Help and Ideas For Marijuana Protest

[Jim Johnson]

And I held the infamous 'weed'... and the evil of it did not burn near as bad as some people put on.

You didn't get one of those burn marks on your hand, like in the Indiana Jones movie?? 

No... but it sounded like one of the other guys did.

Maybe it's like that Outer Limits program where they put an alien crab like being on your back to see if your compatible... that Outer Limits guy didn't look like he was having any fun... and if the pot doesn't burn you, you get sucked up into the drug culture as... "one of them".

It didn't look like it burned that cop any... does it feel better if you put it in your pocket next to your personal area? Does it burn more, or less or is it just a tingly thing?

 

[Peacemaker]

I have to say a big THANK YOU to Andrew for his protest!   It was great to see all the people and cameras and there's no doubt the Snowball of positive activism is growing in Keene and it's only going to get bigger, as those there continue their effort to... FREE KEENE!

[Kat Kanning]

http://www.newhampshirefreepress.com/NHFreePress/?q=node/306

Activist Arrested for Plant Possession

By Kat Kanning

In an act of civil disobedience, Andrew Carroll, 18, of Manchester intentionally disobeyed drug laws by possessing a small amount of marijuana.  Carroll objects to government abuses stemming from the drug war.  He stated, "The drug war is an unconstitutional and inhumane breach of individual liberties which claims many victims, and dollars, each year."  Carroll claimed he wanted to "demonstrate the absurdity of putting a human being in jail for a crime with no victim.  The point is further demonstrated by the fact that I do not, personally, smoke marijuana, and only intended to possess it."  Carroll was risking a possible year in jail, along with profound repercussions for future job availability, for his disobedience.

After announcing his intention to possess marijuana, Carroll arrived at Railroad Square in Keene with around 40 fellow activists.  The event was planned for 1:00 on Jan. 10th.  By 1:15, Carroll thought that the event was over without arrest, but then at 1:20, two Keene police officers arrived and arrested the nonviolent protester.  All 40 activists followed the two officers and their victim to the police car, and then to the station.  Carroll was charged with a Class B Misdemeanor and released.  He is scheduled to appear in Keene District Court on March 3rd.  He does not plan to pay any fines stemming from the arrest.

Andrew Carroll moved to New Hampshire from California recently with the Free State Project.

Drug War Statistics

According to the American Corrections Association, the average daily cost per state prison inmate per day in the US is $67.55. State prisons held 253,300 inmates for drug offenses in 2005. That means states spent approximately $17,110,415 per day to imprison drug offenders, or $6,245,301,475 per year.

"States spent $29.8 billion in 1998 for adult corrections including incarceration, probation and parole. Eighty-one percent of this amount ($24.1 billion) was spent on substance-involved offenders. Of the $24.1 billion, $21.4 billion went to run and build prisons to house substance-involved offenders, $1.1 billion for parole and $695 million for probation for substance-involved offenders. An additional $899 million was spent on state aid to localities for substance-involved offenders." (Source:  National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University)

(stats from http://drugwarfacts.org)

People Arrested for Drug Law Offenses this Year: 63,670

Arrests for drug law violations in 2009 are expected to exceed the 1,841,182 arrests of 2007. Law enforcement made more arrests for drug abuse violations (an estimated 1.8 million arrests, or 13.0 percent of the total number of arrests) than for any other offense in 2007.   Someone is arrested for violating a drug law every 17 seconds.  (Source: Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation)

People Arrested for Cannabis Law Offenses this Year:  30,179

Police arrested an estimated 872,720 persons for cannabis violations in 2007, the highest annual total ever recorded in the United States, according to statistics compiled by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Of those charged with cannabis violations, approximately 89 percent, 775,137 Americans were charged with possession only. An American is now arrested for violating cannabis laws every 38 seconds.  (Source: Uniform Crime Reports, Federal Bureau of Investigation)

(stats from http://drugsense.org)

As of 2008, 1 in 100 adults in America are imprisoned, the highest rate of imprisonment in the world.  (Source:  Pew Center on the States Public Safety Performance Project)

There are over a million arrests per year for drug offenses in the United States.  (Source: Ft. Worth Star-Telegram)


Videos of Arrest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PqKW4MLA2zw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svr4kFEgT2Q
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Syqbtqdn5xs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KZWDeTcmQk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz_Zcr99ctc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KY0hq1f8nvQ

Free Talk Live Interview
http://freetalklive.com/files/carroll.mp3

[FTL_Ian]

Thanks Kat, I've posted that to Free Keene and sent it as a news release to local media.   

[Kat Kanning]

added a couple more stats.

[mport1]

Great job Kat.  We need to send this to media organizations to try to get this story more exposure.  I'm contacting the major ones now and hopefully one will bite.

[FTL_Ian]

NORML's radio host Radical Russ posted a comment to Free Keene looking for Andrew.  I sent him contact info, so that should be a little coverage.

I sent a heads-up to Jodie at Cannabis Culture magazine as well.

[Peacemaker]

Great job on the article, very complete and the stats finish it off with big impact.  Damn you're good (is there an icon for that?). 

I'm going to forward it to some of my people. 

[Dave Ridley]

some thoughts regarding the march 3 andrew carroll trial:

If andrew concurs, I would like to possibly do some civil dis there related to videography in the courtroom.  What I need to know is:  do any of you have  a phone i can use which is capable of broadcasting live to the net via cell tower?  mine currently isn't.      i believe that we ideally need two "throwaway" phones capable of doing this.  one to be in my hands and taken into the courtroom...  one to be in the hands of a second activist who will try to broadcast any arrests that might occurr in the lobby.   will these cameras be forthcoming?  who, if anyone, is willing to play the "live cam in the lobby" role?   I'm probably going to be willing to play either role...lobby cam or courtroom cam.  But my first choice would be courtroom cam in this case.

at this point, in the absence of illness or emergency,  i'm willing to get arrested over the right to bring a camera in there and keep it running.  But first I need someone to provide the infrastructure to broadcast live.

tape cameras can play an important role as well.  I brainstorm a string of five or six cameras stretching from the courtroom to the street, each videographer monitoring the safety of the next videographer in the chain, capturing on tape any arrest/harrasment/camera seizure.

[AntonLee]

are cell phones allowed in the court, they're not here in MA

[FTL_Ian]

are cell phones allowed in the court, they're not here in MA

They demand you turn them off to go into court.  Plus, as Dave found out last time, they don't want cameras in the lobby area now.

[Coconut]

at this point, in the absence of illness or emergency,  i'm willing to get arrested over the right to bring a camera in there and keep it running.  But first I need someone to provide the infrastructure to broadcast live.

If no wi-fi is avaliable, someone with a cell internet card to let you borrow would probably be the best.

Signs in the lobby say that laptop use IS allowed..... with the usual exception if they're "deemed disruptive"

[AntonLee]

a good thing!  MA won't allow you to even enter a courthouse with a phone.  Of course you don't find out that dictate until you're inside the building so it's kinda stupid. (it's really stupid)`

[Coconut]

I might add that maybe "we" (any activists wanting to push the system) wait until the actual trial date, not the arraignment date of March 3rd.

Just a reminder that Andrew "has to" plea first.

Though his arraignment is far more likely to be attended by members of the public. So I guess it depends what you're going for.

[Mike Barskey]

If I remember correctly, the federal court in Concord didn't allow cell phones in the courthouse for their trials for Lauren or Kat.