My friends and two stellar activists for human rights, Adam and Pete are facing trial in Greenfield, Massachusetts today for filming the police in the course of their duties. The prosecutor calls this felony wiretapping and resisting arrest. But photography is not a crime! The same prosecutor has already dropped several of the charges that had been piled on Pete and Adam. Get the full story here:
http://www.copblock.org/444/greenfield/
I’m very worried about these guys because I know they are beautiful human beings with the best of intentions and willpower to match anyone you can think of. Maybe I’ve got PTSD over my own experience with police pillaging, but I am worried about these guys. I wish them only the best and my services are at the ready to support them.
I also question the high stakes nature of this kind of activism. Pete and Adam are young and single. But time in jail is nothing to laugh at. Prison is the new slavery. A lot of people, including the decision-makers, don’t care about you. See, for example, the conditions in one admitted Phoenix concentration camp.
It looks like Jason Talley is broadcasting at least some parts of the trial and pre-trial live on ustream. I’m watching live. What about you?
Live Stream
This should be the live stream, or go to ustream.tv/channel/voluntaryists. Jason is also live-blogging the trial on the CopBlock facebook page.
4 replies on “Solidarity *Today* with Pete Eyre and Ademo Freeman”
Well after seeing what happened. Yall should not have argued, and turned off the camras. That was refusing arrest. Just because you did not run does not mean your not violating that law. It became tresspassing when yall did not leave after being ordered to leave. For wiretapping is concerned new policies are made everymonth. Thats always an issue. You broke the law when you were told to turn off the camera and did not. Lastly the Argument with the police working for the people Yes it is true. But thier job is to inforce law and order. While people are trying to make it harder for people to get arrested on such cases they end up on a extreme view on that subject. They did thier job. And Yall messed up. But good thing thier is a curt system to determine who is guilty and innocent. I know you dont like my words but I am being blunt. It was a stupid act.Just listen to the person in charge. You dont own the place, so that means you were guest. Cameras are thier for security reasons. I know for sure that thier is documentation stating why they are placed thier. That and common sense.
There is no such thing as “refusing arrest.” Arguing is not a crime. Photography is not a crime either. The jury concurs.
It’s government controlled property. That means it belongs to all of us. and even the prosecutor dropped that charge.
No, they did not break the law. And the jury agreed. Cops do not have the authority to curtail the legitimate activities of a free press.
Common sense is a shield for failure to think.