largest city. Organizers of the Chalk Walk scheduled the event to coincide with the annual Art Walk occurring simultaneously nearby. Free chalk was made available to those who cared to participate.

Journalist Nancy Casanova tweeted this picture of the night’s violence kicking off. (more…)

VIDEO: Ademo Caged, Trial Denied Over Clerical Error

At best, it was a clerical error that sent Ademo Freeman’s notice of jury selection from Manchester superior court to 47 Schultz Street, an address that does not exist in Keene. At worst, it was a deliberate attempt to deny his right to a jury trial in the Chalking 8 case. Though the post office informed the court that the notification was not delivered, no further attempt was made to contact Ademo about the hearing that he had requested. As a result, on Wednesday, Judge Lyons ordered him caged for 60 days without consideration of the court’s error. He passed the buck to the supreme court, advising that the only challenge to the imposition of the sentence could be made through the third, and highest layer of NH judiciary.

Unless the supreme court intervenes, Ademo will serve sixty days, possibly forty if afforded all of his good time. Video of the scene in the courtroom is embedded below.