Posted on 07/20/2010 9:12:19 AM PDT by Daffynition
KEENE – In the streets of Keene: Bare bosoms, yes; breast painting and booze, no.
Several people were arrested Sunday shortly after 6 p.m. when a bystander reported people were drinking alcohol and taking off their clothes in Central Square downtown, police said.
Keene Police Lt. Darryl Madden said no one was arrested for nakedness, which is not illegal in Keene.
"One woman was topless ... and she was getting her breasts painted by another woman," he said. "There's no law against being naked, but you can't be lewd or lascivious. And one person groping someone's breasts and saying lewd things certainly qualifies."
Madden identified many of those arrested as members of or associates of the Free Keene and Free State movements.
Sam Dodson, an activist who attends Free Keene protests, said that it was a man painting the woman, identified as Heika Courser, 26, of 3 Fitzwilliam Road, Richmond. The man, an artist who regularly does oil paintings in the park, was drawing a pattern on Courser's breast when he was stopped by police, Dodson said.
When police arrived, they also noticed people drinking in the park and started making arrests, Madden said. As they did, the crowd started yelling at and "getting in the officers' faces," Madden said.
Police made more arrests.
The whole episode took about 15 minutes Madden said, and it's not clear how many people were in the park at the time. As police were driving away, Madden said a few people jumped on the hoods of the police cars to try to stop them.
Dodson said one person, Richard Paul, 41, of 816 Elm St., Manchester, sat on a cruiser's bumper, leaned on the grill and sat on the hood, while others stood in front of the cruisers.
"(What police said) implies they were walking on top of police cars, but that just wasn't the case," Dodson said.
Paul and Ian "Freeman" Bernard, of Keene, were both arrested as a result.
Once at the police station, two protesters were in the lobby of the station. Madden said they started drinking alcohol in the lobby, and they were ticketed.
People from the Free Keene and Free State movements have met daily in Central Square since last summer, generally to publicly smoke marijuana. In recent months, the Free Keene group has instituted "Topless Tuesdays" which also takes place in the Square, across the street from Keene Middle School and city hall.
Police have largely left the groups alone; only a handful arrests have been made for disorderly conduct over the past several months.
Dodson said Sunday's gathering was part of a new event called "night cap," with people gathering in Central Square at 11 p.m. every night to drink openly in protest of laws prohibiting open containers of alcohol. Dodson said crowds of 30 or more have been gathering, with at least one entrepreneurial activist selling beer to the other protesters at $2 a can. The night cap is an offshoot of the daily 4:20 p.m. rallies held to smoke marijuana in protest of state and federal drug laws.
Among those arrested Sunday were Jonathan Ray, 33, of 176 Church St., Keene, for having an open container of alcohol; Wesley Gilreath, 20, of 60 School St., Marlborough, for obstructing government administration and disorderly conduct; Megan Steward, 26, who is listed as homeless in Keene, for obstructing government administration and disorderly conduct; Paul, for obstructing government administration and disorderly conduct; and, Courser for open container of alcohol and resisting arrest.
Arrested at the police station were David Dixon, 30, of 43 Gurnsey St., Keene, for having an open container of alcohol. Ray, 33, was issued a second ticket for having an open container of alcohol.
Not sure how the FreeStaters are lumped into this mess ...is it just sloppy reporting or bias, who knows ....miss ya Nackey Loeb.
Thanks for keeping us abreast of the news of this bust.
Probably losertarians claiming to be FreeStaters.
“Madden identified many of those arrested as members of or associates of the Free Keene and Free State movements.”
What a bunch of boobs!
Stop it, you boob!
“What a bunch of boobs!”
Yeah, hooter thunk it?
Bad boys... bad boys... whatcha gonna do?????.......
Ah, the smell of anarchists in the morning...
Hardly...not going to watch 26+ minutes of nuttiness just to see a boob or two ;-) I kept hoping to see Eric Cartman riding in telling those bozos to “Respect Mah Authoritah!”
Ah the mammaries.
Keene Mississippi?, or Alabama?
New Hampshire.
So Penn Jillett is out there advocating for these assclowns. Looks like my losertarian call was spot on.
OH, THE HUGE MAMMARIES!
Arrests made after downtown incidents
The problem with Penn is that he should speak as much as Teller.
See the title. ;)
Say its not so.
** FREE THE BOOBIES **
They have an annual ‘naked bike ride’ in the capitol of Vermont every year...looks like the cancer is spreading into New Hampshire...
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