A suspicionless checkpoint will be established by the police on the roads of Concord some time during the first week of August. It’s no wild guess to predict that the court-sanctioned violation of rights will be occurring on either a Friday or Saturday evening. At the checkpoint, vehicles will be profiled and stopped without probable cause for the offence of happening to pass through the designated security area. These checkpoints are established in the name of preventing DUIs, though often more arrests are made for victimless crimes not related to impaired driving. Beyond the arrests made, the police produce thousands of dollars in revenue for the state by operating these checkpoints, as dozens of drivers are cited for innocuous motor vehicle violations. At a recent suspicionless checkpoint in Bedford, the Union Leader reports that of the 330 vehicles that were stopped, twenty-eight drivers were given motor vehicle citations, four were arrested for non-alcohol drug possession, one arrested on an immigration charge, and a whopping four drunk drivers were arrested. Also profiting from the festivities are the towing and impounding companies utilized by police.
In the Union Leader’s thorough overview of a night spent at the police’s peacetime security checkpoint, they describe the state’s modified RV, the DUI Mobile Command Center. In case you’ve ever wondered what it’s like inside the Command Center, here’s a video I took of the vehicle on display at Concord’s law enforcement National Night Out, August 2, 2012.
Thanks to Dave Ridley for more compelling evidence that civil disobedience and noncooperation works to change hearts and minds. Here’s one woman’s testimonial to how life-changing our work and videos from here in Keene has been for her:
Thanks Regina. I’m glad we could make a difference in your life. Now get up here, please! We need your help.
This video is part 2 of Dave’s interview with Regina. Here’s part 1.
The following video is of Will Hopkins, director of NH Peace Action, reading a statement before the Occupy New Hampshire general assembly on July 22, 2012.
Today was the second day in which Occupy New Hampshire’s recent division was covered with stories on the front page of the Concord Monitor. An in-depth article on last week’s separation was published on July 22, the date of the first GA since the split. (1, 2) At the GA, only one of the board members of the new Occupy New Hampshire corporation was present, and she apologized for having participated in the incorporation and announced that she would be removing herself from the board. An article published in today’s Monitor reports on the first GA since the split. (1, 2) Also published in Sunday’s Monitor was an editorial on the split by Occupier Theresa Earle. (1) (more…)
Manchester activists converged on police DUI checkpoints last night with signs and a laser projection warning motorists of the upcoming shakedown. Hundreds of cars were saved from passing through the aggressors hands and there was much positive response from community members. The only people who didn’t like it were Manchester police and the tow truck drivers who were waiting like vultures, expecting to be thrown free business from the checkpoint. Here’s the awesome laser in action:
