Hartford IMC » free speech

Government Secretly Demanded IP Address of Every Visitor to Indymedia

dave rozza — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:28:51 +0000

(EFF) Secrecy surrounds law enforcement’s communications surveillance practices like a dense fog. Particularly shrouded in secrecy are government demands issued under 18 U.S.C. § 2703 of the Stored Communications Act or “SCA” that seek subscriber information or other user records from communications service providers. When the government wants such data from a phone company or online service provider, it can obtain a court order under the SCA demanding the information from the provider, along with a gag order preventing the provider from disclosing the existence of the government’s demand. More often, companies are simply served with subpoenas issued directly by prosecutors without any court involvement; these demands, too, are rarely made public. (For more background on how the SCA works, see this section of EFF’s Surveillance Self-Defense manual.)

Continued…

Food Not Bombs Takes Legal Action

kevin — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 18:14:34 +0000

After a series of crackdowns by Middletown officials against Middletown Food Not Bombs, the food activists are going on the offensive. Today, FNB filed a federal injunction that would halt a cease and desist order which bars the group from meal-sharing activities unless food is prepared in a Health Department registered kitchen. The target of the injunction is both the city of Middletown and the state of Connecticut. According to the FNB press release, the cease and desist order also applies to “political” activities as well. And, in a lawsuit filed on Friday, FNB argues that attempts to stop FNB’s public meals infringe on the group’s constitutional rights and has a chilling effect on such activities elsewhere. Food Not Bombs is a loosely organized, all volunteer non-hierarchical organization which serves food in public places, not as charity, but as a political statement against war, poverty, excess and inequality. The nearly 30 year old movement follows the slogan “food is a right, not a privilege.” Every Sunday afternoon Middletown FNB serves free vegetarian meals to anyone who wants to eat. Other community members bring food to share as well.

Community resident, turned FNB activist, Fred Carroll had this to say about the ongoing clash:

“Food Not Bombs has been sharing vegetarian meals and groceries in Middletown for at least ten years. For the last two or three years I’ve participated in the meal sharing on Main Street. I am not homeless, but I have not had a steady income during this time, and the political discussions and healthy and nutritious Sunday meals became an important part of my week. I recently became a more active volunteer with the organization. Sharing food with people is our way of saying that food is a human right, that there is enough of everything to go around if communities were more empowered, and that everyone should be treated as equals.”

Carroll went on to liken FNB’s Sunday routine to a picnic. The injunction maintains that FNB does not distribute food in the same way as a soup kitchen or restaurant and therefore should not be subject to the same Health Department regulations. Said Carroll, “What’s next? The Health Department will come in and regulate people’s picnics in the park?”

The Middletown chapter of FNB has been operating for more than ten years without incident or clashes with municipal or state officials, until earlier this year. In addition to the cease and desist order, FNB activities have been subjected to two citations and one misdemeanor charge, and Middletown health officials confiscated and threw away food, literally right from the hands of hungry residents.

In addition to actions by the city of Middletown, Hartford IMC has also learned from inside sources that there may be a statewide crackdown in the works against all Food Not Bombs collectives active in the state. In response, individual activists from Hartford Food Not Bombs have offered support to Middletown FNB.

HIMC will continue to cover this story as developments unfold.

Censorship at CCSU

kevin — Mon, 04 May 2009 18:35:01 +0000

RadioActive presents an exclusive interview with Marissa Blazsko, former Opinions Editor for The Recorder, CCSU’s student newspaper. Blazsko was fired from her position after participating in political activism on campus and in the community. On RadioActive, Blazsko discusses the implications of The Recorder’s actions on current and future journalists, as well as the selective application of rights to “free speech.” When the newspaper was in hot water in the past for racist and sexist material, it justified itself through free speech. However, the concept has not been applied to Blazsko’s case, even though her activism had no measurable, detrimental consequences for her job at the newspaper.

In her fight to get her job back, Blazsko has been documenting the situation on a new blog: http://freespeechcentral.wordpress.com Her latest post describes a partial victory which occurred on May 1. Here’s one of the results:

On May Day 2009, the Central State Connecticut University Media Board motioned to reexamine the constitution of every media outlet at CCSU, including it’s own. This means that at their first meeting of next semester, the Media Board may officially choose to change its own constitution in a way which would give it the power to act upon its recommendations for The Recorder–including reinstatements and constitutional amendments.

RadioActive: Marissa Blazsko v. The Recorder

kevin — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:14:40 +0000

Marissa Blazsko was fired by the CCSU newspaper for her political beliefs. Hear what she has to say about it, and about objectivity, journalism and free speech.

Click here to download the MP3

RadioActive – November 12, 2008 – Peter Chase

kevin — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 01:39:41 +0000

Interview with Peter Chase, the Plainville, CT librarian who resisted an FBI national security letter and won.

Click here to download the MP3