The ranks of allies of the Aqua Keene Parking Force continue to swell, as Keene housing inspector Fred Parsells is the most recent recruit of the elusive organization. He spent a good portion of Friday afternoon watering chalkings along Main Street as Robin Hood’s Merry Men filled parking meters to keep civilians safe from the King’s tariff. The forces of free speech won out in the end as Fred eventually retreated, allowing the curbs to be colorfully overtaken. Stay tuned for the continuation of this exciting development in the soon to be released AKPF Episode 6. Episode 5, Aqua Keene PF Recruits Freddie P is embedded below.
Despite a fine performance by New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union attorney Barbara Keshen, the sad, obedient jury did what the state wanted and convicted the Trespassive Three of Occupy NH for “Criminal Trespass” for the crime of exercising their rights to free speech and assembly after 11pm in Manchester’s Veteran’s Park.
The jury’s guilty verdict basically says that a city ordinance can trump the constitutional supposed “protections” for the rights we allegedly have as human beings. It is a terrible decision against their fellow human beings.
After the trial, several activists awaited the release of the jury and attempted to offer cash for a quick interview. They were not having it, one even saying “we’re not talking to you” which is a strange thing to say, since she was walking alone when she said it. (I didn’t record that interaction.) Were they instructed to not talk to us? One juror in the video says they weren’t given such an instruction, but I have to wonder if that is true.
The juror who speaks to us later is not shown in the video, at her request. Could that be because she was ashamed of what she did? She decided to talk to us only after all the other jurors and court security had left. (more…)
Yesterday I was engaged in conversation with Keene police’s Fintan Moore regarding a small chalking that was cleaned off of a barrier wall on a parking garage ramp downtown. Supposedly the city attorney considers there to be legal protection for sidewalk chalkings, but not chalkings on vertical surfaces.
There is a question as to what public property can lawfully be chalked and what cannot. The wall of a handicap ramp at the Manchester district court has been decorated with chalk numerous times in the past as bailiffs have looked on, only acting when the wall of the building itself has been marked. The spot in question in Keene was in a location which would have washed away naturally, and there are plenty of sidewalk areas covered by a canopy which prevents chalk from washing away. While I may not agree with the determination of the city’s legal agent, I did inform his messenger that I would relay his communication to the chalking masses. Here’s the video of our dialogue.
This past Friday morning, Keene State College was host to parents and prospective students from around the country. During a campus open house event, which gathered in the Mabel Brown auditorium, current KSC students organized a protest directly in front of the venue’s doors inside of the student center.
Organized actions are rare for Keene’s campus, and no one present was able to recall the last sit-in style protest. According to a 1990 Nashua Telegraph article, over 250 students camped out in front of an administrative building for multiple days following the questionable firing of an administrator at the time.
Students were, and continue to be discontent with the unfunding of the Multicultural Affairs Department, which is reported to receive less of a budget them some of the student clubs. A correspondent for the school’s newspaper, The Equinox, was present to collect perspective from the students, accompanied by a photographer and videographer. I was asked by participating students to provide documentation of the event. As I arrived (more…)
A very revealing video from Dave Ridley where various Manchester city alderman as well as the mayor express that they don’t care about the first amendment:
Dave Ridley attends a candidates’ forum for school superintendent wannabes. One of them is from NJ, a state known for its corruption. Ridley catches the man in a lie as he claims that he has never reported his students for victimless crimes then moments later admits to having reported them to police for drugs: