After a wonderful bonfire and VIP dinner on Friday night, we started again with the always-informative Media Panel, this year hosted by Shire Dude. The media experts on stage focused on how to monetize your media creations and of course took audience questions. After that, Renee Kate of the Seditious Sirens took the stage to talk with her lady panelists about activism from a female perspective on this year’s Ladies Panel. Afterwards, some of our VIPs headed out to a VIP lunch and others explored Keene’s restaurants on a two-hour lunch break.
When we returned, an interesting contrasting couple of panels were presented. First a panel of newbies hosted by Tarrin Lupo shared their experiences being new movers as part of the Free State Project. Then, a panel of some of the original batch of FSP early movers presented by Denis Goddard discussed their perspective on all the changes we’ve seen in over a decade of people moving here for the FSP. There were great audience questions for both afternoon panels.
Keenevention Old School Panel 2015
For the final act on Keenevention’s Saturday, illegal UBER driver Christopher David held a group brainstorming on the topic of abolishing the state in our lifetime! Chris did not take the stage. He stayed floor-level and brought an easel and huge pad of lined paper on to which ideas thrown out by the audience of Keeneventioneers were placed. There was audience participation aplenty in this creative and usual keynote speech!
Today, we received an awesome compliment! Cameron, a new mover from Michigan, told me that Keenevention is already a better experience for him than the yearly (much bigger) Liberty Forum! That’s not to say the Liberty Forum is a bad event – it’s also great, and you should attend it. He says he prefer Keenevention because it’s more intimate and easier to connect with the attendees and speakers and he’s enjoying getting out of the hotel and exploring the area. Yay!
Illegal UBER Driver Christopher David’s Keynote Speech
The Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA) raid on local Keene smoke shop PhatStuff in May 2014 resulted in a criminal indictment against Phat Stuff owners Panos and Katie Eliopoulos in February 2015 for Conspiracy to Offer Drug Paraphernalia for Sale (21 USC 846 and 21 USC 863) and Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering (18 USC 1956). In a motion filed on October 5, 2015, it was revealed federal prosecutors had offered Panos a deal where he would plead guilty to some lesser charge in exchange for the government dropping the case against his wife Katie. Although Panos initially accepted the deal, he has since changed his mind and the beleaguered Keene business owners will be going to trial on January 20, 2016 at the federal courthouse in Concord.
Contrary to what was implied in the media, Phat Stuff and its owners were not criminally charged with selling synthetic cannabinoids or any other controlled substance. In the companion civil asset forfeiture case for Phat Stuff, USA v. $695.00 US Currency et al, the complaint alleges that on August 9, 2013 an undercover informant for the DEA purchased the synthetic cannabinoid known as PB-22 from the Keene store. The sale of PB-22 was not made illegal by the DEA until February 10, 2014 when the agency placed the compound on Schedule I by administrative order. Phat Stuff stopped selling PB-22 prior to September 27, 2013 to comply with a Keene city ordinance forbidding its sale. Since the constitution specifically forbids ex post facto laws, Phat Stuff and its owners could not be prosecuted for the sale and distribution of a controlled substance. That left the government with the charges of selling drug paraphernalia, conspiracy, and money laundering.
Dozens of liberty-loving people came together for the first day of New Hampshire’s only Fall freedom convention: Keenevention! The weather is sunny and beautiful and many trees still have colorful fall leaves on them, despite it being relatively late in the “leaf-peeping” season.
The first day of this third-annual event kicked off with the first-ever Political Action Panel where panel host Darryl W. Perry and his guests discussed working for political change outside of the two major parties. After that, Cop Blockers from Manchester and Keene took the stage in an informative panel hosted by Keene Cop Block‘s JP Freeman. We broke at noon for lunch, which this year is expanded from 90 minutes to a two-hour block, giving Keeneventioneers more time to explore Keene’s dining experiences and get back to the hotel with time to spare.
The 2015 Bitcoin Panel
Following lunch, this year’s Bitcoin Panel began, hosted by Neocash Radio‘s Darren Tapp featured multiple bitcoin experts including head bitcoin programmer Gavin Andresen. The panel attracted many questions from the engaged audience. Following that, Darryl W. Perry took the stage for the first-ever Keenevention live auction benefiting the Ross Ulbricht legal defense fund, which totaled $436! Up next was the Secession Panel, hosted again this year by Rob Mathias of the Foundation for NH Independence. The independence advocates discussed how to move closer to secession becoming a reality in New Hampshire.
Finally, oathkeeper and Alstead town selectman Chris Rietmann took the stage to deliver the Friday night keynote address, covering his news-making open carry activism, his pro-liberty actions as a selectman, and support of activism of all stripes.
Chris Rietmann Delivers the Friday Keynote
Friday’s attendance was up from last year and included visitors from San Francisco, Missouri, Indianapolis, Wisconsin, and New York. One guy just made the move from Michigan as part of the Free State Project! He packed up his life into his car and made Keenevention his destination and first stop in New Hampshire. We’re here at the Best Western in Keene all weekend – come on our and join us. The daily admission is only $30 and includes admission to tomorrow night’s HALLOWKEENE Costume Dance Party!
Remember, if you can’t make it in reality – all the panels and speakers will be released on video over the weeks following Keenevention, so stay tuned to the Keenevention blog for more announcements (you can sign up for emails when the blog has new posts using the signup box in the right column). You can also follow the new Keenevention Twitter, Keenevention’s facebook page and join the official facebook event here.
Roberts & Roberts is the premiere liberty source for all your precious metals needs AND they accept bitcoin! You can follow Roberts & Roberts on both Facebook and Twitter.
HALLOWKEENE is Halloween night 10/31 and runs from 8pm-1:30am! Admission is free for all Keenevention attendees and VIP ticket holders can bring one guest, gratis. If you’re not attending Keenevention, you can still attend HALLOWKEENE for $10 with costume and $20 without – just drop in to the event sometime before Saturday night and get a map from the reception desk. Please RSVP on this facebook event if you can. See you there!
Ademo and Brian shortly before turning themselves in.
Ten days ago, Free Keene blogger and Cop Block founder Ademo Freeman was arrested in Kansas on a warrant for chalking in front of the Noblesville, Indiana police department. In the latest salvo in the War on Chalk, Noblesville PD had issued warrants for both Ademo and Brian Sumner, who have been on the Cop Block MAC Tour (Mobile Accountability for Cops) for weeks. Now, Ademo and Brian are pausing the MAC tour and last night turned themselves in at Noblesville PD to clear up the warrants. Here’s their full explanation as to why they turned themselves in and do not wish to be bailed out.
Last night, accompanied by Cop Blockers from Ohio and Indiana, they arrived at Noblesville PD and began chalking police accountability messages with the same liquid chalk product they’d used several weeks ago that resulted in misdemeanor “criminal mischeif” charges for them both.
After twenty minutes of chalking, finally the police came out. Here’s the video of the arrests, recorded by Indiana Cop Blocker Miah Dalek Akston:
They intend to sit in the clink until they are released. How long will Noblesville hold them for this dastardly crime before they face trial? Will the charges be dropped before then? Only time will tell. Stay tuned to Free Keene and Cop Block for the latest.
Meanwhile, Ademo suggests you contact James Baldwin, the prosecutor in their case or (if you really want to let them know you disapprove) visit the Noblesville Police Department and exercise your first amendment right with some chalk. You never know, you might even be lucky enough to join the guys in jail.
James Baldwin (Ademo’s Prosecutor) & Brian Patrick Johnson (Brian’s Prosecutor): (317) 776-8595
Hamilton County Jail: (317) 776-9800
In a six page decision issued this week, NH Hillsborough superior court judge Gillian L. Abramson dismissed the misdemeanor wiretapping charge against Alfredo Valentin – affirming the right to record police in public includes secret recordings. The judge cites both the Glik and Gericke cases which were important federal cases affirming the right to record police in public. The state argued in this case, that since the recording was secret, the right to record doesn’t apply in NH, where the wiretapping statute is ridiculously oppressive. The judge smacked that claim down:
the Court finds that the First Amendment protects secretly filming police in public, for the same reasons that the First Amendment generally protects filming police. The public has the right to gather and disseminate information about the police.
Free State Project early mover and attorney Brandon Ross is Valentin’s lawyer (Ross has previously beaten wiretapping charges at the NH supreme court.) and had this to say, in an exclusive interview for Free Keene, about the judge’s decision: “By charging him with a felony, the state destroyed my client’s career–and made things much worse with this wild goose chase prosecution. I’m glad the court wasn’t fooled by the state’s manifestly incorrect representations about the law. I look forward to him getting his day in federal court.”
Attorney Brandon Ross
Ross also excoriated the NH legislature for their inaction on fixing the horrible wiretapping statutes, saying, “This never needed to happen. Numerous bills have been brought to the legislature to fix this. Each time, the legislature has failed to act to bring simple, necessary clarity to a law which police are continually abusing. But the NH chiefs of police scare them each time, and nothing happens. The resulting litigation from that spineless failure to act, does nothing but inconvenience citizens and cost taxpayers.”
You can read the full six-page order here. Will the state attorney general’s office appeal to the NH supreme court and risk making this decision apply to the entire state? Stay tuned here to Free Keene for the latest.
In 2010, the Keene Activist Center was launched. Over the years, the “KAC” has served as a place for liberty activists to gather for activism and socializing. So much has happened at the KAC including sign-making, planning sessions, spiritual discussions, community dinners, karaoke, birthday and holiday parties, and even a wedding!
Thanks to all the members and guests we’ve had over the years and especially the dedicated activists who took on the sometimes thankless role of KAC manager to truly serve the liberty community. Without you, it would never have worked.
However, in the activist world projects come and go in cycles. This project, like so many, has come to the end of it’s life. It’s been valuable in many ways and much has been learned about running an organization like this through many trials and errors – hopefully we’re all better people because of it.
As is typical of activism, it was never expected to do more than meet its costs. At that, it succeeded, thanks to the various managers. It also provided a landing and launching pad for new activists arriving here in Keene, and it succeeded wildly at that. Many of the most noteworthy activists cut their teeth at the KAC including Derrick J Freeman, Ademo Freeman, Pete Eyre, Darryl W. Perry, Beau Davis, Garret Ean, Meg McLain, and JJ Epic.
The KAC may be over, but the Shire Free Church will continue to use the property to benefit the liberty activist community to further the church’s mission of fostering peace. Stay tuned here to Free Keene for future announcements.
owners Panos and Katie Eliopoulos in February 2015 for Conspiracy to Offer Drug Paraphernalia for Sale (
