Both of the City of Keene vs. Robin Hood of Keene cases DISMISSED!

[Keith and stuff]

DISMISSED! Free speech prevails! The city of Keene, New Hampshire lost $40,000 because Merry Men and Merry Ladies were paying for other people's parking meters = less parking ticket revenue. So it created 2 lawsuits against the Robin Hood of Keene people saying that the 1st Amendment doesn't apply in Keene. Since the lawsuits started, the city lost tens of thousands of addition expected parking ticket revenue and spent around $20,000 on lawyer's fees for the lawsuits. The state of New Hampshire lost thousands of dollars in wasted court time over the course of the lawsuits.

Learn more about or even donate to Robin Hood of Keene if you want. https://www.facebook.com/KeeneRobinHood

Mission
Saving the good people from the king's tariff by depositing a small coin into the "parking meters" so the the king's "Meter Maids" cannot demand their tax.

Description
Paypal: robinhoodofkeene@gmail.com;
Bitcoin address: 16Ka4fUMh5LNUJy6g8toNqQ9stCR8RKJ4c
Mail:
Keene Activist Center
75 Leverett Street
Keene, NH 03431

General Information
Robin Hood and the Merry Men believe in openness and accountability - see hours of raw video recorded by activists at http://youtube.com/Fr33manTVraw

Here is the Free Keene story. Other stories will be posted later.

BREAKING NEWS: Robin Hood Cases DISMISSED!!
December 4, 2013 by Ian
http://freekeene.com/2013/12/04/breaking-news-robin-hood-cases-dismissed/

http://freekeene.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/603361_144538052363233_907016078_n1-171x300.jpg

There are a dozen links in the story but I didn't transfer any of them over. So click on the above link if you want to see the interactive version of the article.

Robin Hood and the Merry Men and Women are victorious over the lying, corrupt “City of Keene” in BOTH Robin Hood cases! The first civil case was filed by “the City” back in May seeking a preliminary injunction against the six named respondents, in hopes banning them from being near, speaking to, or recording video of the parking enforcers. It was heard over three full days of court “evidentiary hearings” later in the summer and afterwards, heroic free speech attorney Jon Meyer filed a motion to dismiss the case.

Attorney Meyer’s motion has now been granted in a 17-page notice of decision from Cheshire “superior” court judge John C Kissinger Jr., which also dismisses the second civil case against us that was filed by “the City” in September, seeking monetary “damages”. The second suit proved what we all knew and the city people had originally denied with their first lawsuit – that ultimately this was about their lost parking revenue.

Ultimately, the Robin Hooders have been completely vindicated. The city people were lying (as is typical of governments) when they claimed Robin Hooders were harassing, intimidating, and threatening their parking enforcement agents. Again, the proof that they were lying is that no Robin Hooder has ever been arrested for “harassment”. Even if Robin Hooders were saying nasty things (no evidence of that was presented in court, and I’ve never seen it happen), the job description of the parking enforcers makes it clear they must put up with “mental and verbal abuse” from members of the public. The city people tried to illegally oppress our right to free speech and to hold government agents accountable for their actions, and the court made the right decision and dismissed their frivolous, aggressive, unconstitutional cases against us.

In the notice of decision, judge Kissinger notes that the free speech rights of the Robin Hooders outweigh all of the claims of “the City”:

The Court agrees with the Respondents that their free speech rights under the First Amendment of the Federal Constitution will be violated by permitting the City to move forward on any of the claims in this action or the more recent action or by granting the requested preliminary and permanent injunctive relief.

In the rest of the notice, Kissinger defeats the ridiculous claims of “the City”, rejecting the claim of “tortious interference”, denying their request for an injunction, and dismissing the second suit for damages from “intentional interference with employment contractual relations and negligence”.

Will “the City” appeal the case to the supreme court? Given their past history of blowing taxpayer dollars on frivolous appeals, there is a good chance they will. They don’t know how to handle taking “no” for an answer. Speaking of wasting your tax dollars, we’ll be digging into the financials of this case to see just how much was spent hiring their fancy private attorneys to handle the Robin Hood case.

Meanwhile, Robin Hooders are still on the streets of Keene, saving countless motorists from the aggression of the parking enforcement bureaucracy! We won’t go away until they do. So far, one enforcer quit over the Summer. Will the remaining two follow suit? Will “the city” be able to find anyone willing to fill the empty position? Will they come up with some ridiculous ordinance against Robin Hooding? Stay tuned here to FreeKeene.com for continued updates on the Robin Hood saga.

[phill4paul]

They could probably make up the money they lost on lawyers fees by claiming dominion over the taxpayer built roads and collect fees for something like parking for too long.

[Keith and stuff]

Here is the article from the Keene, NH newspaper.

City of Keene loses case against 'Robin Hooders'
Posted: Wednesday, December 4, 2013 2:23 pm | Updated: 7:30 am, Thu Dec 5, 2013.
By Sentinel Staff
http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/city-of-keene-loses-case-against-robin-hooders/article_65e75db4-4b25-5b89-b7ca-62b6e559624f.html




The city has lost its case against a group of residents that Keene officials contended had harassed city employees.

Judge John C. Kissinger Jr. said that imposing any restrictions on the group members would violate their First Amendment rights, and granted a motion Tuesday to dismiss the case.

The city filed a petition in Cheshire County Superior Court earlier this year, asking for a buffer zone between city parking enforcement officers and members of a group known as Robin Hood of Keene, who officials said were harassing the officers.

“Robin Hooding” began in December, when activists started following parking officers as they patrolled city streets, staying ahead of them whenever possible, filling expired meters to prevent the officers from writing parking tickets. In many cases, Robin Hooders videotaped the officers' actions and posted clips online. Group members also said in court that their eventual goal was to phase out the parking enforcement program.

“The Court agrees with the Respondents that their free speech rights under the First Amendment of the Federal Constitution will be violated by permitting the City to move forward on any of the claims in this action or the more recent action or by granting the requested preliminary and permanent injunctive relief. Thus, the Respondents' motion to dismiss is granted,” Kissinger wrote in his ruling this week.

However, the judge noted that the city could take other steps to address the situation.

“By this decision, the Court does not mean to suggest that the targeting of hardworking PEOs in the manner described above is appropriate or laudable. Each of the PEOs is to be commended for the composure and civility they have shown. The Court notes that the PEOs are not without remedy to the extent that the Respondents violate applicable criminal laws. Nothing in this decision is meant to suggest that conduct that rises to the level of an assault, criminal threatening, or otherwise violates other provisions of the criminal code constitutes protected speech,” Kissinger wrote. “Further, the City may, provided it does not run afoul of constitutional protections, enact an ordinance addressing some of its concerns.”

For the full story, see Thursday’s Sentinel.

Based on what it says right above this, the story in today's paper has more details. I don't know. I don't have access to the printed paper.


Here is the video report by the main TV news crew in NH.
Case dismissed against 'Robin Hooders' after harassment accusations
Judge: Activists' actions protected by First Amendment
UPDATED 6:45 AM EST Dec 05, 2013
http://www.wmur.com/news/nh-news/case-dimissed-against-robin-hooders-after-harassment-accusations/-/9857858/23298034/-/bp3190z/-/index.html

Here is some of the text from the above video.

The group moves around the city refilling expired parking meters before officers can write tickets.

The city sought an injunction to stop the activists from interfering with parking enforcement officers by keeping members at least 30 feet away at all times.

In dismissing the case Wednesday, Cheshire Superior Court Justice John Kissinger wrote, "Their free speech rights under the First Amendment of the federal Constitution will be violated by permitting the city to move forward."

"It was not a surprise to me. We did really well, and they really had no case," said activist James Cleaveland.

Cleaveland and his fellow Robin Hooders were accused by the city of verbally harassing parking enforcement officers as they tried to ticket vehicles downtown.

"A lot of the things they alleged that I said were untrue, such as I never told them they should find other employment or quit their job or anything. I mean, there were some people who said things like that, but I personally never said anything like that," Cleaveland said.

Cleaveland said video evidence refuted many of the city's claims.


Kissinger suggested the city look at an ordinance to address the issue.

City officials plan to issue public comments on the case on Thursday.
An ordinance? I wonder what will happen.

[ClydeCoulter]

Kissinger suggested the city look at an ordinance to address the issue.

Like, "Thou shalt not help thy neighbor, nor shall ye assist oxen fallen into a ditch"

[tod evans]

Like, "Thou shalt not help thy neighbor, nor shall ye assist oxen fallen into a ditch"

The ditches belong to the king, if an ox stumbles and falls he has sacrificed himself for the kings dinner.

[ClydeCoulter]

The ditches belong to the king, if an ox stumbles and falls he has sacrificed himself for the kings dinner.

"You shall love the Lord, the state, with of all your heart and mind and soul, for as long as you both shall live" ?

[ClydeCoulter]

BTW, this (OP) is very good news!

[green73]

shared.

[tod evans]

Has a counter-suit been filed?

[Keith and stuff]

Has a counter-suit been filed?
Nope. But keep in mind that the civil rights lawyer that took the case doesn't live in Keene and already spend a great deal of time on the case. Plus, the 6 defendants spent 100+ combined hours on the case. I doubt they have the money to sue so the lawyer would likely have to agree to it. And they would have to continue to want to waste their time. It might happen, though. I'll keep you posted!

BTW, sorry about the formatting, I didn't create this. Here is a decent Keene paper with something that the City of Keene thinks is a possible solution to help it out. The solutions are to give the ability to pay via a smart phone to add time to their meter and to build extra, unneeded parking lots with meters so there is more ground for Merry Men to cover.

http://freeconcord.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/2013_11_27_parkingbrngx1.jpg

[Schifference]

Pretty simple the city makes an ordinance that only people traveling in the car can deposit money into the meter.

[osan]

An ordinance? I wonder what will happen.

That what I'm wondering. How would an ordinance change the relationship between the false claims of a mob labeling it "the city" and the fundamental rights of individual human beings? I see nothing honest and correct that could possibly change anything. I see possibilities, however, of a devious and criminal nature. And what, pray tell, is a judge doing giving such advice as to how a band of thieves should go about in furtive chicanery pursuant to the aforementioned violations of fundamental human rights. The recommendation makes less than zero sense.

[osan]

The ditches belong to the king, if an ox stumbles and falls he has sacrificed himself for the kings dinner.

If the king befoul my day with his presence, he shall sacrifice himself for my divine right not to be so interfered. My bullets shall greet him merrily and with swift certitude.

[Keith and stuff]

Here are 4 minor stories covering it. There are mostly cut and pastes of other stories already out there. It's nice to know that this story is being covered, even if it's in minor ways. The more coverage, the better. I'll make another post when there is additional MSM coverage. My guess is, there should be several stories coming out of Boston because various reporters went to Keene to cover the 1st lawsuit.

December 04. 2013 3:06PM
Cases against Keene 'Robin Hooders' dismissed by judge
By MEGHAN PIERCE
Union Leader Correspondent
http://www.newhampshire.com/article/20131204/NEWS/131209680/-1/NEWHAMPSHIRE


NH Robin Hood Lawsuits Dismissed, After Dull Article
December 4, 2013 by Free Concord
http://freekeene.com/2013/12/04/nh-robin-hood-lawsuits-dismissed-after-dull-article/


Robin Hood of Keene Cases DISMISSED!!
Posted on 04 December 2013.
http://www.copblock.org/40280/robin-hood-cases-dismissed/


City Suit Against Keene Robin Hooders Dismissed by NH Superior Court Judge
by Steve MacDonald
http://granitegrok.com/blog/2013/12/city-suit-against-keene-robin-hooders-dismissed-by-nh-superior-court-judge
This post has some good original content that I thought was worth sharing. Here is how it ended.

I am still curious to see it the city of Keene will add another new fee or tax (or hike an existing one) to ‘recover’ the parking enforcement funds they believe they have been denied. Make no mistake. They think it is their money and they will punish everyone if they have to to get it back.

Municipalities can be like mob families and Free Keene has cut into their parking extortion racket. While the first ‘hit’ (the lawsuits) failed, others are sure to follow. No Democrat majority government ever goes quietly into that good night when ‘their’ money is concerned.

Yeah, I know it’s your money, but like I said, that is not how they see it.

[Anti Federalist]

PEOs?

Fucking metermaids are "officers" now?

"He has sent hither swarms of Officers..."

[osan]

PEOs?

Fucking metermaids are "officers" now?

"He has sent hither swarms of Officers..."

Did they swear an oath?

If so, what could it possibly have been?

"I, state your name, do solemly swear to uphold the will of the city council and to meet my citation quotas without fail or regard for lack of honest opportunity, taking the initiative to creatively fabricate opportunities to enhance city income through the issue of parking tickets even in the face of obnoxious Robin Hooders."

Or perhaps more along the lines of a Marine: "This is my ticket book. There are many like it but this one is mine..."

[fr33]

Glad to hear it.

[Keith and stuff]

PEOs?

Fucking metermaids are "officers" now?

"He has sent hither swarms of Officers..."
Parking Enforcement Officers start their days at the Keene Police Station, picking up their official vehicles, which are parking behind the Station, along with other police vehicles (except the BEARCAT). They are employed by the Keene Parking Department, which is a part of the Keene Police Department, located in the Station. They are allowed to lie, even on the stand, just as police are allowed to do. And they are members of the same police union as the other Department employees. The main differences seem to be they don't have arrestable powers and they are paid less.


The City of Keene and it's highly paid spineless lawyer have responded. Here is the most recent Keene newspaper article about the case. I only quotes selected parts of the article.

Judge cites First Amendment in dismissing Keene case against Robin Hooders
Posted: Thursday, December 5, 2013 12:00 pm
By Kyle Jarvis Sentinel Staff
http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/judge-cites-first-amendment-in-dismissing-keene-case-against-robin/article_40e36444-6dcb-5cc6-b6e2-a0bfa3e96930.html




Judge John C. Kissinger Jr., in a 16-page decision Tuesday, sided with the Robin Hooders.

“The Court agrees with the Respondents that their free speech rights under the First Amendment of the Federal Constitution will be violated by permitting the City to move forward on any of the claims in this action or the more recent action or by granting the requested preliminary and permanent injunctive relief. Thus, the Respondents’ motion to dismiss is granted.”

Citing previous First Amendment-related cases, Kissinger noted the Robin Hooders’ actions occurred “on streets and sidewalks throughout downtown Keene ... used for public assembly and debate, the hallmarks of a traditional public forum.

“Such space occupies a special position in terms of First Amendment protection,” Kissinger noted.





City officials filed a second action against the Robin Hooders in September, claiming they were entitled to reimbursement for the parking officers’ “inability to properly perform their employment duties,” as well as the “loss of an employee, a modified schedule for another employee because of the defendants’ behavior, hiring costs to replace the lost employee, monetary and administrative expenses with regard to counseling and other human resources issues.”

The suit also argued that the city could suffer further damage if other parking enforcement officers quit or require special accommodations due to the Robin Hooders’ alleged behavior.

Kissinger dismissed that complaint as well.

During a three-day bench trial that ended in early October, city attorneys asked the court for a 30-foot buffer zone between the officers and Robin Hooders to protect the officers and ensure their ability to do their jobs effectively.

Parking enforcement officers Linda Desruisseaux, Jane McDermott and Alan Givetz — who said he eventually quit as a result of stress induced by Robin Hooders — testified during the trial that Robin Hooders called them names and told them they should quit their jobs.





Attorney Jon Meyer of Manchester, who represented the Robin Hooders for free, said he was pleased with the judge’s decision, “because I think Judge Kissinger not only recognized, but basically affirmed, the importance of free speech and political expression and activity in public places, whether you agree with it or not.”

At various points during the trial, both sides — and Kissinger — commented on the unusual nature of the case, and the lack of precedent in the context of the city’s suit.

Meyer said the case was unique only because of the city’s approach to its arguments.

“The type of political expression in this case was certainly different. But I’m not really sure it was necessarily, in terms of concept, different from many other groups of activists on many different issues on many different points of view,” he said.

“What was different was the city utilized a legal theory, interference with contractual relations, which in my experience had never been used against a group of political demonstrators. It was a novel tactic, and if it had succeeded, it would have, in my mind, had devastating consequences across the board.”

Freeman said that while he was confident that he and his fellow defendants had done nothing wrong, believing they were morally and legally in the right, “You never know what to expect from government judges, since they do tend to lean in favor of the state.”

Ean said he was surprised that city officials brought the suit against him and his friends in the first place.

“The fact that there was so much action and resources invested in this particular legal battle, and now it’s all for naught on the city’s part,” he said. “I’m surprised they were so flagrantly wasting resources and being cagey about what it all stood for, when I think we all knew it was about revenue the entire time.”



City Manager John A. MacLean said the money to pay for attorney Charles P. Bauer of Concord and his legal team came out of the city attorney’s line item budget, and estimated that cost to be somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000. The city hired Bauer’s firm because it has more experiences with these kinds of cases than the city attorney, officials said.




In a statement, Bauer said, “The City believes it has the right and obligation to try to protect its employees from workplace interference, harassment, and intimidation,” adding that city officials brought the suit with the hope that the court would affirm that right, rather than to inhibit the activists. “The City did not request the Court stop the individuals from protesting against the City or its employees.”

Bauer said he’s disappointed with Kissinger’s decision and disagrees with the ruling.


In his decision, Kissinger did not to endorse the Robin Hooders’ actions, saying, “the Court does not mean to suggest that the targeting of hard-working (parking enforcement officers) in the manner described above is appropriate or laudable,” adding that “each of the (officers) is to be commended for the composure and civility they have shown.”
That's laughable. The Parking Enforcement Officers made fun of (to their faces, on Facebook, on YouTube, on the streets), laughed at, incited people they knew to attack Merry Men (3 separate Merry Men were attacked because of PEOs), called the police on Merry Men with false reports, lied to people on the streets, lied on the stand and so on. The PEOs, while paid employees, acted much less professionally and in a much more disrespectful way than the Merry Men.


He noted that city officials have other options for addressing the situation.

“The Court notes that the (parking officers) are not without remedy to the extent that the Respondents violate applicable criminal laws. Nothing in this decision is meant to suggest that conduct that rises to the level of an assault, criminal threatening, or otherwise violates other provisions of the criminal code constitutes protected speech,” Kissinger wrote. “Further, the City may, provided it does not run afoul of constitutional protections, enact an ordinance addressing some of its concerns.”

Bauer said he expects to confer with City Attorney Thomas P. Mullins, MacLean, and the City Council soon to determine whether to appeal.


BTW, the Keene newspaper has asked for YOUR OPINION on the judge's ruling. What do you think of the Robin Hooders decision?
Give you feedback. http://www.sentinelsource.com/opinion/talkback/what-do-you-think-of-the-robin-hooders-decision/article_e960c4af-ed5d-56ab-ab4e-736bc7185263.html

[nobody's_hero]

The absurdity of Keene's claims is really the big picture, here. I've pointed this out before and some people seemed to understand what I'm getting at:

The city claims that it "loses" money if people put money into parking meters for other commuters.

What the city of Keene is really saying is: "If everyone obeys the law and pays as required to park, then we will lose money." This is a HUGE budget flaw that needs to be exposed repeatedly and loudly, if indeed the city NEEDS people to BREAK THE LAWS on parking in order to turn a profit. That's basically what the city officials are claiming, am I right? You must break the law by not inserting coins into the parking meter, or we will lose money. It almost sounds as if their main source of revenue doesn't come from the meters, but from people who don't use the meters.

Imagine a store that somehow devised a way to make a profit by closing its doors and turning away customers, but at the same time, charged them for their 'non-patronage'. In fact, it would actually prefer not to have any shoppers. But, that would be a ridiculous business model. People would say that's a pretty dumb system.

In my opinion, that's the way the Merry Men need to frame their arguments to get more people to realize how absurd the parking system is, and hopefully get support from others.

Summary: If everyone uses the parking system like they're supposed to, the city will go broke. If you really want to do your civic duty and fund government (that's my devil's advocate speaking), break the law.

Sounds stupid, right?

[Keith and stuff]

You must break the law by not inserting coins into the parking meter, or we will lose money. It almost sounds as if their main source of revenue doesn't come from the meters, but from people who don't use the meters.
It is terrible budgeting.


NH WMUR has a 2nd news video out. Here it is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SonXU0qcje0


Here are some additional newspaper scans featured on FreeConcord.org
UL, Sentinel Report on Robin Hood Case Dismissal
Posted on December 5, 2013 by freeconcord
http://freeconcord.org/2013/12/05/ul-sentinel-report-on-robin-hood-case-dismissal/

http://freeconcord.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/2013_12_05_sentinel-3b.jpg

http://freeconcord.files.wordpress.com/2013/12/2013_12_05_unionleader1.jpg

[Keith and stuff]

I looked for coverage outside of NH but could only find WCVB ABC of Boston. Sad. The first lawsuit gained national attention with newspapers and TV shows nationwide making fun of the City of Keene government. Oh well.

Parking meter Robin Hoods win court ruling
UPDATED 6:33 AM EST Dec 05, 2013
http://www.wcvb.com/news/local/parking-meter-robin-hoods-win-court-ruling/-/9848876/23299286/-/hrob4k/-/index.html

Video at link.

Robin Hood of Keene was also given a Up rating by the WMUR political expert.

Robin Hooders of Keene: They won a key court ruling.
http://www.wmur.com/political-scoop/political-standing-for-dec-6-2013/-/16254890/23359852/-/kv8fg0/-/index.html

[Keith and stuff]

Ian Freeman, creator of Free Talk Live, Free Keene and Liberty Radio Network doesn't Robin Hood except for a handful of hours over several years, but since he has millions of fans, he was included in the lawsuits the City of Keene put against Merry Men and a Merry Lady. His radio show, 1 of the top 50 in the US, airs on the main Keene, NH talk radio station. Another host on the radio station interviewed him about the verdict. Here is that interview. I recommend it. Ian rocks!
https://soundcloud.com/freetalklive/ian-interviewed-about-robin-1

[muzzled dogg]

^listening to that soundcloud interview right now. ian did very well

[Keith and stuff]

^listening to that soundcloud interview right now. ian did very well
You are an awesome person. Thanks for watching. BTW, there is a new video. It's awesome. Please watch it!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ap4oVVOMydo

[Keith and stuff]

The City of Keene is ALL IN. It is appealing the City of Keene vs. the People of Keene cases to the New Hampshire Supreme Court! Will the Supreme Judges take up the matter? Will the people of Keene or the City of Keene win? We will know the answers to these exciting questions before 2015. Stay tuned!

City will appeal Robin Hood ruling
Posted: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 12:00 pm
By Kyle Jarvis Sentinel Staff
http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/city-will-appeal-robin-hood-ruling/article_9711c593-6439-5aeb-8f32-1114ebedd499.html




City officials aren’t prepared to give up the fight against Robin Hood of Keene just yet.

An attorney hired by city officials said Tuesday afternoon he intends — with the agreement of city officials — to appeal a recent Cheshire County Superior Court judge’s ruling dismissing the city’s complaint against “Robin Hooders,” who follow parking enforcement officers to feed expired meters before officers can write tickets for those vehicles.





City officials filed a second action against the Robin Hooders in September, claiming they were entitled to reimbursement for the parking officers’ “inability to properly perform their employment duties,” as well as the “loss of an employee, a modified schedule for another employee because of the defendants’ behavior, hiring costs to replace the lost employee, monetary and administrative expenses with regard to counseling and other human resources issues.”

In a 16-page ruling handed down last week, Cheshire County Superior Court Judge John C. Kissinger Jr. dismissed the city’s complaint, citing conflicts with the First Amendment.





City Attorney Thomas P. Mullins said previously that Bauer was hired because he has more experience in trial cases.

“This case is not about prohibiting the exercise of the rights of free expression,” Bauer said in the statement. “The city asked for a reasonable remedy — to allow public employees to do their jobs without substantial interference and to allow individuals to protest from a safe and reasonable distance away from the employees. The court’s order fails to recognize, or to balance, the legitimate competing rights of the parties.”

In his decision, Kissinger sided with the Robin Hooders, and their attorney, Jon Meyer of Manchester, who represented them during the trial pro bono, saying “The Court agrees with the Respondents that their free speech rights under the First Amendment of the Federal Constitution will be violated by permitting the City to move forward on any of the claims in this action or the more recent action or by granting the requested preliminary and permanent injunctive relief. Thus, the Respondents’ motion to dismiss is granted.”

Bauer disagreed with Kissinger’s explanation.

“With due respect to the Superior Court order, the city believes that the court order is wrong,” he said in the statement. “It failed to recognize and balance public employees’ rights against third parties’ rights to protest.”

Bauer said he and city officials find Kissinger’s ruling raises concerns because it “may subject all state, municipal, county, and public employees in New Hampshire to similar workplace interference, harassment, and intimidation, and the city believes that it has the right, and the obligation, to take the steps necessary to protect its employees from such actions.”

Kissinger’s decision focused on the venue of the Robin Hooders’ actions, saying that because it occurs “on streets and sidewalks throughout downtown Keene ... used for public assembly and debate, the hallmarks of a traditional public forum,” that “such space occupies a special position in terms of First Amendment protection.”

Mullins said he had spoken with both Bauer and city officials about the case Tuesday before the decision to appeal was made.

“I think it’s appropriate to say the city believes strongly in having (attorneys) move forward with an appeal,” Mullins said in a telephone interview Tuesday evening. “There was broad support from city councilors for taking this action.”

City Manager John A. MacLean said previously that the money to pay for Bauer and his legal team came from the city attorney’s line item budget, and that costs to date are estimated to be between $20,000 and $25,000. It remains unclear how much that figure will increase during the appeal process.

Meyer said he had two reactions to the city’s decision to appeal.

“The first is that I’m surprised because I think the trial judge’s opinion is absolutely supported by the law and very well and thoroughly reasoned,” he said in an interview this morning. “The other reaction I had was more positive: Certainly, the N.H. Supreme Court has a long history of addressing and protecting free expression rights, but there have been no recent cases that have presented that opportunity ... to reaffirm the fact that whether you agree or disagree with a political activity, the role of the government is not to suppress it.”

Mullins said the decision to appeal does not necessarily mean the Supreme Court will agree to hear the case, but Meyer said he expects it will.

[fr33]

The City of Keene is ALL IN. It is appealing the City of Keene vs. the People of Keene cases to the New Hampshire Supreme Court! Will the Supreme Judges take up the matter? Will the people of Keene or the City of Keene win? We will know the answers to these exciting questions before 2015. Stay tuned!

City will appeal Robin Hood ruling
Posted: Wednesday, December 11, 2013 12:00 pm
By Kyle Jarvis Sentinel Staff
http://www.sentinelsource.com/news/local/city-will-appeal-robin-hood-ruling/article_9711c593-6439-5aeb-8f32-1114ebedd499.html

That's what is called "going full retard". I hope this backfires and hurts their budget even more than robin-hooding has already. The liberty movement in NH should point out to people that the city is wasting even more tax payers' money on a fledgling program. If such an educational campaign by free-staters is successful, you might gain even more robin-hooders that are willing to save people from tickets.

[Keith and stuff]

That's what is called "going full retard". I hope this backfires and hurts their budget even more than robin-hooding has already. The liberty movement in NH should point out to people that the city is wasting even more tax payers' money on a fledgling program. If such an educational campaign by free-staters is successful, you might gain even more robin-hooders that are willing to save people from tickets.

Great post!
+Rep

The short clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAKG-kbKeIo

The longer clip

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6WHBO_Qc-Q

http://www.troll.me/images/full-retard/you-went-full-retard-never-go-full-retard.jpg

[Keith and stuff]

Interesting press release I saw on a pretty cool New Hampshire blog, NHInsider.com. It seems like the harder the city of Keene pushes to punish these people for preventing tickets, the more these folks do to prevent ticket.

Robin Hood of Keene Works to Extend Keene, N.H. Holiday Parking Week by an Additional Day
Monday, December 16, 2013 at 07:44AM
By Robin Hood of Keene
http://www.nhinsider.com/press-releases/2013/12/16/robin-hood-of-keene-works-to-extend-keene-nh-holiday-parking.html


Robin Hood of Keene, in solidarity with City of Keene, will attempt to
expand the Holiday Week of free shopping in Keene, New Hampshire by an
additional day. In an effort to not annoy holiday shoppers, City of
Keene will not demand change from drivers parked at metered parking
spaces from December 18th though December 25th. Robin Hood's Merry
People will be saving driver's from parking tickets from 9:00AM to
5:00PM on Tuesday, December 17th.

This is the first time Robin Hood of Keene and City of Keene have
partnered together to help drivers and downtown Keene based store
owners. If this test run works well, Robin Hood of Keene and City of
Keene may partner together in future endeavors.

Contact
https://www.facebook.com/KeeneRobinHood

[osan]

Interesting press release I saw on a pretty cool New Hampshire blog, NHInsider.com. It seems like the harder the city of Keene pushes to punish these people for preventing tickets, the more these folks do to prevent ticket.

Robin Hood of Keene Works to Extend Keene, N.H. Holiday Parking Week by an Additional Day
Monday, December 16, 2013 at 07:44AM
By Robin Hood of Keene
http://www.nhinsider.com/press-releases/2013/12/16/robin-hood-of-keene-works-to-extend-keene-nh-holiday-parking.html

INTERVIEWER: Did you just sell your soul to the devil?

ROBIN HOOD: Yes, I did.

INTERVIEWER: Why would you so such a thing?

ROBIN HOOD: Well, I wasn't using it, so...

[Keith and stuff]

Millions of people know of the story. Robin Hooders in Keene, NH were sued because they save people from getting parking tickets. Robin Hooders won, because that's consider free speech under the 1st Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America.

Now the year is almost over, so the local Keene paper, the Keene Sentinel, has a poll over the biggest story from Keene in 2013. 1 of the nominated stories is Robin Hooders being sued twice by the Keene government because too many people were being helped, and the Keene government losing both cases.

Feel free to vote For that story. No email or anything else needed. Just click the like and vote (if you want).
http://www.sentinelsource.com/special/top_story_2013/

[fr33]

Feel free to vote For that story. No email or anything else needed. Just click the like and vote (if you want).
http://www.sentinelsource.com/special/top_story_2013/

Voted. Looks like a blow-out. 90.3%

[ClydeCoulter]

Voted. Looks like a blow-out. 90.3%

91+ now. :)

What's this "The city plans to appeal the ruling"? Double Jeopardy or what?

[ClydeCoulter]

Voted. Looks like a blow-out. 90.3%

91+ now. :)

What's this "The city plans to appeal the ruling"? Double Jeopardy or what?

What the hey? A double post.

[Keith and stuff]

City of Keene wanted to waste more taxpayer dollars so guess what it did?

ity Files Robin Hood Appeal, Spends $2,200 on Transcript Alone
December 27, 2013 by Ian
http://freekeene.com/2013/12/27/city-files-robin-hood-appeal-spends-2200-on-transcript-alone/

There are 5 links included in the original story. Click on the above link to see the additional links :)


The people calling themselves the “City of Keene” have officially filed their appeal in the Robin Hood cases. They have also filed a motion asking the NH supreme court to accept amicus briefs in the case from other interested parties, which will likely be various state employee unions, and other state agencies interested in destroying freedom of speech and the press.

The appeal paperwork lists the amount “the City” will be forcing taxpayers to pay for the transcript of the three-day “evidentiary hearings” that led to the dismissal of their illegal, unconstitutional civil cases against the Robin Hooders: $2,200! Add that to the at least $20,000 that taxpayers have forked over for this frivolous case against us in the first place, and then keep counting, because the legal bill from the fancy private attorneys “the city” hired isn’t going to get smaller!

A recent Keene city council meeting shows a non-public session where the council appears to have voted 12-0 on a legal issue, presumably this case. Is the city council really in favor of this move by “the city”? How many taxpayer dollars are they willing to lavish on this case before people boot them out of office in the next election?

Usually the court will take a month to docket the case. Stay tuned to Free Keene for the latest on the Robin Hood saga.

http://freekeene.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/RobinHood_sheriff-150x150.png

[NoOneButPaul]

Makes me want to move to Keene and help them... I'm still planning on moving to NH I just keep telling myself I need more money before I do.

[Keith and stuff]

This is still making national news.

CBS News did a national story on this. Unfortunately, CBS gets many things wrong in the video. Free Keene is not Robin Hood of Keene. They are different organizations/groups. They have different leaders. Neither would describe itself as anarchists. It sounds like the man speaking at a Keene Police Department Parking Enforcement Officer, asking to help the Officer find a different career where the Officer would be more respected by the community is not a Robin Hooder. The person also isn't part of Free Keene. The person doesn't even live in New England. The government worker that said the two lawsuits were about harassment was lying, since there was no harassment. CBS claimed that the city wanted a 10 foot buffer. The city actually wanted a 30 foot buffer and also considered a 15 foot buffer.

But anyway, it's national news so...

Edit: The video was taken off of YouTube. You can find it here, though.


May 25, 2014, 6:27 PM|New Hampshire's state motto is "Live Free or Die," but one town there is finding its concept of libertarianism challenged by a group of self-described anarchists. And as Don Dahler explains, they're using the town's parking meters as their battlefield.
The description isn't accurate, though. Merry Men have all different political views. They are certainly not all anarchist. In the video, not even one of them claims to be an anarchist. As for a battlefield, that seems a little loaded, especially on Memorial Day Weekend. Saving single moms and the elderly from parking tickets isn't a battlefield.

http://www.cbsnews.com/videos/new-hampshire-towns-radical-way-of-fighting-parking-tickets/