[This post was originally published to KeeneCopBlock.org on Sat., Dec., 8th, 2012]
The cure for evil and disorder is more liberty, not suppression.
– Alexander Berkman
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As more raw, relevant videos are uploaded to YouTube.com/Fr33manTVraw they will be added to the playlist embedded here.
On Saturday December 8 at 9am, the Keene Police Department held an “Emergency Vehicle Open House” where they showed off their toys. Not only did the KPD display the Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck, they also displayed a fire truck, snow plows, a police cruiser and other vehicles from the Fire Department and Department of Public Works.
It wasn’t all business, enter the Shire Choir to lighten the mood and brighten a dreary day:
More to come from today’s “unveiling”, as about 20 activists from across the political spectrum turned out to oppose the militarization of the police. The first video to hit youtube is an excellent juxtaposition in imagery by local videographer CAPTAINQUINN (creator of the hilarious Coffee Cup video from 2010):
Lightspeedliberty reports:
Rick Van Wickler is the superintendent of the Cheshire Department of Corrections, which operates the county jail, aka the Keene Spiritual Retreat. Rick has for years been speaking out against the insane “War on Drugs”, which is really just a war on our friends and family. Here’s his recent appearance as part of the Beyond Bars “Safekeepers” campaign, where he explains his path to finding compassion for the people he is tasked with keeping in a cage, many of whom don’t belong in jail, but are forced there by an inhumane system. Van Wickler brings a level of humanity to an operation where it’s normally hard to find. I really appreciate that we have him running the Cheshire jail, rather than some sadist, as is frequently the case in other “Departments of Correction”:
If I were a busybody, I might assert that there needs to be a crackdown on the drug-addled maniacs that occasionally interject disorder into the harmony of Keene’s otherwise pleasant populous. As Keene Cop Block has been operating consistently since autumn began, something I had discovered quickly was that KPD does not pose the greatest threat to recording equipment on Friday and Saturday nights. Drunken commoners have the least concern for other’s personal property. Though not always through malevolence, some young people find it gratifying to shout praise of their alma mater while holding a Cop Blocker’s videocamera inches away from their face.
Once in a blue moon, you come across someone as disoriented and insecure as a friend we made last week, Tim. Tim considers himself to be the king of the alphabros. He had the most violent reaction to cameras of any druggie that the crew has come across. From his perspective, he may have felt infringed upon. Despite the fact that he had approached a group of videographers as his friends walked away, he had concerns about cameras being in his face. When I approached the group after seeing him stepping towards fellow filmer James in the way that a great ape squares off with its opponent, he then spoke as though he took preference for my clothes and hair. “Look at this afro mutherfucker…with a videocamera.” He began counting people, “One, two…,” and at “three”, he pounces towards me like a tranquilized animal. (more…)
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