August 13, 2012, Ademo Freeman, founder of CopBlock.org, was found guilty on three counts of felony wiretapping after recording his conversations with public officials in an attempt to bring accountability to a situation where it was noticeably absent – an incident where excessive force was used against 17-year-old Frank Harrington, a student at Manchester’s West High School, by Darren Murphy, school resource officer and an employee of the Manchester Police Department.
If you are not familiar with Ademo’s situation, learn more.
Ademo was sentenced to one year in Valley Street Jail, all but 90 days suspended, as well as 1-3 years in NH State Prison suspended for 5 years of good behavior.
In a letter from jail, Ademo wrote: “By the time this is posted, we’ll already know the outcome and hopefully the jury is understanding of my position. I don’t, or won’t, blame them if they find me guilty.”
Ademo may not blame them, but I do.
Each individual juror made the decision to find Ademo guilty knowing that he faced up to 21 years in prison and knowing that those he recorded conversations with are public officials. The public officials involved are responsible for their actions, obviously, but the jurors are responsible for their decision to consent to the actions of the public officials seeking to jail Ademo.
Ademo said, “Judge Brown will start and end the trial with specific instructions for the jury. If the jury follows them – for whatever reason, but most likely out of fear or lack of understanding of the justice system – they will find me guilty.”
Being ordered to remove your conscience because it is written on a piece of paper does not mean you can do so. If you have the ability to remove your inner sense of right and wrong because somebody tells you to, then you don’t really have a sense of right and wrong. You are responsible for every decision you make regardless of outside suggestions or commands.
Whether they are misinformed and truly believe Ademo deserves to go to jail for recording phone conversations with PUBLIC officials, voted ‘guilty’ because they were afraid, gave in to peer pressure, or just didn’t care – they were wrong, and they are responsible for their decision.
Besides the aggressors themselves, those 12 people are the only ones who could have put an end to this nonsense. Each one of the jurors is responsible for consenting to enforcers of the state putting a man in a cage for recording a conversation with public officials concerning another public official slamming a 17-year-old boy’s face onto the cafeteria table over a sibling dispute.
Every night that I, and everyone else who cares for him, have to wonder if he’s okay, every night that Ademo spends multiple locked doors and armed men away from the freedom to move, eat, live as he desires, I hope each one of those jurors reevaluates their choice to stand behind an arbitrary piece of paper read aloud in the form of a command rather than standing behind what is right.
“All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” -Edmund Burke
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Good for you, Kate! Ademo’s refusal to blame those clearly responsible for the proliferation of tyranny is an all-too-common attitude among liberty activists, and is more responsible for blocking progress toward establishing freedom than any other single factor. I hope you can help dispel it on your podcast. It won’t be easy for you, but then, standing up for a willfully unseen truth never is. I’m available to discuss it if you have questions to ask–or answer.
It has NOTHING to do about Democrats or Republicans. It use to be be you couldn’t find a Republican arnoud here when the only way to get elected was to be a Democrat. Now that it’s basically the other way arnoud all the rats have become Republicans and will change back to Democrats if necessary .What it’s all about is the party of Mr. William Altimus,the party of Mr. Brad Cummings, the party of Mr. Rick Avery, the party of Mr. Jerome Darby, the Party of Ms. Wanda Bennett, the part Mr. Wayne Hammack, the party of Mr. Glenn Benton, the party of Mr. Winfred Johnston, the party of Mr. Barry Butler, the party Mr. Hank Meachum, the party ofMr. Jimmy Cochran, the party of Mr. Mac (“hic”) Plummer. But Bossier is getting EXACTLY what it deserves for voting into office the people they do. And 5:53, when are people like you going to come up with something other than “If you don’t like it move to Shreveport.” That’s about as old as the stain in your underwear and about as productive. There’s plenty to complain about. If you would pull your head out of the dark, moist, warm place and see that there are problems in Bossier that needs to be addressed to keep the nice thing we have. Problems like a the Cyber Innovation Center and the wanting to build an addition, the parking garage at the Board Walk, the Bossier Parish Sheriff’s tax fiasco. Yep, no problems in Bossier.