Archive for the 'Pete Eyre' Category

Illinois Gets With the Times – Lifts Threat of Jail for Filming Police

Tuesday, May 15th, 2012

Last week a judge for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago said that eavesdropping legislation, long used by police and their allies to target those who attempted to document their actions, “likely violates” the First Amendment and ordered that authorities be banned from enforcing it.

As Harvey Grossman, legal director of the ACLU noted:

In order to make the rights of free expression and petition effective, individuals and organizations must be able to freely gather and record information about the conduct of government and their agents – especially the police

copblock seventh circuit court of appeals1 300x184 Illinois Gets With the Times   Lifts Threat of Jail for Filming PoliceThis ruling couldn’t be more-timely, considering the upcoming NATO summit in Chicago and the recent passing of Chris Drew, who, along with Michael Allison and Tiawanda Moore, was among the most vocal of individuals pushing back against the unjust legislation.

That doesn’t mean those who film police in Illinois (ranked one of the least-free states) will be free from harassment – as readers of CopBlock know it’s not uncommon for someone wearing a badge to levy ridiculous threats on another person in an attempt to deter them from pointing-out claimed double-standards. But the ruling does mean that the implicit threat of being caged for years simply for filming no longer exists. And that’s a step in the right direction.

The ruling in Illinois is part of a larger trend is toward greater transparency.

Massachussets
In August of 2011 the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals overturned draconian wiretapping legislation that had targeted people like Simon Glik and myself and colleague Ademo Freeman. That ruling essentially communicated that public officials (including police) have no expectation of privacy in the course of their duties.

Maryland
In September of 2010 a judge threw-out a felony wiretapping charge against Anthony Graber, noting thatrecording public events is protected under the First Amendment. Graber had been targeted after posting to YouTube a video of his interaction with Maryland State Police employee Joseph D. Uhler.

For more, check out CopBlock’s War on Cameras Map & the related links above

Illinois Gets With the Times – Lifts Threat of Jail for Filming Police is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

DIY: End the Police State

Tuesday, March 20th, 2012

Do a simple thought experiment: what’s the difference between “theft” and “taxes?” Between “a fine” and “a ransom note?” Between “arresting” and “kidnapping?” Nothing. The person aggressed-upon was no-less harmed.

It doesn’t matter where the aggressor works or what attire they wear – individuals are responsible for their actions. Badges don’t grant extra rights. The sooner we each internalize that, the sooner things change for the better. But at the end of the day, the problem isn’t the police – the problem is an idea.

To stop having Oscar Grant’s and Kelly Thomas’s – we each just need to replace a bad idea – that some individuals have the right to coerce others – with a better idea – that no individual has the right to coerce others.

Yes, there are “bad cops” – but that doesn’t mean all police are bad. True, they’re “bad” in the sense that they steal your money to “serve you” – but so does everyone else who works for a government agency or as a government contractor. (Perhaps that includes your mom, who teaches at the local middle school, or your best friend who got a research grant from the CDC, or your cousin in the Marines. Ooh-rah!) I focus on policing because its the enforcement arm of a criminal organization, which exists due to an idea. A bad idea. And fortunately bad ideas can always be discarded for better ideas.

Individuals working in law enforcement might mean well, but their good-intentions are always overshadowed by the perverse incentives that say it’s ok for some to use force. One can’t fix a monopoly that claims a “legitimate” right to use force with more funding or through calls for greater transparency.

To truly change things we must each realize that no one has authority over us. Once you treat those with badges the same you would me or a neighbor the systematic violence ceases. Such an idea has far-reaching implications.

Many today have been led to believe the idea that some strangers in suits in an old marshland have the right to dictate every minutia of their lives. And that some strangers more-local can do the same at an even more microscopic level. And that other strangers – friends of the first groups – have the “legitimate” right to use force if they’re not obeyed. Huh!?

Shed the idea that “just doing my job” is acceptable. It’s not. The actor themselves is responsible for their actions, not text on paper, not some stranger far-away who says certain actions permissible, and not some tyrant more local who ordered the same. When individuals purposefully hurt others, as did Charles I. Newton, employee of the NH Drug Task Force and Robert Roche, employee of the Oakland Police Department, they should be outed and held accountable.

But don’t stop there, don’t be content with calling-out individual aggressors. Instead, be proactive. Delegitimize their violent institution by choosing not to grant them authority. See through the charade and think for yourself. Ideas have consequences!

For more, check out The State is a Firing Squad from Strike-The-Root.com


If interested, join or replicate in your area these Facebook pages:
Keene Police Department Fan Page
Cheshire Sheriffs Fan Page (NH)

Below, a few more solid, related vids:




BannerNTAP.org  DIY: End the Police State

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DIY: End the Police State is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

VIDEO CONTEST: Mesh Schoolcraft with Szasz

Monday, March 12th, 2012

[content cross-posted to CopBlock.org from PeteEyre.com/Schoolcraft]

Incentive: 100-FRNs or its equivalent in silver
Deadline
: Midnight EST March 31st, 2012. Send an email to “copblock [at] gmail [dot] org” with “Szasz” in the subject line and a link to your video
Details
: All submitted videos will be added to a playlist on CopBlock’s YouTube channel (link will be updated when created). In early April a poll on CopBlock.org will be up for a week, asking visitors to vote for their favorite. The individual who made the video with the most votes on Midnight EST April 7th, 2012 will be receive their choice of 100FRNs or its equivalent in silver

Questions? email “copblock [at] gmail [dot] org” with “Szasz” in the subject line

Resources:

adrian schoolcraft 150x150 VIDEO CONTEST: Mesh Schoolcraft with SzaszAdrian Schoolcraft on Wikipedia
The NYPD Tapes: Inside Bed-Stuy’s 81st Precinct from The Village Voice on May 4th 2010 [write-up]
“Right to Remain Silent”
from This American Life on September 10th, 2010 [41-min audio, & here's the transcript]
Adrian Schoolcraft, Police Officer, Wins Round One In Legal Battle With City, Jamaica Hospital from The Village Voice on May 10th, 2011 [write-up]
The NYPD Tapes Confirmed from The Village Voice on March 7th, 2012 [write-up]
NYPD Report Confirms Adrian Schoolcraft’s Quota And Underreporting Crime Claims from The Huffington Post on March 8th, 2012 [write-up]
NYPD Officer Sent To Psych Ward By Superiors After Reporting Corruption
from Gawker.com on March 9th, 2012 [write-up]

thomas szasz 150x150 VIDEO CONTEST: Mesh Schoolcraft with SzaszThomas Szasz on Wikipedia
Thomas Szasz” via lmgtfy.com [search results]
Law, Liberty, and Psychiatry by Thomas Szasz 1989 edition [via google.com/books]
Thomas Szasz materials from The Thomas Szasz Cybercenter for Liberty & Responsibility [list of links]

CopBlock Donate PowerPost VIDEO CONTEST: Mesh Schoolcraft with Szasz

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VIDEO CONTEST: Mesh Schoolcraft with Szasz is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Victims & Heroes: The Fight for Our Right to Record Police

Monday, March 12th, 2012

Our friends at Flex Your Rights made a timeline that depicted “A recent history of notable arrests and litigants whose court cases are poised to unravel unjust wiretapping laws.”

It includes many incidents of which you’re likely already aware, and some that might be new. And though the exact circumstances in each situation differed significantly – from cash settlements to those wronged (such as Antonio Musumeci) to murder (such as Oscar Grant) – the unifying thread was simple: that no one has extra rights.

victims and heroes 1024x469 Victims & Heroes: The Fight for Our Right to Record Police

The surest way to ensure there are no more Oscar Grant’s or even folks like Ademo and myself who spent a night in jail and over a year in and out of courtroom legal land, is for each of us to stop granting authority to strangers simply because it’s claimed. Stop acting as if those wearing badges have extra rights – they don’t. You know this. Don’t be afraid. If you see them doing something wrong for you or me, call them out, record and share. Failure to do so at every opportunity means the double-standards only become more entrenched and harmful.

This is even more true since individuals who wear badges purport to serve you yet in true hypocritical fashion, they first steal your money, and if you question them or attempt to hold them accountable, some resort to the only tool in their arsenal: force. That is the epitome of poor service. And it won’t cease until the entire monopolistic framework erodes as we each individually decide to withdraw our consent and look to other, consensual solutions.

war on cameras map Victims & Heroes: The Fight for Our Right to Record Police

 

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Victims & Heroes: The Fight for Our Right to Record Police is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

CopBlock.org Represented at CivDis Panel at Free State Project’s Liberty Forum

Sunday, March 11th, 2012

I originally posted this at FreeKeene.com, just thought I’d update y’all here due to the relevancy of the topic to CopBlock.org’s mission.

The raw video of the Civil Disobedience Panel – a session held at the 2012 Liberty Forum, in which Jason Talley, Ian Freeman and I converse with those present about ideas, strategy and impact.

Recorded on Friday, Feb. 24th, 2012 at the Nashua, NH Crown Plaza.

I’ll get a sub-10min version up in the near future.

liberty forum copblock vendor cropped 300x194 CopBlock.org Represented at CivDis Panel at Free State Projects Liberty Forum

l-r: Silver Dave, Ademo Freeman & Pete Eyre; Photo cred: Vanessa Finger

A personal thanks to FreeKeene.com, who covered Liberty Forum registration for Ademo and me and half a vendor table for CopBlock.org.

Looking forward to seeing everyone at PorcFest!

More:
http://freekeene.com
http://copblock.org
http://freetalklive.com
http://fr33agents.com
http://shiresociety.com
http://freestateproject.org
http://libertyontour.com
http://motorhomediaries.com

Escape Banner 03 CopBlock.org Represented at CivDis Panel at Free State Projects Liberty Forum

CopBlock.org Represented at CivDis Panel at Free State Project’s Liberty Forum is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Right to resist police passes Indiana house, but before you get excited…..

Tuesday, March 6th, 2012

Do some critical thinking

 

The Chesterton Tribune reports that the Indiana House approved the “Right to Resist” bill by a vote of 74-24. The bill would protect residents of Indiana under the states self-defense law if they believe force is necessary to protect them from unlawful actions by a police officer.

However the bill does not give this privilege to someone who is committing a crime. That  change was made after police and prosecutor groups told lawmakers they worried the proposal as previously written would spark more violence toward officers. But stop and apply some critical thinking to that part of the bill and remember how many crimes there are on the books and how often people are accused of bullshit crimes during police encounters.

This kinda leaves it wide open to still let officers get away with illegal acts. All they have to do is charge with with the favorite “disorderly conduct” or “resisting arrest.” If this bill passes, would Pete Eyre then be allowed to have used force against the officers who drug him from the court for wearing a hat? He was never charged with any crimes, but with a law like this in place, I have reasonable suspicion to believe he would have been in order to say he was not justified in using force, even though I know Pete never would as he is an incredibly peaceful person as you can see in the video.

What about the bullshit crime of contempt of court, the crime Ademo was charged with when speaking his mind at the video arraignment of Pete after his arrest? Can’t resist if you’re committing a crime? Well you’re always committing a crime, whether you know it or not, the average person commits 3 felonies a day. I’ve probably committed 10 crimes just writing this article.

3felonies Right to resist police passes Indiana house, but before you get excited.....

This is why I’m not too excited about this bill like most people are. It’s mostly posturing when you really break it down. I was excited at first, thinking freedom had scored a win in Indiana, then I saw the comments by State Rep. Ed Delaney

Rep. Ed DeLaney, D-Indianapolis, said the Supreme Court had drawn a “bright line” protecting police and that the public can contest illegal police actions in court or seek to have rogue officers disciplined.

“I believe this goes much too far and is capable of being misunderstood,” DeLaney said.

It’s all about protecting police, the State of Indiana doesn’t care about your rights against police. Just do a quick Google search on court cases where officers are accused of committing crimes and you will see how much advantage they have, mostly getting paid vacations or temp desk jobs. Ed is just regurgitating the same bullshit about suing cops in court, which never works.

Just check out this story from St. Louis, where out of 117 related police shootings in the last 5 years, all but 4 times the officers were cleared of any wrongdoing.  I could write forever on those types of instances, but instead just search “paid vacation” on our site and you will see what I am talking about.

One State Rep. who is also a former cop, is against this bill.

Democratic Rep. Linda Lawson of Hammond, a former police officer, told House members they shouldn’t back a measure that could lead to an “open season” by criminals against officers who are willing to sacrifice their lives to protect the public.

Open season? Fuck Linda Lawson, does she ever look at it from the opposite side? She’s worried about citizens being able to use force against cops if they think their actions are illegal? What about the motherfucking police having the right to use force on citizens they think are doing something illegal? Does that not declare “open season” on the people you claim to represent?

Does Linda really think people are that bad? That if given the right to use force against an officer illegally aggressing against them we would just start beating the shit out of police and murdering them at will? This is what cops do all the time.

This cop has the right to use force, up to lethal force, if he thinks someone is doing something illegal. Is this “open season” on citizens? The answer is yes. And since this is a change to the status quo, the cops predictibly are speaking out, using the only thing they have in their arsenal, fear.

“We believe people have the right to be secure in their homes,” said Hendricks County Sheriff Dave Galloway. “But the people who hear about this law are going to think it’s okay to kill a law enforcement officer. What you and I think is ‘reasonable’ isn’t the same as somebody high on meth. They’re going to shoot first, and ask questions later.”

AAAAAHHHHHH! DRUG USERS! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

Maybe if you left peaceful people alone, like a lot of drug users are, you wouldn’t have to worry about them shooting you.

It’s that phrase, “if the person reasonably believes the force is necessary” that alarms bill opponents.

“That makes everybody a lawyer,” said Terre Haute Police Chief John Plasse.

And what is wrong with everyone being able to interpret the law? Why should only people with proper government permission be able to interpret this? Alot of cops are freaking out, what they forget, whether it be purposely or not, is that the courts routinely side with the badge. It’s the reason I am subdued in my excitement over this. How often do you even see a police do something clearly illegal, and the courts or their superiors  agree with the populace? How often does a court come out and actually say a policeman’s actions are illegal? Sure it happens, but not very often.

So why the outrage from police? Alot of them are crying out “You do not resist a police officer. Just do what we say and everything will be fine” Which asks the question, who is really the master and who is really the servant? If we can get in serious trouble for resisting demands from servants, are they really servants, are they really working for us?

They want you to believe that people are inherently evil, which is completely false. Just look at the background of mass murderers and you will see all the terrible things that happened to them in their childhood. If people are inherently evil, it would not take so many terrible things happening to them to turn them into horrible people?

We all know that if someone breaks into your home and brandishes a weapon you will not be tried for murder if you shoot back. But if it is a cop entering your home, whether they are doing it legally or not, why are they worried about resistance?

The Indiana Supreme Court said you have no right to resist, a ruling brought forth because a Evansville man told a cop he could not enter his house when he responded to a domestic dispute call and pushed the officer away from his door.

Even though I only believe this bill is nothing more than posturing and will not cause a huge upswing in murders of police officers, like the cops are claiming will happen, take a look at past judges ruling on the right to resist unlawful arrest and remember police officers have sworn to uphold the law (although we know it’s a joke)

“Citizens may resist unlawful arrest to the point of taking an arresting officer’s life if necessary.” Plummer v. State, 136 Ind. 306. This premise was upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States in the case: John Bad Elk v. U.S., 177 U.S. 529. The Court stated: “Where the officer is killed in the course of the disorder which naturally accompanies an attempted arrest that is resisted, the law looks with very different eyes upon the transaction, when the officer had the right to make the arrest, from what it does if the officer had no right. What may be murder in the first case might be nothing more than manslaughter in the other, or the facts might show that no offense had been committed.”

“An arrest made with a defective warrant, or one issued without affidavit, or one that fails to allege a crime is within jurisdiction, and one who is being arrested, may resist arrest and break away. lf the arresting officer is killed by one who is so resisting, the killing will be no more than an involuntary manslaughter.” Housh v. People, 75 111. 491; reaffirmed and quoted in State v. Leach, 7 Conn. 452; State v. Gleason, 32 Kan. 245; Ballard v. State, 43 Ohio 349; State v Rousseau, 241 P. 2d 447; State v. Spaulding, 34 Minn. 3621.

“When a person, being without fault, is in a place where he has a right to be, is violently assaulted, he may, without retreating, repel by force, and if, in the reasonable exercise of his right of self defense, his assailant is killed, he is justified.” Runyan v. State, 57 Ind. 80; Miller v. State, 74 Ind. 1.

“These principles apply as well to an officer attempting to make an arrest, who abuses his authority and transcends the bounds thereof by the use of unnecessary force and violence, as they do to a private individual who unlawfully uses such force and violence.” Jones v. State, 26 Tex. App. I; Beaverts v. State, 4 Tex. App. 1 75; Skidmore v. State, 43 Tex. 93, 903.

“An illegal arrest is an assault and battery. The person so attempted to be restrained of his liberty has the same right to use force in defending himself as he would in repelling any other assault and battery.” (State v. Robinson, 145 ME. 77, 72 ATL. 260).

“Each person has the right to resist an unlawful arrest. In such a case, the person attempting the arrest stands in the position of a wrongdoer and may be resisted by the use of force, as in self- defense.” (State v. Mobley, 240 N.C. 476, 83 S.E. 2d 100).

“One may come to the aid of another being unlawfully arrested, just as he may where one is being assaulted, molested, raped or kidnapped. Thus it is not an offense to liberate one from the unlawful custody of an officer, even though he may have submitted to such custody, without resistance.” (Adams v. State, 121 Ga. 16, 48 S.E. 910).

“Story affirmed the right of self-defense by persons held illegally. In his own writings, he had admitted that ‘a situation could arise in which the checks-and-balances principle ceased to work and the various branches of government concurred in a gross usurpation.’ There would be no usual remedy by changing the law or passing an amendment to the Constitution, should the oppressed party be a minority. Story concluded, ‘If there be any remedy at all … it is a remedy never provided for by human institutions.’ That was the ‘ultimate right of all human beings in extreme cases to resist oppression, and to apply force against ruinous injustice.’” (From Mutiny on the Amistad by Howard Jones, Oxford University Press, 1987, an account of the reading of the decision in the case by Justice Joseph Story of the Supreme Court.

As for grounds for arrest: “The carrying of arms in a quiet, peaceable, and orderly manner, concealed on or about the person, is not a breach of the peace. Nor does such an act of itself, lead to a breach of the peace.” (Wharton’s Criminal and Civil Procedure, 12th Ed., Vol.2: Judy v. Lashley, 5 W. Va. 628, 41 S.E. 197)

The bill will now go back before the Indiana Senate in an attempt to have both chambers agree on the same bill. While we wait, remember to keep your head up, remain peaceful, and for gods sake…..

STOP RESISTING!!!!

Right to resist police passes Indiana house, but before you get excited….. is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

CopBlock.org’s APB – Every Friday at 4pm Eastern

Thursday, March 1st, 2012

CopBlock.org APB 4 recorded on Friday, March 2nd, 2012:

Watch live streaming video from copblock at livestream.com

Tomorrow (Friday, March 2nd) Ademo and I will do our fourth weekly update, which we decided to call our “CopBlock.org’s APB (Ademo/Pete Bulletin, since we share updates, solicit input and seek collaboration.

We’ll be live from 4:00-4:30pm EST via Livestream.com/CopBlock. It’ll feed to the embeded video below. Join us for the conversation.

Livestream has chat functionality or you can leave a comment here if you can’t join us live. If you can’t catch it live the video will be housed at Livestream.com/CopBlock

Past related posts:

February 24th, 2012 CopBlock update w/ Pete & Ademo #3
APB 3 record/upload failed therefore no video to watch

February 23rd, 2012 Pete and Ademo Weekly Chat Tomorrow Via LiveStream
In a 1min vid Pete & Ademo plug PSA 3 that’ll be live the next day

February 11th, 2012 Pete and Ademo’s Week 2 LiveStream
Includes APB 2 video.

February 9th, 2012 Pete and Ademo Continue LiveStream Friday – Week Two Tomorrow
Last week Pete and I conducted our first weekly livestream, it went over well and we’re going to do it again this Friday at 4pm est. Includes PSA 1 video.

February 2nd, 2012 Pete & Ademo of CopBlock to Livestream this Friday
“If you have Internet access this Friday, Feb. 3rd join me and Ademo for a 30min conversation starting at 4pm. We plan to do this weekly.”

CopBlock Donate PowerPost CopBlock.orgs APB   Every Friday at 4pm Eastern

CopBlock.org’s APB – Every Friday at 4pm Eastern is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

CopBlock.org Contributors on John Stossel’s “Illegal Everything”

Sunday, February 26th, 2012

Some CopBlock.org footage, from arrest in 09′ and another in 10′, and part of an interview with Pete Eyre was used recently on John Stossel’s special, “Illegal Everything.”

I’m really glad that Stossel and his staff reached out to us and hope others will be inspired to film all public officials. If you’d like to skip to CopBlock’s part, click here. Or watch entire video below.

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Pete and Ademo Continue LiveStream Friday – Week Two Tomorrow

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Last week Pete and I conducted our first weekly livestream, it went over well and we’re going to do it again this Friday at 4pm est. We’ll be livestreaming from one of our MAC’s at http://justin.tv/copblock and on Qik.com/copblock via my iPhone (see Qik video below of last weeks broadcast).

As Pete stated last week:

The impetus for our streaming this Friday is two-fold.

Firstly, we’ve long-discussed doing a regular segment. The benefit – discussing relevant content in another medium, especially one that allows for interaction (via chat) – is clear. We can all learn from each other and in the process safeguard our individual rights while growing larger and more tight-knit as a community.

Secondly, it will allow us to test the functionality of various streaming applications, which will be of use for those of you who have a smartphone. A couple of weeks ago I downloaded a number of streaming applications with the intention of writing a comparison post. When I’ve used each app, I’ve kept notes about the experience (quality, whether the stream fed correctly to the Internet, etc.). This Friday’s upcoming segment and future segments will allow for more data to be collected.

Again, we hope other CopBlockers join in, ask questions and seek accountability in policing today. We’ll see you there tomorrow.

FinalCB.orgBanner1 Pete and Ademo Continue LiveStream Friday   Week Two Tomorrowp

 

Pete and Ademo Continue LiveStream Friday – Week Two Tomorrow is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Houston Police Dept employee assaults man then wields shotgun at concerned friends

Thursday, February 9th, 2012

Derrick Broze – the first person shown arrested in this video, posted yesterday at Houston Free Thinkers:

On Friday January 27th the Houston Free Thinkers held on of their usual benefit shows at the Compound off 2305 Wheeler in Houston, Texas. Every 3 weeks these events are held to raise money for local charities or like minded small businesses. This particular event was called HFT for the Community! And was a completely free event put together as a Thank You to all those who have helped HFT out in it’s nearly 2 year existence.

The party was packed with hundreds of people over 20 bands and DJ’s, kegs, jello shots, food provided by Food Not Bombs Houston, and lots of friends. Around 10:15 the Houston Police Department arrived for a noise complaint. Veon McReynolds, owner of The Compound and myself, met with the officers around the backside closest to the street. About 5-10 officers were present for this noise complaint.

We attempted to work with the officers to resolve the issue but they seemed to content with nothing less than the entire party shutting down. Several officers began looking around the private property of the compound. I inquired if they had a warrant to be doing so, and was immediately asked if I had identification. I informed the officer I was not operating a motor vehicle and therefore was not carrying ID, but offered my full name and birth date and made it clear to the officers I was not failing to identify myself. The same officer asked me to come with him to his car, and I asked if I was being detained.

Upon being told I was not being detained I told him I would remain where I was. He then grabbed me by the arm and attempted to pull me to his car. I stepped back and asked why I was being assaulted. I informed the officer that I respected him but was not going anywhere. He then grabbed me and dragged me out the back to the street and pushed me to the backside of the car. At this point Micah Jackson came out and interviewed me about what was going on. We have two angles of this incident. You can see the license plate of the vehicle I was taken into in the first video.

After I was shoved into the car the crowd become upset at seeing someone from the community taken away without being told why, essentially kidnapping a citizen off private property. When the crowd began to exercise their first amendment and express their discontent for the situation the police chose to escalate it. As more police cruisers arrived one officer chose to grab Micah Jackson from behind and say to him, “Your freedom ends tonight!” As he swung Mr. Jackson around other officers joined in and slammed him to the back of the police car I was being held in. I watched his face slam on the window. The officers then handcuffed him and put him in the back of another car telling him he was being charged with resisting arrest. He inquired as to what the offense was, and he was also told he was attempting to incite a riot. Immediately after this the same officer brandishes a shotgun and cocks it at a peaceful, albeit upset, crowd. We have two camera angles of this as well.

I was taken away, and after the DA did not take inciting a riot charges I was charged with failure to obey a lawful order, although I was never told what the order was I failed to obey. Mr. Jackson was released shortly after, and the party continued for a bit. But the atmosphere had changed.

This is not the kind of interaction the Houston Free Thinkers are seeking from law enforcement or the city, but we have often interacted with officers overstepping their bounds and restricting freedom. This is not new, however the behavior displayed by these officers, while not new itself, was something the Houston Free Thinkers had not personally encountered yet.

We seek to work with law enforcement that will stand by their oath to the constitution and not follow unlawful orders and stamp the peoples freedoms away. We are calling upon Mayor Annise Parker, HPD Police Chief, Charles McClelland and the officers who were present, especially the officer brandishing the shotgun, to meet with us. We wish to hold a public forum at city hall for the Houston Free Thinkers and citizens from around the city to work on ways to avoid further situations like this.

Only as a united free people can we thrive, and this includes the law enforcement.

LIVE FREE. THINK FREE.

THE HOUSTON FREE THINKERS

——————————–

Derrick Broze was charged with a misdemeanor “failure to obey.” Micah Jackson was freed without further threats.

Related:

Houston Police Dept employee assaults man then wields shotgun at concerned friends is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights