It is obvious to everyone in the area that the city of Keene has a problem with people writing and drawing with chalk on the sidewalks of the downtown business district. There have been many suggestions as to how to deal with this scourge, but none as basic, simple and reasonable as the solution I propose. The root of the problem is quite clear: the easy availability of chalk enables anyone to just grab a piece of chalk and, perhaps in a heated moment, or as an act of depraved indifference, to commit acts of drawing or writing that will be rued by all sensible members of society.
No rights are limitless; all we need are reasonable, commonsense city laws controlling the sale and possession of chalk. (more…)
[The video previously featured in this article has been removed from YouTube. Please follow the link to view the video at LiveLeak.]
At around 6:00pm last evening near the Staples store in Keene, police attempted to arrest a currently unidentified man. Rather than submitting to the arrest, the person fled the area and displayed a firearm, which he is witnessed to have turned on himself. Early reports identified the situation as a hostage crisis, however witnesses on the scene stated that the only hostage in harm’s way throughout the duration of the standoff was the man training the gun on himself. Shortly before 10:30pm, a single, small caliber gun shot was heard, followed shortly after by an audible scream. The man was visible laying on his back for several seconds before SWAT officers rolled the man onto his face and appeared to handcuff him. Within ninety seconds of the shot being heard, paramedics began to prepare the man for loading onto a stretcher and wheeling him into an ambulance. WMUR has reported that the man had passed away while being treated at Cheshire Medical Center. The story has also received coverage from the Keene Sentinel, whom report two shots having been fired, but do not identify the source of any discharge.
The following photos were captured by Keene Peaceful Streets correspondents on the scene moments before and after the unfortunate conclusion which led to the loss of life.
Details are scarce at the moment, but it appears that Robin Hood himself, aka James Cleaveland has been arrested, purportedly as he attempted to gather news about a standoff between an allegedly suicidal man and Keene police.
The Keene Sentinel has a developing story regarding the standoff, which has apparently ended after shots have been fired. Some activists returning from the scene believe that the allegedly suicidal man shot himself. Regarding James’ arrest, no other activists were apparently there to witness it and details are unclear as to if James was recording at the time or not.
UPDATE 12am Eastern: James is out and was interviewed on Peace News Now with Derrick J on LRN.FM.
According to his interview with Derrick J, James has been charged with “Disorderly Conduct” and “Resisting Arrest”. He says he was trying to comply and had agreed to move backwards. He says the police have confiscated his camera. James will be arraigned at Keene district court on 9/2 at 8:30am.
Friend, blogger, and fellow activist Graham Colson walked into the Cheshire County House of Corrections today. He was sentenced to 60 days for the “crime” of Contempt of Court. Before he checked in, we had a chance to chat about the events that led up to this moment. Ian Freeman and I also reflected on our own jail experiences and reminded Graham that life is always what you make of it–even when you are living in a cage.
LANCASTER – The theme of the Free State Project’s 11th annual summer gathering in New Hampshire is “DIY: Do it Yourself,” as if most in the expected crowd of 1,500 for the final three days of the Porcupine Freedom Festival, or Porcfest XI, needed any urging in that direction. (more…)
This week’s stellar installment of the AKPF #1 series features footage captured during the annual Porcupine Freedom Festival, held between June 22-29 in Lancaster, New Hampshire. The gathering was noteworthy for the prolific use of alternative currency by attendees, where vendors readily accepted not only cryptocurrency, but also the elusive Obamacoin, which traded at both three for one dollar as well as the spot price of four per dollar. As usual, the event set a record for participants in attendance.
I am back from an amazing Porcfest and am loaded down with emails and snail mail to catch up on. Until I get caught up, the Keenevention earlybird ticket price of just $40 (or BTC!) still applies. Remember, pre-event tickets are limited to just 100, so don’t miss out!
This week’s stellar installment of the 
