On March 16 of this year, I received a parking ticket while parked on Winter Street. After looking at the ticket, I realized that the ticket was written before the meter was supposed to have expired. I had parked at 1:00pm and put enough money in the meter to cover the next 1 hour and 6 minutes. The ticket was written at 2:05:57. A few days later, I went to the Police Department stating that I would like to challenge the ticket. A Pre-Trial Conference (PTC) was set, and I motioned to waive the PTC. A Hearing was then scheduled for June 12 at 9:00am.
I arrived at the District Court at approximately 8:40am and at 8:50 was called by the Clerk to go into the “small room” near the lobby. I can only guess that Judge Burke did not want everyone in the main court room to see the trial.
The only witness against me was Jane McDermott, the Parking Enforcer who issued the ticket. During cross-examination I asked how, since the meters aren’t calibrated, she knew the meters kept accurate time, she stating that she doesn’t know, but if the batteries are bad, they replace them. I attempted to make a statement and was told that I would have to testify in order to introduce any “evidence,” so after the “City” rested it’s case, I was sworn in. I stated that on the date in question, I had parked at 1:00pm and put enough money in the meter to cover the next 1 hour and 6 minutes, which meant the meter should not have expired until at least 2:06 (and some seconds). Since the ticket was written at 2:05:57, I was shorted some amount of time that I was owed.
Judge Burke then said “Since the burden of proof is on the City to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, I am marking a finding of not guilty.”
A few posts back I mentioned that Adam Kokesh asked me to work with him on a new project in DC this September. I’m 110% game for that, but if I’m going to commit, I need to finish my community service in the Shire so that I don’t go to prison for 3 years!
Today I awoke in Keene, in the Shire, after taking a bus trip from Philadelphia to NYC, and then NYC to Keene. About an hour from this writing, I will be starting my new community service role at the Community Kitchen here in Keene. I spoke with two of the ladies who run the show over there, and it seems like they will have a lot of work for me to do, which is great! I have 124 hours to complete to satisfy Judge Burke, and I only have about 3 weeks to do it all! (more…)
The first episode of Free Keene TV is live and the show is just getting started. Airing Mondays at 7:00pm EST on Cheshire TV, currently channel 8 in the Keene-area and also on the Cheshire TV Ustream Channel on the internet. Covering the recent incident between Ademo and Judge Burke, a property tax resister in Bondsville, Massachusetts and the start to a community voices segment featuring Mike Clark of Keene. Feel free to check out the video here:
I started this project in mid-March, 2011 and it has taken a lot of effort to get the show to this point. The all volunteer crew and cast has come together for many practice sessions as each individual learns the particular role they are in. Many of the people involved, including myself, have never done such a thing as create and run an independent TV news show. Cheshire TV and its staff has been a great help in getting the show up to speed.
As the show progresses I hope to see more and more interaction with the community at large and a broader focus. At the moment there are a great deal of stories that feature activism due to recent events and interactions. While activist footage and events make for great news, I don’t want to focus solely on that.
There is a great deal more that I’d like to see done with the show and we will keep increasing the level of quality, expanding the coverage and investigating more topics with each episode. If you would like to be involved or if you have some news tips or comments, please feel free to email me at tv@freekeene.com.
Since my arrest for “improper influence” I’ve been focused on getting back the footage taken from me and preparing for my probable cause hearing this Thursday. Despite the holiday weekend and usual bureaucratic trickery I was able to retrieve my footage today. I think three things played in a role in the success of this. One was the fact that I remained persistent with those holding the footage, often asking them to watch it themselves. The second reason was that I willingly signed a consent form allowing the police to access the footage. Meaning I didn’t have to wait for a search warrant or court hearing before this took place. Finally, I think those who did watch the footage know that (judge) Burke abused his power when he ordered me arrested and, may have, felt bad for me – for once. One officer even commented to me, during a jail visit, that, “You (Me – Ademo) shouldn’t be here.”
The City of Keene’s War on Hats on continues and Judge Burke is making you (the taxpayers) pay for what he claims is ‘disrespect.’
This morning, while attending the court proceedings of other activists, Beau Davis was arrested for wearing a hat. This past January James Cemorelis and Matt Griffin, both who are employed by the Keene Police Department – with help from Peter Macy (Keene Bailiff), physically assaulted Pete Eyre for wearing a hat. Those charges, issued by police, were later dropped by the District Attorney’s office.
