Letter to the Editor (from Jail)

by | Sep 25, 2011 | 58 comments

Ian Freeman

[Ian sent this letter to the Keene Sentinel editors from jail via Mail-to-Jail]

Ian Freeman
825 Marlboro Rd.
Keene, NH 03431

Letter to the Editor (from Jail)

More Police Will Not Stop Robberies, Violence, and Theft in Keene.

Many Keene inhabitants are rightly concerned with the recent incidents of real crimes like robberies, thefts, fights, and even murder. It is understandable that  typical response amounts to, “We need more police on the streets!”

Unfortunately, this only provides the illusion of security. The police cannot be everywhere at once. Even they will tell you they usually arrive on-scene after a crime has already ben committed. If they manage to find the money to hire another officer or two, the politicians can pat themselves on the back and pretend they have done something about crime. At best, more police only addresses a symptom – not the root cause of most of these crimes.

What is the root cause? Drug prohibition. Don’t believe me? Any honest policemen will tell you 80% of them want money to buy illegal drugs. The recent tragic murder in Keene wasn’t some random fight between friends, as has been suggested here in the Sentinel. The fight was over $100 in cocaine and the victim was attempting to collect the debt. (more…)

Jason Talley’s Arrest; Update

by | Sep 23, 2011 | 73 comments

This morning (September 23, 2011) around 8:40 AM, Jason Talley, Cecelia, and I went to the Superior Courthouse in Keene for Ian Freeman’s habeas corpus hearing scheduled for 9:00 AM. At the ‘security’ checkpoint, Jason checked his bag of recording equipment in exchange for a receipt. He then walked through the metal detector and was immediately questioned about the device attached to his belt. Jason replied, “That’s my personal camera,” then expressed that he was walking to the window a few feet away to fill out a form asking permission to film the proceedings upstairs.

As Jason approached the window, the bailiffs began touching him. At first it appeared that the bailiffs were patting down his pockets, but they then attempted to steal his camera from his belt. Jason held onto his property while the bailiffs were grasping his wrists, very tightly it appeared, and trying to pull his hands away from the camera. Jason was told he was under arrest and put into handcuffs. Although he did not resist, Jason did not assist the bailiffs in his kidnapping. One of the bailiffs grabbed onto the handcuffs, in the center, and dragged Jason, backwards, into the elevator.

The bailiff, when questioned, stated that Jason was going to be seen in Keene District Court on two misdemeanor charges, including resisting arrest. He would not state the specific charge for which Jason was arrested, only that it was in relation to walking through security with a recording device. Cecelia and I went to the Keene District Court to inquire about when Jason would be seen by the judge, but the clerk was not able to provide any information.

At the Cheshire County Sheriff’s Department (located in the Superior Courthouse), we were informed that Jason would be seen by a judge this afternoon. We then spoke with the County Attorney and learned that Jason will be seen “sometime after 1:30 PM” this afternoon at the Superior Courthouse.

Superior Court Bailiff Rejects Judge’s Ruling on Filming Public Officials

by | Sep 21, 2011 | 56 comments

There’s been a back and forth going on in the Keene court system. The state pushes activists (with aggression)  and the activists push back (peacefully). The activists were doing rather well until the courts BANNED cameras from the buildings/courtrooms. Since then several acts of violence haven’t made YouTube but I thought that changed when the 1st District Court of Appeals ruled on Gilk v. Commonwealth of MA.

That ruling states that ALL PUBLIC OFFICIALS can be filmed while in the course of their duties, in public space. So I decided to head down to Superior Court in Keene, NH to notify the bailiff’s there of the ruling. My goal was to get them to understand that taking people’s cameras at the gate is now illegal, no matter what the judge’s ruling on the wall says (the 1st district court of appeals overrides it).

This is how it went…

After the video ended I went back into the building gave the ruling to a sheriff and said, “the next time I come here you’ll have a choice to make and I will sue you if you arrest me. The choice is yours.” I’m not sure when I’ll be back in Keene but when I am, I’ll be stopping by the courthouse with several cameras.

Ian’s Blog from Jail #6

by | Sep 18, 2011 | 170 comments

[Transcribed by Mail-to-Jail.]

Ian Freeman

“Keene – Ripe for Political Action”

I was reading the Keene Sentinel this week and was pleased to see liberty activist, Free Keene blogger, and NH native Heika Courser is in the running for the five “at-large” city council seats up for election here in Keene. Sadly though, she is the only liberty activist in the race – not just for the at-large seats, but also for the ward seats. It’s too bad more activists do not take advantage of this ripe opportunity to get the word out about liberty. More on that in a moment.

First, a little detail. In Keene, there are 15 city council seats. Every two years, ten of the seats are up for election. The “at-large” seats are two year terms and there are five of them. The other ten seats are “Ward” seats. Keene has five wards and each ward has two seats. Ward seats are four years each and are staggered, so every two years, five ward seats are available. Keene has a “mayor”, but it’s a ceremonial position. The mayor can only vote in the event of a tie and can assign councilors to committees. The mayor is elected every two years. The only requirements to run for these seats is that one be a registered voter and pay $2 (or $5 for mayor). Alternatively, one can get 50 petition signatures and not have to pay the fee. (more…)