Gangsters in Blue

Several folks from Keene, NH (FreeKeene.com) decided to pay the Keene Police a little visit on Friday, the day before Christmas Eve. Our, yes I was present as well, intention was to bring some Holiday cheer and a message to those at the Keene Police Station.

This holiday season I hope all those who are employed by tax dollars ask themselves one question, “If our job is so important why must the government force people to pay for it via taxation, whether they like the service being provided or not?” And if you come to the conclusion that individuals would pay you (voluntarily) to do what you do now, then quit your job and start your own business – without the government’s permission. Cause all I want for Christmas is a choice, something ALL police officers take from a person when they choose to work for Uncle Sam.

Enjoy the jingles.

Christmas Carols at the Local Police Station is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

John Connell, whom we interviewed during the FreeState Friendship tour, attended my arraignment last week in Manchester, NH. There were 48 people scheduled to be arraigned that morning but just before court started the court woman said, “If you’re not here for the State vs. Adam Mueller you’ve been move to the court room downstairs.”  While the number of bailiff’s remained the same – as if there were still 50+ people in the room. John took the moment to address the government agents – ‘the bailiffs.’ Most of whom I would guess were around his age.

What do you think? Are cops, and/or government agents, acting more and more like the countries the government claims to be protecting you from?

Remember those Evil Countries… is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

I spend quite a bit of my free time reading news articles, blogs, and other internet media about the war on drugs. While it’s great that there’s so much support out there for ending prohibition, I can’t help but notice that a lot of my fellow anti-prohibitionists are doing a lot of things that hurt the cause. Here I’ll list three of these things and try to explain why, at least in my opinion, they’re not helping.

Stop making drug reform a partisan issue

One of the biggest things I see – especially on message boards and in comment sections on articles – is well-intentioned Democrats putting all the blame on Republicans for prohibition and for less restrictive drug laws not getting passed. It’s obviously true that Democrats support drug reform at a higher rate than Republicans. I’m not arguing with the results of pretty much every poll out there on the subject. However, the GOP or even conservatism in general is NOT the problem. In fact, both 2012 presidential hopefuls that have explicitly stated their support for pot legalization (Ron Paul and Gary Johnson) are Republicans. Obama constantly dodges the issue when he’s asked about it and even on the rare occasion that he actually answers questions about it he gives a canned answer or flip flops around and changes the subject.

What I’m trying to say is, let the Republicans in on our efforts! If we keep drug reform as an exclusively liberal issue, it will be a hell of a lot harder to get anything done. For one, there are plenty of prohibitionist Democrats out there – just as there are plenty of anti-prohibition Republicans out there. The only thing accomplished by making this a partisan issue is the alienation of a lot of conservatives who would otherwise at least consider supporting an end to prohibition. There are several good arguments against prohibition on both sides of the two-party coin – in fact, I tend to favor the conservative-leaning arguments for reform myself – so why shut out a good chunk of people and arguments that can only help the cause? Getting rid of the liberal “flavor” drug reform has in a lot of people’s minds can do nothing but increase support.

Quit hiding behind medical marijuana laws

This is related to my last point about shutting out good arguments. A lot of people I’ve seen interviewed about medical marijuana (which we should really be calling medical cannabis – I’ll touch on that point later) insist that “we only support sick people having access to marijuana and are completely against personal use!” First off, 99% of the time you pretty much have to be an idiot to actually believe that. Second, people who do support legalization of personal use have an awful lot of explaining to do later on if they use that line. It would be infinitely better for them to say something along the lines of “I personally think recreational use should be allowed, but this particular bill we’re talking about now only applies to medical use.” Medical cannabis laws are a good first step towards full legalization, but it’s a lot harder to get beyond that first step if supporters have already established themselves as only supporting medical use.

Stop calling it marijuana!

This one will seem like I’m just nit-picking at first, so I’ll start off with a simple question: Who uses the word “marijuana” the most? I know it’s not the people who use it, at least not the ones I’ve met. Pretty much every pot smoker I know generally says “weed” or “bud,” with a few saying “herb,” “green,” or “ganja” in casual conversations amongst themselves. Otherwise, “pot” is overwhelmingly the word of choice. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever heard any Joe Stoner refer to the plant as “marijuana” without a humorous undertone, with the possible exception of legal contexts. “Pot” (and to a much lesser extent “weed”) also seems to be the word of choice among non-users – non-users covering a wide range of demographics, from the guy who would take a toke from time to time if his job didn’t drug test him to the guy who has no interest or opinion on the plant to the guy who thinks all pot smokers are idiots.

So I’ll ask it again – who actually says “marijuana?” The answer is hardcore prohibitionists – the “drugs are bad, m’kay?” crowd. Politicians, prosecutors, police, people in the “treatment” and drug testing industries who want to make a buck off your “addiction” whether or not you’re actually addicted – these are the people who use the word “marijuana.” Why do they call it marijuana? Why not just call the plant cannabis, its actual name? When pot first became illegal in 1937, Harry Anslinger and his prohibitionist cronies used yellow journalism to plant the seeds (no pun intended) of fear in people’s heads. This included getting people to associate cannabis with blacks and hispanics, a problem still seen in the justice system today despite statistics that show drug use to occur at similar levels across races. Below is an example of Anslinger’s taking advantage of his era’s prevalent racism:

“There are 100,000 total marijuana smokers in the US, and most are Negroes, Hispanics, Filipinos, and entertainers. Their Satanic music, jazz, and swing, result from marijuana use. This marijuana causes white women to seek sexual relations with Negroes, entertainers, and any others.“…the primary reason to outlaw marijuana is its effect on the degenerate races.” Marijuana is an addictive drug which produces in its users insanity, criminality, and death.”Reefer makes darkies think they’re as good as white men.”Marihuana leads to pacifism and communist brainwashing”You smoke a joint and you’re likely to kill your brother.“Marijuana is the most violence-causing drug in the history of mankind.”

In fact, the word “marijuana” has its origin in the early prohibitionist movement. The word was invented not by hispanics but by racists trying to build an association between hispanics and cannabis. If you don’t believe me, I suggest you read up on early 20th century medications. Cannabis was a key ingredient in a lot of these medications, and I can guarantee you that the word “marijuana” is nowhere to be found on the labels. Instead, the labels called the plant what it is – “Cannabis sativa” or “Cannabis indica.” So be careful what words you use when you talk about the legalization movement – the word “marijuana” has a built-in negative connotation that permeates through its little-known origins even today.

I hope anyone who reads this finds it helpful, or at least puts more thought into their conversations about prohibition. Smoker or not, liberal or conservative, professional protester or barely pays attention, it doesn’t matter. As long as you believe the war on drugs is a failure, you can help move things in the right direction. It doesn’t matter if you email elected officials in your state, hold up signs on the capital steps, or even casually bring it up when talking to a friend. Anything that gets people to think is a step forward.

-Cantrell

Submitted via CopBlock.org’s Submission tab.

Support drug reform? If you do these, you’re not helping your cause. is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

These officers, firefighters and EMT’s should be ashamed of themselves for the way they handled an unconscious woman in the video below.

First the police arrive and take their time to walk over to an unconscious woman laying on the ground. Then they kind of nudge her once and the other officer gives her a little kick (that was nice of him).

Do they not teach police even the most basic first aid, even something simple like CPR? ABC’s: Airway, Breathing and Circulation that should have been immediately checked.

Then the firefighters arrive and they are even worse. They whip her around by a leg and arm like a rag doll with no neck support only to take out their cell phone cameras to take pictures of her motionless body instead of checking her vital signs. Instead they all stand there like useless tools laughing about something.

Finally an ambulance arrives and I’m thinking she is going to get some help, but again I am wrong. They just flop her over on her back, no body roll and no neck support. Drop her on the stretcher and roll her away.

I know the police have no obligation to help or protect you so I’m really not surprised at how useless they were, but I was completely blown away by the firefighters  and EMT’s for the lack of care and professionalism they showed.

Watch the second video see how properly trained police officers deal with an unconscious person and do their job correctly.

Suspected Prostitute Discarded; Actions of Emergency Responders Questioned is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

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After reading about the atrocities committed by police on this blog, one has happened in my backyard. And just like many of those examples, police, again, get away with murder. Literally.

It began (click here for more) early in the morning of November 6th, 2010 in Mount Joy Borough, PA.. Robert Neill, age 61, called police like a dutiful citizen to report being harassed by neighbors. Somehow he ended up dead.

The government report, which of course is only one side of the tale since the other can’t tell his, reports that he became “combative and aggressive,” and was enraged when they tried to calm him down. Instead of doing the appropriate thing and leaving, they of course try to “do something”.  That something lead to his death. He was shot by Tasers, at least twice, as well as being pepper sprayed. The official cause of death was from an abnormal heartbeat (maybe because his heart was shocked with electricity).

I can imagine the scene like this: Mr. Neill calls the cops to complain about noisy neighbors. The cops arrive, find nothing, and try to talk to him. Its the middle of night, he’s already angry about the harassment, and now they don’t get what he is talking about. Understandable that he may have been angry at the whole situation. He walks toward them upset about why they can’t understand his complaint.

A normal person in this situation would try to talk, and barring that,  just leave and get out of there. Instead, the cops attack him because they feel “threatened” (AWWWWWW). They get more cops to attack him. Now, does anybody in their right mind expect an angry person who is being tased and attacked to get less angry? Only the protected class of government agents would think this is a good idea. So, he ends up dead because of their actions.

If this happened to anybody but government agents, they would be thrown in jail and charged with manslaughter. But predictably, since they aren’t lowly citizens, they are cleared of all wrong doing by the state Attorney General. (click here for more) There is nothing else released about the incident; no officer names and no justification except “the cops did nothing wrong.”

That is unacceptable in a just society. The cops should be in jail for their actions. Instead, their superiors and cohorts cover for them and the state justice system lets them get away scott free for killing a man, for a reason nobody knows.

I’m disgusted, and I’m going to go protest in front of the police station. Even if there is no official justice, at least I will make this murder uncomfortable for those responsible.

Matthew Butch

Familiar Refrain: Police Cleared in Murder of Man is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

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This month marks the anniversary of the day my home was attacked in military fashion by my local police, who after breaking down my door and running through my home with automatic rifles while screaming, handcuffed me and took me away to jail while my young granddaughter and daughter watched. Luckily we didn’t have a pet dog or it would have most assuredly been shot. Most know my story but in summary, this dramatic assault occurred for one reason only; I had ordered less than a months worth of some meds online so that I could live, which in theory could be gotten from any doctor. I assure you, there is nothing more to the story as far as why they did what they did and what my “crime” was. It’s a matter of public record.

The attack happened on the 5th of November 2010. To tell you the truth, that day came and went this year without a thought.  Although I didn’t remember on the exact day it actually occurred, it is definitely an event that I will never forget. It was the day my reality was given a huge perspective shift and while not pleasant, it was certainly instructive and cause for growth. I’m a huge fan of growth.

I’ve had a pretty busy year, which included creating a web site full of resources on the topic at hand and also writing and publishing a book. So, I thought in tribute to that life experience, I would list what I’ve learned this past year. Some things I knew about but had not experienced first hand until now.

THINGS I LEARNED THE PAST YEAR

1. If you can’t afford the astronomical cost for medical testing or treatment you indeed do not get tested or treated. The medical system is about profit only.
2. Millions who suffer severe chronic pain do not get relief because of the prohibition/drug war.
3. American prisons are the fullest in the world because of the prohibition/drug war.
4. The wide spread abuse that goes on in our prisons make GITMO seem like summer camp.
5. Constitutional and civil rights are ignored frequently because of the prohibition/drug war.
6. The wide spread corruption seen in law enforcement is because of the prohibition/drug war.
7. Over 150 military SWAT raids a day (over 70,000 a year) happen on nonviolent citizens because of the prohibition/drug war.
8. A great deal of our crime and violence is because of the prohibition/drug war.
9. Asset forfeiture is used and abused constantly because of the prohibition/drug war.
10. Police corruption is at an all time high because of the prohibition/drug war.
11. The reason we have prohibition and the drug war? Corporation profit and mass funding for those who fight it.

It was a very educational year for me, though what was learned was not pleasant. In fact, its downright scary. There are many things in our society that cause a good deal of damage but the War on Drugs seems to trump them all. And the reasons it continues, despite facts and proof of its damage, are the most disturbing of all.

Thousands of law enforcement officers, ex-narcotics agents, judges, lawyers, prison workers etc. speak out constantly and with great integrity against prohibition and the War on Drugs, having seen the damage it is doing and the lives being lost because of it. They know it does not work. They know the huge cost of its failure. They’ve seen men, women and children killed because of it. They’ve lost fellow officers because of it. They’ve seen families torn apart and destroyed because of it. They’ve seen the system so overburdened that they are not able to focus the real crimes because of it.

“Jailing people because they put certain chemicals into their bloodstream is a gross misuse of police and criminal law. Jailing drug users does not lessen drug use, and incarceration usually destroys the person’s life and does immense harm to that person’s family and neighborhood.” ~Joseph D. McNamara, Former Police Chief, 35 years in law enforcement.

There does seem to be a glimmer of hope as more and more American’s are realizing that things are not as they seem and what they have been told is not always the truth. If only social change were not such a slow process. But 40 plus years of lies are hard to undo. Again, I’m a huge fan of constant learning and growth; so, here is to my year of eduction and here’s hoping my next year will bring more of the same. I only hope its of a less dramatic nature.

I am a 52 year old mother, wife of 34 years, voter, student, web designer and author. (Though my “right” to vote has now been stripped away)

Nancy Rector

I’ve Been Raided and All I Got Was This Lousy Felony is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

My journey from Liberal to Libertarian started when I was thirteen years old. In 1980, President Reagan was elected. I could remember how bad things were under the Carter administration. Although I found the election of an actor as down right silly, there still seemed to be something comforting about Reagan in that he could have passed for any one of our fathers or grandfathers.

Now, I never really paid much attention to politics until maybe 1992, when Clinton was running for office. I was in the military at the time.  The first gulf war was over and I voted for Clinton simply because I only really remembered having a Republican president. I figured, why not just go the other way. In 1993, I got out of the military and went on with life as a civilian.

In roughly 1995/96, I got a job where I was driving a lot and discovered talk radio. What seemed to be out of the blue, was this alternative way of looking at things that was actually opposite of everything I could remember before and it seemed to make a lot more sense to me. Actually, once I discovered the conservative position, I got angry with a lot of things I remembered in the past. I started to realize that the media, both news and regular T.V, was manipulating me all along. I started to think of shows like MASH and All in the Family. In the T.V show MASH, the story is suppose to be taking place in the Korean war, but anyone who watches it knows it’s commentary on the Vietnam war. In the show Charles Emerson Winchester III was the stuffy conservative prick, while Hawkeye Pierce (who was my favorite character and I emulated while I was in the service) was the sharp witted Liberal. Then there was “All in the Family”.  Archie Bunker was all of our dads in the 70′s. They made Archie borderline retarded and Meat head the enlightened one. In hindsight, I was angry that the makers of the show would be so biased and it made me very uneasy.

So, I was a die hard Republican and so were all of my friends. I voted for George Bush Jr in 2000 and was happy when he became president. It seems that perhaps we could turn things around from what I felt were 8 terrible years under Clinton. Clinton, in my eyes, was a liar of epic proportions and this new guy would not be. Folks, at this point, I am in my late 20′s and I believe one guy is a liar and the other is going to tell the truth. How naïve could I have been, I say rhetorically to you, good folks.

One day, I was leaving my college chemistry class. As I started to walk by the student lounge T.V, there were all kinds of people huddled around that T.V. so I went over to see, and there was the world trade center on fire. I asked the guy next to me what had happened, he said a plane hit it, and the first thing I thought was how bad of a pilot do you have to be to not be able to miss a building of that size. A few minutes later, a second plane came into the camera shot and crashed into the other world trade center building. The room got dead silent. This wasn’t an accident, this was on purpose. It was hard to process what was going on. Then, all of a sudden, the buildings start to free fall. I remember thinking, at the time, that buildings don’t just free fall like that; then both of them do, I say no way. I only learned later, that three buildings free fell that day and one was never even hit with a plane.

After 9/11, I thought for sure since we are at war with some group or country that we would seal the border first thing, but it never happens. The government doesn’t fight the “enemy”, the government fights two countries and us. Now, the government has a pretense to do whatever they want, they can do things that they could never do if 9/11 never happens. It’s not about borders and citizens and patriotism, it’s about control and we are the sheep’s they want to slaughter. It’s not about right vs left it about them versus us. They are not worried about men in caves they are worried about armed American citizens, but why? The best I can tell is that when you commit big crimes good people with guns may not be very pleased with you.

Elections, arguing over this bill and that bill, what a joke. It is all a side show, a congress-men’s job as they see it is to stay in office. All the offices are bought and sold just like any commodity, and if you think the Bill of Rights is going to help you, you are wrong. Go a head and try to live free, you will be in a cage or dead by lunch time. The police are little more than hit squads. They will use the Nuremberg defense to justify any and all actions. Every dollar and every ounce of freedom will be bled from you until they destroy you. It has always been this way I suppose, but the fact that folks still believe the non-sense they are sold every two to four years is like a disease. The elites must be shocked that for the last hundred years the American people fall for the same Lucy pulling the football away trick every four year and the American people thinking this time, yes, this time that little bitch won’t pull that ball away.

There was Waco and Ruby ridge, there was the abuses of the LAPD and NYPD I could have written about but being it is the day before Thanksgiving, I don’t want to get too depressed. So, tomorrow when you sit down to eat your Thanksgiving meal, don’t look to outside forces to help you in your freedom and happiness, just claim it as your right because it is. The state does not own you and your life is what you say it is, go claim your freedom and don’t back down.

That is how I became a Libertarian

Mike Starr

How I Got From Here to There is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

Imagine a man threatened to burn your house down with your kids and disabled, elderly mother inside. You call 911, and attempt to continue to the store you were heading for. Less than 2 minutes after the threat, you are being viciously assaulted, kicked, punched, thrown to the ground, hair ripped from the scalp, by the man’s girlfriend, and her friend. Then, just when you finally think all will be well, the cops are there dealing with it, the officer comes over to talk to you, he opens his mouth, and says, “Ok, I’ve talked to my Corporal, and this is what she said we’re doing. You’re being charged with Battery. You’ll receive a notice in the mail to appear for arraignment.” Um, EXCUSE ME?!

Fact is, it happened. It happened to a disabled woman and her husband, Jason, and Geneva Robinson, on a ‘good’ day for her, one where she was walking, and not forced by pain into her wheelchair. The girlfriend mentioned above, Tina Jones, was quite aware of her disability, as she happened to be the assistant manager of the Dollar General store the couple was walking, to purchase food for their 5 young children. So how is it that a disabled woman can be brutalized in such a manner and the police choose to overlook the obvious facts? Quite frankly the answer is found in the officer’s statement, “…talked to my corporal…”.

Back in January, during a different incident, the woman was sexually assaulted (assault: any unwanted, unsolicited touch or strike) by an officer, Officer Procter, under the command of Corporal Melanie Law. When Mrs. Robinson requested of Corporal Law to file a report, and wanted to press charges on the Officer Procter for his actions, Corporal Law outright refused, and ignored Mrs. Robinson’s requests, finally telling her to just ‘file a complaint’ at the department, Panama City Police Department (Panama City, Florida), which she did. There was some harassment from the PCPD after the complaint was made, from bogus traffic stops to code enforcement (commonly called lawn nazi’s). The assault was the first time, however, that Corporal Law had run across Mrs. Robinson herself.

On the scene of the assault, while sitting holding her ribs, mouth bleeding, and clumps of hair in her hand, Mrs. Robinson, after being informed she was to be charged with Battery, repeatedly requested to file a report, as well as victim statements. Under the direction of Corporal Law, per his own statements, the officer refused, and ignored the requests, sending the Robinson’s to walk home.

SEE PICS OF THE EXTENSIVE BRUISING FROM THE ASSAULT

Currently, Mrs. Robinson has been speaking with Corporal Law’s Lieutenant, Lt. Clayton, and Officer McMillan, the ‘investigative officer’ on the case. At first, they tried to pander around and avoid answering questions. After speaking twice with the local prosecutor’s office, and being told to , “go to PCPD, and get in their faces until they let you file the victim statement”, 5 days after the attack, the Robinsons were finally allowed to file their statements. What hasn’t been answered satisfactorily, is why they were refused on the scene, and had to go to such extremes just to be allowed their basic right. At present, PCPD has still not allowed a report to be filed on the initial verbal threats, which were made by Mr. Jimmy F Bailey, the son, and worker, of his parents’ gas station, Bailey’s Gas Station, from which he was yelling the threats. In fact, during the most recent, and voice recorded, phone conversation with Officer McMillan, Mrs. Robinson was asked, “why haven’t you filed a report on the threats of his burning down your house?”. Point in fact, she made the initial 911 call due to those threats, the assault was a secondary issue that occurred after the 911 call was placed.

NOW AVAILABLE!!

Police Report with the Obvious Inconsistencies

911 Call Log Showing ROBINSON Number as the \’Initiating Call\’

MEDICAL DX FROM THE ASSAULT

Prior Report For BATTERY On Initial Attacker, Katherine Ashton

There remain many questions, and few good answers. It seems as though the longer it goes, the harder the questions PCPD has to answer to the Robinsons. This isn’t just a 3rd hand knowledge issue, either. I, the author, personally witnessed it. More than just witnessing, I am Geneva (Eva) Robinson. My hair was ripped out, I was repeatedly kicked, hit, scratched, and thrown to the ground by 2 women, Tina Jones, and Katherine Ashton. My husband and I were verbally assaulted by Ms. Jones’ boyfriend, Jimmy Bailey. Please, I invite you, look at the ‘witness’ statements (2 alleged witnesses were employees of Ms. Jones, the third was her own boyfriend, Mr. Bailey!), the ‘victim’ statements by Ms. Jones, and Ms. Ashton, and the intrepid Officer McMillan’s ‘Investigative Summary’. I will publish a list of various inconsistencies, though it’s hardly necessary, as even my own 10 yr old daughter can see them immediately. Form your opinion, and please, let me know what you think, and how you feel! I will post a separate post with a more detailed account of all that transpired, as well as an account of the initial incident involving Cpl. Law, and her sexual assaulting Officer Procter. I’m far from alone, this is epidemic everywhere. Let’s work together, and stop this from occurring!

To voice your opinion, and ask WHY this incident was handled in such a manner, please call PCPD at (850) 872-3112.

Molon Labe!

Disabled Woman Assaulted, and They’re Charging WHO With Battery?! is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

This is a follow up to How Not To Get The Cops Involved where I discussed (not surprisingly) how to avoid getting the police involved in your situation.

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, the cops get involved. Maybe someone else called the cops, maybe you felt the situation warranted their involvement, or maybe they showed up at the scene. However they got involved, they’re not going to go away just because you don’t want to deal with them so it’s time to use your head.

A few years ago, I would have said that the first rule in dealing with the cops is to remain calm, keep your cool and don’t lose your temper. Now that’s rule number 2. With the ubiquity of recording devices that we all carry around in our pockets (cell phones), the first rule when dealing with the police is to RECORD EVERYTHING! If you’re in a public place, the police have no expectation of privacy so you can record them (except in Illinois). Check your state and local laws, but in general, you’re allowed to record. The police will tell you that you can’t record but we all know the police will lie to you. If you can, have your recording streamed to one of the several on line services available; that’s even better. And obviously video and audio are better than just audio; but take what you can get.

The second rule in dealing with the police is to STAY CALM, keep your cool and don’t lose your temper. No matter how right you are, losing your temper is likely to result in getting cuffed, pepper sprayed, beat, shot, arrested or some combination of all of those.  Don’t yell at them, swear at them, give them the finger, or provoke them. Treat them as you would a business client you don’t like. That’s not to say that in order to avoid their wrath you need to compromise anything but if you do end up being caged, there’s a better likelihood that your arrest for “contempt of cop” will not result in any charges sticking if you can substantiate  a claim of not guilty of disorderly conduct (which is usually just contempt of cop). Remaining calm and being peaceful is no guarantee that you’re not going to be the victim of abuse; however, you’re more likely to prevail if you don’t act out of anger.

The third rule is, NEVER TALK TO THE POLICE. You should never say anything to them  that is not absolutely required by law. It is NEVER in your best interest to give them information. Rather than explain further, I would like to insist that you watch Part I and Part II of this video. Watch the whole thing, it’s worth your time. This rule would have been number one, but if you don’t follow the first two rules, this one could be moot. If you lose your temper with the cops, you’re going to say things that could be used against you later. Furthermore, without a recording, they can falsify your statements.

The fourth rule is, NEVER CONSENT TO A SEARCH. It doesn’t matter if you have nothing to hide. Refusing to consent to a search is your right and court after court has ruled that refusing a search is not probable cause for a search. If the cops tell you to empty your pockets, ask if you’re being detained. If not,  you are free to go; just walk away. Unless I’m mistaken, you are never required to empty your pockets, although if they place you under arrest, they might empty them for you. The point is, consenting to a search only opens you up to more trouble. The cops reading this of course will tell you that if you have nothing to hide, consenting to search only helps the process, removes suspicion and moves them on their way faster. Remember, cops lie. Sometimes, if you don’t consent to a search, they’ll bring in the drug sniffing dogs and then signal them to “alert”  which means they’ve found something. Then they will search your car claiming probable cause. They will do this to harass you and waste your time. If they’re going to waste your time though, you can waste theirs by demanding that a supervisor comes to the scene. When you do this, a supervisor must come and they cannot leave until that time. Complain to the supervisor about being harassed without probable cause.

The fifth rule is to LEAVE AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Ask if you’re being detained; if you’re not, leave. Also, familiarize yourself with the Terry Stop rules. The longer you stick around, the higher the probability is that you will be the victim of some police misconduct, even if you were the one that called the cops.

The sixth rule is, NEVER LET THEM IN YOUR HOUSE without a warrant. In fact, without a warrant, you’re not even required to open the door or say anything at all to them. Just tell them you have nothing to say to them and you would prefer that they leave. Once you invite them in, you have opened your home to a search.

The seventh and last rule is KNOW YOUR RIGHTS. The more your know your rights and assert them (calmly) to the police, the more likely they are to leave you alone. They are bullies and bullies pick on weak, frightened, easily intimidated people. Don’t be one of them. Stay in tune with CopBlock.org and other sources that report on police misconduct and your civil liberties.

These rules not only apply to the police, they apply to any government agent that decides to interfere in your life. If Child Protective Services comes to your door and demands to speak to your children or inspect your home, tell them to leave unless they have a warrant. In fact, feel free to be a little more rude to them than the cops since they don’t have arrest powers.

Also, these are general rules that apply to almost every situation. There are probably dozens of rules related to much more specific situations.  If you can think of a few more general rules, please leave them in the comments.

Difster is a Christian, libertarian, economist, anti-cop, blogger currently living in Mexico. You can find his oft neglected blog here.

What To Do When The Cops Are Involved is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights

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In September of 2010, I was arrested. Several months later, I was tried, convicted, and sentenced.

My crime? Resisting arrest.

Here’s the story.

I had recently quit smoking, was irritable, and needed to do something. After drinking a full bottle of ginger-flavored brandy by 9:00pm on this Friday night, I decided to walk to the local bar to get a beer or two. I went in, legally purchased a 12 oz bottle of Samuel Adams, and walked through the room.

The bar was noisy, crowded, and filled with assholes. I felt uncomfortable, even with my buzz, and decided to walk out of the door.

A few seconds after I walked out, I heard noises behind me, which I ignored and walked away. A few seconds later, somebody yanked my beer out of my hand, which I was still apparently carrying in the public parking lot. OK, I thought – no harm done. They took my beer, which I didn’t even have a sip of, but no big deal. I realized I felt more tired than I had originally thought and I continued to walk home; until I met up with officer Jaime Branch of the Manchester Police Department.

“Hey, you!”, he yelled at me. I figured out pretty soon that he was talking to me and I asked him, “Am I being detained?” or “Am I free to go?”.  He said that I was being detained.  I asked him why and he refused to answer. He spoke with the person that had stolen my beer and another employee at the bar, asking them a few questions, investigating why I was being detained. We were both curious, apparently.

The officer asked to see my identification. I told the him that I knew my 4th Amendment rights and told him that I didn’t need to show him my identification as I was not driving a car. I also informed him that he did not have probable cause that I had committed a crime. I asked him for “articulable facts” that I was committing a crime, as well.

He said that he DID have probable cause that I had engaged in, “possessing an open alcohol container”; which is not actually illegal in the state of NH and the closest ordinance it comes to is “public drinking”, an ordinance violation that prohibits CONSUMING alcoholic beverages in a public place. I asked him again if I was being detained or if I was free to go, and he said I was being detained. I exercised my right to remain silent and he continued in his investigation. He talked to the employees (who I believed were cooperating out of fear that they would get in trouble), looked at the bottle (which was technically stolen evidence), and found that it was full. All of them agreeing that I had not consumed any.

He started asking me more questions, and I exercised my right to remain silent. He decided to write me out a ticket for “possessing an open alcohol container”, which I gladly accepted but he insisted that I showed him identification. I asserted my 4th Amendment rights and refused to show him my “papers”. He then asked for a name. I gave him one but it wasn’t good enough for him.

He then stated that if I didn’t show identification, I would be placed under arrest. I believed this to be a clear violation of the 4th Amendment and proceeded to have a half-hour long conversation about the 4th Amendment with the officer, including me giving him a full etymological history of the phrase “probable cause”. During this discussion I found out that the officer; 1) didn’t know what the 4th Amendment was and could not recite it, and 2) told me that the 4th Amendment, in his own words, “doesn’t apply to my job” – which was repeated multiple times, by multiple officers that night.

The officer asked me other questions such as, what my social security number was; to which I replied, “do I have the right to remain silent?”  He said, clearly and emphatically, that I did NOT have that right and that if I didn’t answer the questions, I would be placed under arrest. At this point, I started wondering if he was even a “real” cop.

He then continued his investigation, during which time I continued to ask if I was free to go. At one point, he said “yes, yes, yes”, and motioned for me to leave. I stared walking away and seconds later I was being man-handled by the guy with one hand in handcuffs.

I asked him why violence was necessary. He denied that he was using violence. I thought a demonstration was in order and I moved my free hand to the right side of my body. He told me to move it down behind my back, and I disobeyed his commands. He then yanked my hand down to tie it, at which point I asked a simple question:

“If I did to you what you just did to me, would I be charged with ASSAULTING a police officer?”, simply to show the officer that he was, in fact, using violence.

The question startled him for a second. He said, “yes, but….”, and stood there speechless before he continued his “assault”.  I was sent to Manchester police station where I had some laughably painful conversations, then proceeded to county jail.

When I got there, there was a man I knew only as “Wolfy” who was the most disgusting, depraved human being I’ve ever met in my life. He forced me to answer all kinds of questions, promising that I would be able to sleep in my “nice warm bed” if I did. He asked me what my sexual orientation was, what my religion was, what my political affiliations were, all under the understanding that non-cooperation would be punished with violence. He then forced me to strip naked and checked me for drugs, after which I put on an orange jump suit. He then escorted me to my cell. He and a couple other guys decided to play a joke on me and make it look like I was going to get beaten and raped by a particularly insane inmate. I know, that’s hilarious, isn’t it?

I didn’t sleep or eat for those three days. During “free time”, which lasts about an hour each day, I tried to make a phone call, but they made it difficult to the point of being psychological torture. You need to use your inmate number to make a call, and mine didn’t work ( I think that was deliberate, but I can’t prove anything), so I had to violate the rules and use somebody else’s. You can only call land lines (no cell phones) no more than once, and there is a message being played for the majority of the call, leaving you only 10 seconds out of about a minute and a half to actually say something.

I spent 3 days in jail with my cell mate, who was a heroine addict. He told me how easy it is to get his fix “inside” and how many people who “used to be straight” become heroine addicts after doing some time because it’s easily accessible and there’s nothing else to do. He also told me how most people who meet inside hook up later to hang out, do drugs, and get into other criminal activity.

At the bail hearing (after 3 days without food or sleep), Judge William H. Lyons felt that I was too dangerous to let go on my own reconnaissance, so I was forced to stay there until my “speedy” trial 3 months later. Luckily, I was bailed out.

I had apparently signed up for a public defender when I was scared shitless and had gone without food and sleep for 3 days. Her name was Donna Esposito. She didn’t return my phone calls, didn’t return my emails, and didn’t even bother reading the arrest report. Her incompetence was so great that I got the distinct impression that she was working with the state in an attempt to get a conviction. I called other lawyers, who basically said that I didn’t have a chance; not because of the evidence of the case, but because of the “conservative judges” who would find me guilty regardless of the facts of my case. I soon learned why they said that.

The charges were changed several times, the final change right before the trial. The original charge was “possessing an open alcohol container in a public place”, which was dropped because there wasn’t actually a law against that – the cop either made it up or got the law completely wrong (I found out that the cops around here use a “cheat sheet” that has a mistake on it).

The original charge of “resisting arrest” was changed as well. It was originally because I had lifted my hand up to the side during the arrest, making the officer push it down. In the arrest report it stated that I “struggled” with him as he attempted to handcuff me. That was changed to me walking away when I “wasn’t supposed to” (because I thought I was free to go). The reason for the change was obvious; it is circular reasoning to be arrested for resiting that very same arrest, so they had to arrest me for something else.

During the trial, both the cop and I testified. We gave our stories, which matched perfectly except for a couple of things. According to him, 1) I never asked if I was being detained and he never stated that I was, 2) I never even mentioned the 4th Amendment, 3) He never threatened to arrest me for not showing ID, and 4) He saw me “in violation” BEFORE he detained me, rather than the truth that he had detained me before he even started to investigate what was going on. All four of these statements were lies, made under oath. This means he committed perjury, which is a felony.

The reason why he lied is simple: if he DID threaten to arrest me for not showing ID, it COULD have been considered a violation of the 4th Amendment. If he detained me prior to his investigation, it COULD have been argued that it was an illegal detainment. If I mentioned the 4th Amendment and didn’t like his answer, It COULD have been argued that I did not “recognized him as a law enforcement official”.

Still, this shouldn’t have changed anything, as the only thing left I was charged with was the “resisting arrest” charge; and in order to prove that “beyond a reasonable doubt”, they have to show that I “recognized him as a law enforcement official” (which wasn’t actually true, as I recognized that he was breaking the law). They also had to prove, beyond a reasonable doubt, that I “willfully and knowingly interfered” with him, which I didn’t as I thought I was free to go at the time.

Since both of these things are describing activity IN MY OWN HEAD rather than what was going on objectively, it makes no sense whatsoever to take the cops word over my own.  While the cop may be a more reliable witness to what was going on around me, he can’t possibly be a better witness to what was going on in my head, can he?

The judge (William H. Lyons) decided that I was guilty. That’s right, the judge said that the cop was a “more credible witness” to what was going on in my own head. The judge said that this was not an illegal detention because, as he stated in his court order, “Where a police officer has reasonable suspicion that a person has been, is being, or is about to commit a crime, he is permitted by the forth amendment to seize or detain an individual”. He later defines crime as, “an offense punishable by a jail sentence”, even though the ordinance violation doesn’t qualify, especially given the fact that the ordinance violation didn’t exist. He was grasping at straws for reasons to convict me. He WANTED to convict me. He was committed to BREAKING the law, not enforcing it.

A couple months after I was sentenced, I received a note that explained that walking out of a bar with a beer is a misdemeanor. It would have been nice to actually be told what crime I was committing BEFORE I was arrested, or at least before the trial or, at the very least, before I was sentenced. Apparently that is too much to ask.

So, in short, I was illegally detained, threatened with an unconstitutional arrest, unlawfully arrested, and sentenced because the judge re-defined the word “crime” so that I would qualify as a criminal.

At that point, I realized a few things.

The first thing I realized is, despite the massive tome of words that is commonly called “the law”, there is really only one law – OBEY THE COMMANDS OF THE STATE. You do what you’re fucking told, or else violence will be used against you. You want a fair trial? Tough shit. You think the constitution protects you? You thought wrong. The constitution is a worthless scrap of paper with meaningless scribbles on it. The people who interpret the law can interpret it any way they like. They can even re-define the word “crime” in order to turn you into a criminal.

I also realized that Judge William H Lyons, Officer Jaime D Branch, and the Manchester Police Department didn’t care about the law they are supposed to enforce or the constitution they were sworn to protect. These people are criminals and should be viewed as such.

That day, something died in me – any hope or faith that I had in my country.

Fuck you, Officer Branch.
Fuck you, Judge Lyons.
Fuck you, Manchester Police Department.

Fuck you for destroying my faith in my country and in the constitution.

Fuck you.
Joshua Jacob Albert Freeman

Judge William H. Lyons re-defined the word “crime” to turn me into a criminal. is a post from Cop Block - Badges Don't Grant Extra Rights