by Pete Eyre | Oct 20, 2013 | Articles, Re-Posts
The write-up below was made by Jason Talley to FreeKeene.com on Oct. 19, 2013. It is shared here in an effort to further crowdsource the information sought – specifically, the identification of the individuals who surveilled those present at Keene’s Pumpkin Fest.
Far from being a rowdy event, the Pumpkin Fest has long been a place for folks from Keene and the region to come together to mark the change of seasons. The presence of snipers – the first time such people have been witnessed at the peaceful gathering – should be disconcerting to anyone not a fan of a militarized Keene.
Recall in early 2012, when Keene police employee Ken Meola and his colleagues atop the corporation called the “City of Keene” ignored those they claim to represent, and from who they steal money to pay their own salaries, and pushed-through the acquisition of the Bearcat, they cited as one potential use the Pumpkin Fest.
The police state apparatus seen at Keene Pumpkin Fest part of a trend – if it’s not questioned it will continue. The inertia built-in to the institutions that today claim to exist to provide security and protection, but in reality grow in size and scope, do so only at an inverse relationship to justice, liberty, and peace.
by Pete Eyre | Sep 4, 2013 | Articles, Updates
The Keene Police Department website has a page “Professional Ethics” that lists statements police employees allegedly seek to uphold, including:
It is my responsibility to keep the community informed on local government affairs, encourage communication between the citizens and all local government officers, emphasize friendly and courteous service to the public, and seek to improve the quality and image of public service.
Communication is key.
While I applaud those at the Keene police department for sharing the names and phone extension of current employees, I recognize that a lot of people might prefer to communicate via email. So, on July 31, 2013 I solicited that information in the form of a 91A request (what a Freedom of Information Act request is referred to here in the ‘shire).
screenshot from “KPD Employees” page showing addition of email addresses
A couple of days later I received a response from Bill Dow, the deputy clerk/records manager for the “City of Keene,” which noted me that my request had been received, that Dow would “commence collecting the information requested at the earliest possible opportunity,” and would soon be in touch.
A few weeks later – on August 20th – Dow wrote again and noted [see below] that an existing list of the email addresses for Keene police employees did not exist. However, Dow did give an overview of the standard email protocol used for employees of the “City of Keene” (first initial + last name + “ci.keene.nh.us”). He also indicated how email addresses are assigned when the same first initial and last name exists (the middle initial is then included), as is the case for two current Keene police employees.
With that knowledge, I updated the “KPD Employees” page here at KeeneCopBlock.org. Hopefully that will prove to be a good resource for those who wish to communicate directly with individuals who now take a paycheck under the auspices of serving and protecting [note that despite such claims, courts have repeated ruled that police have no duty to protect the individual].
Hopefully the addition of that new info makes police “chief” Kenny Meola happy as it parallels the statement on the page “Police Chief Welcome” on which he calls transparency “essential.”
Keene Police Employee Email Addresses 91a
by Pete Eyre | Aug 8, 2013 | Videos
On August 6th police departments across the states held “national night out” to try to better community relations.
I stopped by the Keene police department. Present was the BEARCAT – which was brought to town last year despite the overwhelming pushback from townsfolks who said “Thanks but no tanks!”
Right now, just an hour or so to the north, so-claimed “public officials” in Concord are attempting to do the same.
But hey – at least some folks at the LENCO plant down in Pitsfield, MA have jobs right?
They’re staying busy cranking out these vehicles. Thanks to federal money from the misnamed Department of Homeland Security – BEARCATS are now in 300 towns.
A DHS grant – which, to be clear, is coin stolen from taxpayers – also provided a mobile command center to the Cheshire County sheriffs – the outfit now headed by former Keene police employee Eli Rivera.
I was hopeful that I could finally have a conversation with someone who has thus far, played hard to get since my time in Keene.
Despite a number of attempts to initiate a convo, or even just get a reciprocal “hello” or “good afternoon” Ken Meola has steadfastly refused to engage. Perhaps today, in public, things would be different.
(more…)
by Pete Eyre | Jan 2, 2013 | Re-Posts, Videos
“obfuscation, stonewalling, say-nothing, do-nothing, run-away!” – words ‘shire-based videographer Dave Ridley used to describe the actions of Ken Meola, Keene Police Department employee, when he’s questioned.
My own experience has been the same. The handful of times I’ve been in Meola’s presence and have attempted a conversation with him, he’s remained mute.
Perhaps I should be surprised, seeing as the mission Meola claims to uphold lists “courtesy” as a main component, but I’m aware of the perverse incentives in the monopolistic, hierarchical structure in which he works.
Is Meola’s statement – that the recently-acquired Bearcat (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck) will not be modified – to be believed? Meaning, that no extra armaments will be added to the 19,000-lb vehicle?
I don’t think any sane person would put-forth that this militarized vehicle needed in quaint Keene, and therefore, nor would any additional accessories (used to kill those who don’t obey).
But recall, Meola and some of his colleagues justified the acquisition of the vehicle because it was “free” (it’s not free obviously, the DHS, through those who pay their annual ransom to the larger, federal government, covered the cost of the 286,000FRN piece of hardware to Keene PD and 299 other towns).
Is it likely that Meola and his co-conspirators would turn-down with a battering-ram arm used to inject gas, or a turret-mounted gun? If we who value peace, accountability, and consensual interactions stay focused on the actions of those who claim a “legitimate” right to initiate force the chances are definitely less-likely…
Note that this video was originally uploaded to YouTube.com/RidleyReport on Dec. 26th, 2012
Related
by Pete Eyre | Dec 11, 2012 | Articles, Musings, Videos
Keene now has a Bearcat (Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck).
Does the world you want to live in include this militaristic vehicle?
Check out this stellar overview video put-together by YouTube.com/LightspeedLiberty, which compares the Bearcat to Keene’s Fire Truck #1 [*note, only slight alterations were made for this version].
The lie peddled over and over to try to assuage the vocal widespread opposition, was that the Bearcat was as a “rescue” vehicle. Seems as though Ken Meola and his cronies read a bit too much from Vladimir Lenin, who stated, “A lie told often enough becomes the truth.”
Unlike our “protectors”, I think most of us are too smart to buy-into that misinformation.
Do you really think Keene residents would choose to pay-up to bring such a monstrosity to town??
Remind yourself, as the double-speak surrounding this issue and these institutions is prevalent – the folks who brought the Bearcat to town claim to protect you. That “protection” is done at the barrel of a gun. All Keene residents, whether they like it or not, are told “pay up” or else.
What if you’re not happy with the services rendered? How do you feel if you see a Keene police cruiser in your rearview mirror? Nervous? Anxious? Doesn’t that seem odd?
As well-intentioned as some employed at the Keene police department genuinely are, there’s no way the current policing structure can ever realize its very worthwhile goal (for a safe community). They simply lack the proper incentives.
To put it plainly, the lack of competition means there’s an oversupply of policing. And a lack of accountability.
We don’t turn to a centralized, top-down hierarchy to provide goods arguably more important than policing, such as food (without which, you’d sooner be in peril), so why believe a force-backed structure is necessary in this case?
If you think a move towards a more-militarized Keene isn’t ideal, expose yourself to some alternatives: http://CopBlock.org/Knowledge
Keene Bearcat Grant
Hopefully individual Keene police employees will think about this seriously and act aligned with their conscience, which I hope means that they’ll refuse to operate the Bearcat. That’d be a significant step. And admittedly it’d be a tough step to take, when in that “thin blue line” culture, but what does it same about ones character if opt to act according to the dictates of another rather than themselves.
As the saying goes – create the world in which you want to see. The Bearcat is here. But that doesn’t mean it has to get used. It’d be a powerful action that’d resonate with others if individuals in that environment choose not to unthinking comply, but to side with those they claim to serve and, I’d hope, with their own conscience.
That seems to me the best choice for us now, and for future generations.
Background
Keene Cop Block
If you’re outside of Keene connect your local offshoot: http://CopBlock.org/Groups
Keene Police Department
Playlist from Bearcat Unveiling
[footage from multiple individuals]
