Tuesday, July 17, 2012

NH: Voluntaryist jailed, faces 21 years for “wiretapping”

Recording a cop is “wiretapping”

"If you're reading this then I'm currently jailed" Ademo Freeman told the Libertarian News Examiner today in an email. Ademo was sentenced to 60 days in jail for writing on a public building with chalk.

While in jail Ademo will also be brought to trial on charges of "wiretapping," an accusation frequently leveled by police officers across the country against anyone who video or audio records them while performing their public duties in public places.

The chalking charges stem from an incident that took place in Manchester, New Hampshire over a year ago.

In June 2011 a group of Voluntaryists held a "police accountability rally" to protest the city of Manchester's failure to hold police officers accountable for "the dubious killing" of a resident and for "savagely" beating another.

The protest consisted of writing messages on the sidewalk and the exterior walls of the Manchester police department building using what Ademo describes as "children's chalk."

Eight demonstrators, including Ademo, were arrested and charged with "graffiti and criminal mischief." Ademo was sentenced to ten months stayed and 60 days in jail.

The alleged "wiretapping" charges stemmed from a phone call Ademo made to the Manchester police department asking them for comment on an incident in which a student video-recorded a police officer slamming another student's head onto a lunchroom table before arresting him.

As explained in a Libertarian News Examiner article, "Voluntaryist goes public with wiretapping charges:"
"Before posting the video, however, Ademo did what journalists have done since the invention of the telephone and called the Manchester school and police department so he could include their comments in the story. As a video journalist, Ademo had his call video- and sound-recorded to guarantee accuracy."

Authorities ruled that the officer's head-slamming was "justified" while Ademo's recording was illegal "wiretapping."

Conviction on the wiretapping charge could result in 21 years in jail.

Longtime readers of this site are familiar with Ademo as one of numerous Voluntaryist activists in New Hampshire who actively confront authorities over illegitimate laws on the libertarian principle that if there is no victim there can be no crime.

Ademo was featured in an article, "America, meet the voluntaryists of Keene," that introduced the rest of the country to these New Hampshire activists.

Original report here




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