It’s 420 at 4:20pm Saturday 9/28 at Keene’s Central Square!
Ten years ago, in September of 2009, a group of liberty activists and NH natives made history by gathering every day in Keene’s Central Square at 4:20pm to smoke cannabis in an act of mass civil disobedience protesting New Hampshire’s insane drug prohibition. You can watch a bunch of videos of it here. The group grew larger as the days went by to where, at its peak, there were at least 130 people in the tiny little common in the heart of Downtown Keene. The Keene police were unsure of how to handle the situation after a couple of arrests they made at the rallies resulted in a bunch of protestors smoking cannabis inside the police station lobby!
After that, the police simply ignored the ongoing civil disobedience, publicly stating that they investigated and had found no one was smoking – which was a lie. The historic events garnered local and even international headlines and most importantly got a conversation started among the community about ending cannabis prohibition.
Eventually, the weather got too cold for most to bear, but the following spring, the daily rallies returned! Over time, people went back to their regular lives and the rallies continued yearly at the Concord, NH state house steps. We’d won the territory of Central Square and had essentially turned Keene’s little town common into a demilitarized zone where cannabis prohibition was not enforced!
We have made a lot of progress in 10 years, but we have a long way left to go. We have gained medical, we have gained decriminalization, we have, most recently, loosened the cruel and pointless constraints on medical marijuana. Most importantly, we have won the hearts and minds of the people but we are not done. We must serve notice that the people will not be satisfied until the crime against humanity that is the “war on drugs” is over and those responsible brought to justice, or at least to peace.
Cannabis users are not disposable people. Whether we use it for medical, spiritual, or recreational purposes, we retain our rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, even if we seek that happiness through unapproved chemical means.
Nobody has invited people to bring cannabis to smoke and share, though in case of a police crackdown, avoid having over three quarters of an ounce, since that is the decrim limit in New Hampshire. As of 2017’s overwhelmingly passed slight decriminalization, possession of under 21 grams of cannabis or five grams of concentrate will only net the first time offender a $100 ticket. Whereas previously it would have been a misdemeanor arrest. So, now the risk to participants at 420 rallies is lower than ever.
However, if the police do show up to attempt to confiscate your cannabis and you end up with a ticket, I highly suggest you don’t take the plea deal! Take the ticket to trial and make them work to get their conviction, and even when you’re found guilty, refuse to pay the fine and instead do community service. Or just sit in jail for a day, since NH allows you to sit off fines at $150 a day. Whatever you do, don’t pay the fine, as that only encourages them to target peaceful cannabis users for fundraising purposes. If the police know they can’t get money out of people for cannabis “violations” and the police’s victims will instead clog up the courts via their right to trial, the cops may just stop ticketing people for cannabis entirely.
I look forward to seeing you out this Saturday, 9/28 at 4:20pm on Keene’s Central Square for the return of the 420 celebration rallies! If it goes well, we might even come back the next day…
This week, Nobody was interviewed about his campaign for mayor at Keene State College’s radio station, WKNH 91.3 on “Wake Up Call” with host Vincent Moore. I was there to record video of Nobody’s first media interview, so you can watch the full interview here:
Wake Up Call airs every Wednesday 9-11am on WKNH 91.3 FM in Keene and at WKNH.org and WKNH on the TuneIn app. You can learn more about Nobody’s campaign for mayor of Keene at ElectNobody.com.
A group of about a hundred students took off from school today to attend an event in Prescott Park in Portsmouth, New Hampshire today as part of a larger day of action across the state and beyond. They brought signs, listened to speeches, and signed clipboards offered to them by political campaigners visiting from Massachusetts. Below is the video I captured from the event. It features interviews from young people explaining why they attended today and what they want their opposition to know.
Vote Freeman for City Council At Large on Oct. 8th
This year, I’ve thrown my hat in the ring for the Keene at-large city council election. The city clerk’s office requested a candidate statement, so I’ve sent them an essay that you can find here on my campaign website at ianfreeman.nhliberty.info. In short, I’d like to get rid of the BEARCAT armored tank the police acquired against the will of the people, end enforcement of victimless crimes, abolish useless and counterproductive city bureaucracy like the Parking Enforcement and Zoning and Code Enforcement departments, and make taxation voluntary.
Please come out to the primary election on October 8th and vote for me and other pro-freedom candidates like Nobody for Mayor, Aria DiMezzo for Ward 2 Council, Robert Call for Ward 4, and Conan Salada for the Ward 4 special election. Then mark your calendar for general election on November 5th, and “remember, remember” to come vote for any of us that made it through the primary!
Recently I had the pleasure of being interviewed on the CoinSpice Podcast with host C. Edward Kelso. We discussed my path to cryptocurrency and the benefits of pro-liberty crypto people migrating to New Hampshire, specifically the Crypto Mecca of Keene.
