Keene, New Hampshire, Continues Legal Fight Against Free Staters Paying Meters, Speaking to Their Meter Enforcement Agents

The city of Keene, New Hampshire, continues
to spend its citizens money trying to prevent local Free State
Project activists from daring to pay expired meters and talk to
meter enforcement officers, as reported in the New Hampshire
Union-Leader:

The city’s appeal of the dismissed lawsuit against ‘Robin
Hooders’ is set to come before the state Supreme Court this
month…In the city appeal, [city hired attorney Charles P.]
Bauer argues that the Cheshire County Superior Court erred in
finding the Robin Hooders’ actions are protected under free
speech.

“The defendants do not have a First Amendment right to create
hostile conditions that are intended to force municipal employees
to choose between suffering daily and ongoing harassment or
quitting their jobs,” Bauer states in the appeal filed with the
Supreme Court in June.

The city filed a lawsuit in May 2013 against six citizens who
are part of a group who have dubbed themselves Robin Hood of
Keene….All but one in the group admitted to patrolling
downtown armed with video cameras and pockets full of change to
fill expired parking meters before a city parking enforcement
officer can issue a ticket….

Then the city filed a second suit in September 2013 seeking
monetary damages from the citizens. But:

In December, both civil lawsuits by the city against the
group were dismissed by Cheshire County Superior Court judge John
Kissinger.

In his Dec. 3 decisions, Kissinger granted the group’s motions
to dismiss based on their argument that it was within their
constitutional right to free speech. 

I blogged in May about the
state’s earlier failed efforts to punish Keene’s anti-meter
maid activism in court.