Manchester Police have been granted permission by a Superior Court petition to conduct a DUI check point tonight. Such a check point violates the 4th Amendment of the Bill of Rights and also furthers the perception of living in a police state. If you are unable to make it to Manchester NH tonight on Sept 5th 2014 but wish to see dozens of Cop Block activists save motorists from being detained and searched by the police, never fear! Myself and Shire Dude will both be live steaming the activism that will take place. Both of us will be using Bambuser to stream the event. Shire Dude’s live stream will be available at bambuser.com/channel/Vermiglio. My live stream ill be available at bambuser.com/channel/VREBEL.
It appears the city council of Keene wants to continue to be the laughingstock of the world. Terry Clark, the heroic councilor who stood alone against the BEARCAT police tank foisted on us in 2012 by the Department of Homeland Security, had put forth a proposal to return the military hardware. The proposal was heard for the first time at tonight’s city council meeting, where it was shot down.
Rather than respecting Clark’s request for a public hearing on the matter, “mayor” Kendall Lane deemed Clark’s proposal as “informational”. This is a common tactic to blow the issue off the table and silence any discussion on the matter from the public. Normally, this is how proposals by us normal folk are treated, but city councilors’ proposals are generally given deference and are sent to a sub-committee for a public hearing. Not in this case. Despite councilor Emily Hague coming to Clark’s aid and objecting to Lane’s blow-off, they could not garner near enough votes to override Lane’s move. Only Emily Hague, Terry Clark, and Bettina Chadbourne voted to override – the rest voted to take it as “informational”.
What happened to Carl Jacobs and David Meader, two newer councilors who in 2012 had originally joined Clark (along with Bettina Chadbourne) in opposing the BEARCAT? I was informed by council-observers that Jacobs and Meader voted with the mayor and for the BEARCAT this time. Shameful.
Kudos to Terry Clark, Bettina Chadbourne, and Emily Hague for standing against police militarization.
What is next? Council elections are next year. Hopefully the voters won’t forget this and clean house. Meantime, can the people of Keene do anything to keep this issue alive? My understanding is the issue is no longer valid until it can be re-issued in 2015. Please correct me if I am wrong.
To The Honorable Mayor Kendall Lane and Council ,
Considering the lack of use of and practical need for, as well as the derogatory impact on our fine city’s name, I write to ask that the City of Keene withdraw from the Homeland Security Grant dated January 20, 2011 and return the Specialized Mission CBRNE/WMD Rescue Vehicle, aka BearCat, to the appropriate government agency.
Terry M. Clark
City Councilor – Ward 3
The proposal will be heard for the first time at tomorrow’s full city council meeting (7pm, city hall) where it will be assigned to a committee for a public hearing (likely next week – we’ll let you know).
Terry Clark
You may recall the internationalheadlines that Keene garnered in 2011-2012 when the council meetings were packed full of people of all political persuasions to oppose the insane militaristic tank, and despite the mass opposition, the council voted for it anyway.
Now, in the aftermath of Ferguson, more of America has been given a taste of the militarized police, and they don’t like it. Kudos to Terry Clark for making a stand – again. Hopefully he won’t have to do it alone this time and other councilors will get a clue and do the right thing and send this metal monstrosity back to the depths whence it came.
This remarkable installment of the AKPF #1 series, Islemon State, offers a creative new way to view rapidly developing modern history as we see the rise of new and old cultural tendencies across the globe. Featuring specially illustrated footage sourced everywhere from the Islamic State held territories to Ferguson, Missouri. Stay tuned for a special closing segment featuring small, fluffy baby bunnies.
In a letter to the editor of the Keene Sentinel, David Crawford, the republican candidate for state representative in Ward One in Keene promises to “un-legislate”, support small businesses, and the little guy. The primary election is on September 9th, but Crawford is unopposed in the primary. He will likely go on to the general election and face either democrat James “Robin Hood” Cleaveland or democrat and political newcomer William Pearson.
