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State Dismisses Charges Against TalleyTV!!

by Agent on April 16, 2012 in #Fr33 Press, War on Cameras, We Will Record | Comments { 0 }

Weeks after the final pretrial hearing and jury selection, and just minutes before the trial began, agents of the state blinked.  In a moment of clarity, the court decided to dismiss the charges against TalleyTV.  This decision was “made without prejudice,” which means that the charges can be brought back at any time.  Since carrying a camera into the court is now an act which is permissible, it is unlikely these charges will ever again endanger the freedom of superactvist Jason Talley of Talley.TV.  Talley returned home to celebrate with friends in Keene and do interviews for an upcoming documentary called, “State of Liberty.”

Thanks to those of you who participated in the Mass Connection which may have been an impetus for Webb’s decision.

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We Will Record Mass Connection

by Agent on April 15, 2012 in #Occupy, Campaigns, Global, Jury Nullification, Network, Occupy the Courts, Outreach, P.A.S.T., Peaceful (r)Evolution, Stateless Solutions, War on Cameras, We Will Record | Comments { 1 }

Agent TalleyTV has trial tomorrow for the “crime” of wearing a camera on his belt. He is facing 2 years in a “state” jail cell. If you feel inspired to lend a hand in his defense, you can call the prosecutor’s office right before the trial–which is MONDAY, APRIL 16! Calls can start as early as 6am and can take place during the trial.

“Cheshire County Attorney’s Office” (603) 352-0056

Fr33 Agents will receive special prizes for recording calls with the following outcomes:

He who art the first person to upload a video recording of themselves calling “the County Prosecutor” John Webb WINS A T-SHIRT$*!!

He who hath the video recorded phone call which makes us LOL the most, WINS A T-SHIRT*!!

He who hath the first successful phone call in which the prosecutor says he’ll drop the charges, and records it, WINS A T-SHIRT*!!

* Send an e-mail to fr33agentstv@gmail.com with a link to your video.

Why not apply peaceful public pressure on the persecutors with a polite conversation?

Here’s what I’m going to say when I call.

“Hi this is the County Prosecutor’s Office, this is (Lori).”

Hi (Lori), I’m audio and video recording at this time.  I’m looking to speak with Mr. John Webb, please.

“Hold please.”

After being nice to his secretary, when he’s on the phone…

Hello. This is John Webb speaking.

Hi, (John / Mr. Webb). I’m (DerrickJ / Mr. Freeman).  I’m audio and video recording at this time.  I’m calling to inquire if you have decided to drop the charges against Mr. Jason Talley?

“Yes.”
Thank you, sir! I’m delighted to hear you did that. Have a splendid day. Goodbye.

“No.”
I am a (friend / associate) of Mr. Jason Talley of Talley.TV. I know him (personally / from youtube videos). He’s a reporter that always advocates peace. I’m feeling upset because I have a need to to understand and be understood, and that need isn’t getting met.  John, will you please help me to understand why you are prosecuting Jason?

…

Here I intend to have a brief, polite conversation about feelings, needs, and requests.

Ex: I’m afraid of losing Jason, who is an important source of (companionship / joy) for me. Would you please dismiss the charges against him?

…

Denouement

Thank you, (John, Mr. Webb).

You’re welcome, (DerrickJ / Mr. Freeman).

Both: Goodbye.

I won’t be arguing the case with him.  That only puts ideas for potential legal arguments into his head.  Instead, I’ll be focusing on feelings and needs.  I will see him as a human being with feelings and needs of his own.  I will express how my needs aren’t being met right now and request for him to drop the charges against Jason.

Here are some lists of feeling words and needing words that I will use to help my conversation reach an outcome where both my needs and John’s needs are met.

Feeling Words

Need Words

 

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Images

Activists Respond to State DEA Agents Raid on Oakland Medical Marijuana College

by Agent on April 2, 2012 in P.A.S.T., War on Drugs | Comments { 0 }
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The LA Times reports from Oaksterdam:

Dozens of protesters gathered Monday in Oakland outside Oaksterdam University, chanting “DEA, Go Away” as U.S. marshals stood at the medical marijuana school’s doors behind yellow police tape.

Supporters of Richard Lee, who founded the state’s first cannabis-industry training school, said he was detained temporarily by unknown federal agents at his nearby apartment but had been released.

A DEA spokeswoman confirmed Lee was detained for questioning and released and that his home was raided.

“I’m outraged,” said Jane Klein, 63, of Oakland, whose Marijuana Growers Handbook is used by the trade school.

Her husband, longtime marijuana advocate Ed Rosenthal, 66, is on the faculty.

“It’s insulting to be standing here and finding out that our government is behind this,” Klein said. “Richard Lee is a philanthropist to the city of Oakland. He has supported our state laws, our city laws.”

Steve DeAngelo, CEO of Oakland’s Harborside Health Center, received an email about the raid early Monday and came to the scene. He said four locations associated with Lee had been raided.

“This is one more skirmish in a 40-year war that we’re destined to win,” he said, sporting a small cannabis pin on the lapel of his black wool sportcoat.

Even conservative televangelist Pat Robertson has questioned the efficacy of federal marijuana laws, noted DeAngelo, whose organization sued the IRS in December to challenge its attempt to collect millions in additional taxes from Harborside, which has been called the world’s largest medical marijuana dispensary.

“It’s only the federal prosecutors who continue to press this war,” he said over shouts of, “Shame! Shame! Shame!”

“What this is about is Richard Lee has been a very focused voice for change,” DeAngelo said. “This is not about justice, this is about revenge.”

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Video

Dramatic Video of Agent Derrick Being Knocked off His Bike by Keene Law Enforcement

by Agent on March 30, 2012 in We Will Record | Comments { 0 }

Ceceia Freechild reports at Ladies in Keene:

Today my dear friend Derrick J. Freeman was attacked and beaten by Officer Moore of KPD. Derrick was riding him bike when Moore came up behind him in a cruiser. Moore flipped his lights on. Moore then proceeded to remove Derrick from his bike by hitting Derrick with the cruiser door. Moore then got out of the cruiser & stuck his night stick in between Derrick’s spokes. Flipping Derrick & his bike over, breaking several of the spokes on him tire.

Moore then tackled Derrick & from the video being uploaded is see hitting Derrick. Myself and at least 10 activist came to the scene to see Moore on top for Derrick, pushing him in to the ground. I myself witnessed Moore shove Derrick’s head into the ground when Derrick tried to adjust him sunglasses.

Moore was apparently trying to serve Derrick with no trespass papers for all of Keene School District. Which he was already served with this morning, about 2-3 before this incident. Moore refused to answer activists as to why he was kidnapping Derrick.

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Boston pays $170k to settle recording lawsuit with Glik

by Agent on March 27, 2012 in We Will Record | Comments { 0 }
Timothy B. Lee reports for Ars Technica

The City of Boston has agreed to pay Simon Glik $170,000 in damages and legal fees to settle a civil rights lawsuit. Glik was arrested in 2007 on Boston Common for using his cell phone to record the arrest of another man. Police then arrested Glik, too, and charged him under the strict Massachusetts wiretapping statute. They eventually dropped the charges, but with the help of the Massachusetts ACLU, Glik filed a civil lawsuit against the city for false arrest.

Last year, the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit unanimously ruled that Glik had a “clearly established” First Amendment right to record the actions of public officials on a public sidewalk. Boston finallyadmitted it had made a mistake earlier this year, and Boston taxpayers will now be paying for the screw-up.

“The law had been clear for years that openly recording a video is not a crime,” Glik said in a statement. “It’s sad that it takes so much for police to learn the laws they were supposed to know in the first place. I hope Boston police officers will never again arrest someone for openly recording their public actions.”

Glik claims that officers in Boston’s Internal Affairs Division made fun of him when he filed his original complaint with the police department; he says they suggested he’d be better off filing a civil lawsuit instead. They probably aren’t laughing today.

The Massachusetts ACLU says that the City of Boston has changed its practices since Glik filed his lawsuit. The city “developed a training video based on facts similar to the Glik case, instructing police officers not to arrest people who openly record what they are doing in public.”

An Massachusetts ACLU spokesman tells Ars that Glik himself will receive $50,000 of the money; the rest will go to cover the costs of his legal case.

Carlos Miller also reports on this for Pixiq.com.
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Quotes

Madonna to Break a Bad Law in St. Petersburg Russia

by Agent on March 27, 2012 in Danceobedience | Comments { 0 }
I will come to St. Petersburg to speak up for the gay community and to give strength and inspiration to anyone who is or feels oppressed. I am a freedom fighter. I don’t run away from controversy, I will speak during my show about this ridiculous atrocity.
Madonna
Nastassia Astrasheuskaya reports for Reuters:

U.S. pop singer Madonna has promised to defy a recent law against homosexual “propaganda” in Vladimir Putin’s hometown of St. Petersburg on her upcoming tour through Russia this summer.

Calling the legislation, which imposes fines for promoting homosexuality among minors, a “ridiculous atrocity” on her Facebook page, she said she would address the issue during her show.

“I will come to St Petersburg to speak up for the gay community, to support the gay community,” she said. Her Russian tour begins in August, months after the Moscow opening of her private gym named after the artist’s 2008 album “Hard Candy”.

Homosexuality, punished with jail terms in the Soviet Union, was only decriminalized in Russia in 1993, but much of the homosexual community remains largely underground as anti-gay prejudice runs deep.

The legislation was signed into law in March by St. Petersburg mayor and Putin-ally Georgy Poltavchenko.

It imposes a fine of up to 500,000 roubles ($17,100) for spreading what the bill calls homosexual “propaganda” that could “damage the health, moral and spiritual development of the underaged”, defined as those under the age of 18.

The law has caused concerns among the gay community that it could be used to clamp down on Russia’s rare public displays of homosexuality, such as gay parades.

Gay rights activists in Moscow and St. Petersburg, have scheduled two “Slavic gay parades” during Madonna’s tour according to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender website GayRussia.eu.

Numerous attempts to hold gay protests in Moscow, ruled illegal by the authorities, have ended in multiple arrests and clashes with ultra-Orthodox believers who say homosexuals should be punished or treated in hospital for “illness”.

In 2010 the European Court of Human Rights fined Russia for banning homosexual parades in Moscow, in what gay rights activists described as a historic victory.

Madonna sparked protests by Russian Orthodox church activists on a visit to Moscow in 2006, when she sang “Live to Tell” on a crucifix while wearing a crown of thorns. ($1 = 29.2875 Russian roubles)

 

More at the St. Petersburg Times.

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