Activist Arrested For Videotaping Inside New Hampshire Courthouse

June 29, 2011 @ 10:03PM

Activist Arrested For Videotaping Inside New Hampshire Courthouse

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Court officials in New Hampshire first claimed it was a federal violation to videotape them inside the city courthouse.

But they could only come up with a measly disorderly conduct charge when they arrested an activist Tuesday who continued to videotape them against their wishes.

The arrest is part of the ongoing drama between a group of activists who call themselves the Free State Project and local authorities in Keene, a city of just over 23,000.

The goal of the Free State Project is to double Keene's population by bringing in more than 20,000 libertarian-leaning people and therefore turning New Hampshire into a libertarian stronghold.

The activists spend a great deal of time testing out the system and being a thorn in the side to Judge Edward Burke.

The latest incident began Tuesday morning when Burke had Adam “Ademo Freeman” Mueller arrested for “improper influence,” a felony, after Mueller was apparently questioning him about the arrest of another activist for failing to remove his hat in court.

You may remember Mueller as part of Liberty on Tour who got a first-hand taste of overbearing Metrorail security guards during his visit to Miami last October.

He was also arrested for contempt of court in Keene earlier this year.

So after he was arrested on Tuesday, activists Jason Repsher and Derrick Horton visited the Keene District Courthouse to inquire about his arrest.

Repsher entered first with the camera and was told he was committing a federal crime by continuing to videotape the public officials against their will.

It is actually legal to videotape inside the courtrooms in New Hampshire and there doesn't appear to be a law stating that it is illegal to videotape outside the courtrooms.

But the man, who appeared to be a bailiff because of a badge on his chest, gave him two minutes to shut it off.

Horton then apparently grabbed the same camera and continued videotaping, inquiring which is the policy that forbids him from doing so.

The bailiff pointed to something posted on a wall but before Horton could videotape it, he was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and released that same afternoon.

So much for that federal violation.

Comments

Jim

10 months ago

These guys are useless as activists.
They need to go in knowing the law, not complaining about "I got to go to work today" and "oh man cant we just be friends", WTF was that bull.

Man up, grow some stones, take the arrest while continuing to request the reasoning for being arrested, then sue the shit out of them.

benjamin bartholomew

10 months ago

[Man up, grow some stones...]

And what about the violent, lier, thug who assaulted him?

benjamin bartholomew

10 months ago

[The goal of the Free State Project is to double Keene's population by bringing in more than 20,000 libertarian-leaning people and therefore turning New Hampshire into a libertarian stronghold.]

FYI the goal of the Free State Project is to get 20,000 people to move t New Hampshire. A subset of Free State Project members have made Keene there destination, but most Free State Project members who have already moved live in other regions of New Hampshire.

For instance, once me and my brother are done dealing with our own arrests, we intend to move as FSP members and we are still deciding if we should move to Keene or Manchester.

Jim

10 months ago

I just finished watching the video, not a victim-less crime, it is not a crime at all. There was no crime, and a violation is a misdemeanor you morons.

If these guys are going to be activists they need to learn to think on the fly and have some semblance of education, instead they look like a group of college aged hipsters trying to buck the system for the sake of bucking the system.
The guy with the gun on his hip just sounds like an idiot.

Learn the damned laws, when they tell you it is a felony or whatnot ask them to tell you under what statute, then explain the statutes that they spout off expecting you not to know.

If they cannot articulate the reasoning for you being arrested right there on the spot then they have no case, if they have to think something up after the fact then they have no cause to arrest you right then.
Call them on it, get it on tape and sue the hell out of them.

Black Bellamy

10 months ago

Yeah, I'm not sure the officer is required to articulate ANYTHING except put your hands behind your back. You can be all like what am I being arrested for and what's the statute man, but the police aren't required to tell you squat. Once you're booked, that's when you'll find out.

Matt B

10 months ago

And that's the problem. They need to be able to articulate exact why they are arresting you. If they can't that probably means they have no good case.

Johnny Law

10 months ago

They don't need to be able to hold court right there on the street. When I arrest someone, I am not going to have a Q and A with them.

Shawn Wright

10 months ago

While that's true, can you really justify what happened here?

joe

10 months ago

watch this guy he does it well.
ArrestAJudgeKit's Channel

Tijuana Joe

10 months ago

Once you get into the Courthouse, asa defendant, it's so
much of a System vs the Individual environment.
YOU vs the bailiff, the judge, the clerks, the cops, the
brow-beaten jurors...
Completely lop-sided.
So bravo to anyone capturing this crap on tape...
and no wonder they don't want it captured on film...