Archive for Activism

| June 20, 2014
One comment

The Demand for Accountability Results in FOUR NEW Virginia Chapters

Written By: Nathan Cox

Billboard campaign

Billboard campaign (Laburnum Avenue)

As the Police State continues to spiral out of control (nationwide of course but specifically here in Virginia), with little accountability, the rising militarization of the police along with continued police brutality towards individuals who simply utilize their First Amendment right to record the police, NEW, local, Virginia Cop Block Chapters are rising up! The demand for Public Servant accountability isn’t just within Law Enforcement Agencies, it’s public-sector wide, but most especially and concernedly in the “Justice System”. If you haven’t realized there is something wrong with our “Justice System” yet, you’re probably watching to much American Idol.

Whether it’s corrupt Judges (list goes on), corrupt cops (list goes on), or corrupt Prosecuting Attorneys (list goes on and on) the corruption is clearly rampant in the American “Legal”/ “Justice System”. With little accountability, due to farce “internal investigations” and “immunity”, the double standards and severe lack of accountability are rampant individuals nation-wide are seeing the genuine need for true accountability within the Law Enforcement and Justice System realm. Welcome the brand new Virginia Cop Block local chapters!  Read more

Category: Activism, Announcement | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
| April 30, 2014
4 comments

Virginia Cop Block’s Newest Twitter Account to Report Speed Traps and Check Points

Virginia Cop Block has created a sister Twitter account for the purpose of reporting through tweets and retweets, Police activity such as Speed Traps and Check Points.
The new Twitter Account is @VASpeedTraps. Of course, this is largely user-based, meaning, the more followers AND the more individuals tweeting speed traps they see to this new account, the more we can retweet and spread the word and let other folks know who are attempting to travel unmolested from point A to point B.

VA Speed Traps

Try and be as descriptive & effective as possible within the 140 characters you have in your tweet.
Remember, the more followers and the more folks tweeting the speed traps they say at @VASpeedTraps, the more we can raise awareness and warn people of these revenue collections schemes so consider sharing this or the new account directly with your friends on Twitter and Facebook. Unfortunately “RVASpeedTraps” had already been created a couple years ago, which seems to be not used anymore. So when you’re posting your tweet, be specific to your City, County, Town, then Road/ Intersection/ Mile-Marker/ exit number, etc.

Don’t forget to follow Virginia Cop Block’s PRIMARY Twitter account @VACopBlock

Additionally, Read more

Category: Activism, Announcement | Tags: , , , , , ,
| May 10, 2013
192 comments

How to Beat a Photo-Enforced Speeding Ticket (or Red Light Ticket)

Last year I received a letter in the mail from the Washington D.C DMV claiming I was speeding. As you can see it was one of those Photo-Enforced Speeding Tickets and they had multiple pictures of my CAR. I knew better to just submit and pay a fine like the majority of people do in this country, unfortunately. I am in the habit of not taking “plea deals”, and I am always in the habit of fighting my tickets and NOT pre-paying them so I don’t have to go to court – like many folks do. I just about always record my interactions with the police, whether it’s a traffic stop or not, that way it keeps the entire situation objective, transparent and I can hold the public servant accountable if he/ she violates my rights.

So I got this letter in the mail:  Read more

Category: Activism, Courts, Justice System, Photo-Enforced Tickets | Tags: , ,
| December 15, 2012
No comments

Video: Interview with attorney Andrew Bodoh

By Chris Staples

Attorney Andrew Bodoh presents the facts concerning the Richmond Police Department’s lawsuit against Virginia CopBlock, Virginia CopWatch, Nathan Cox, Moriah Karn, and ten unnamed defendants. Please repost, reblogg, and spread the word about this issue.  The City of Richmond has chosen to sue residents for writing articles that they do not like.  If this action is tolerated, nothing will stop RPD from taking similar action against other residents.

 

Category: Activism, call floods, Corrupt Police, Courts, Dirty Police, Justice System, Police Abuse, Police Abuse Power, videos |
| November 18, 2012
No comments

The Injunction is about Punishing Journalism

Written and edited by Chris Staples

 

By now, most readers of Virginia CopBlock have heard the story about the injunction against Nate Cox, ‘Mo Karnage’, the RVA Wingnut Collective, and filebin.net.  Yes, the Richmond Police Department actually issued an injunction against an internet domain.  Yes, internet domains are inanimate objects incapable of uploading or transmitting data without human action.  Filebin.net is a tool of the digital age, no different from a phone, computer word processor, or blog.

 

RPD’s injunction demonstrates the lengths that governments will go to prevent transparency.  With their injunction, RPD is frantically trying to hold back the free flow of information made possible by the digital age.  This injunction demonstrates how governments fear the loss of the mainstream media’s monopoly on the news.  New media venues like YouTube and podcasts, online news sources like examiner.com and American Daily Herald, and blogging tools like WordPress and BlogSpot destroy the status quo by allowing anyone, anywhere to become reporters.

 

Reporters need access to write their stories.  Finding sources and doing real research takes time.  Attending press conferences and going to lunch with government officials is quicker and easier than developing sources and running actual investigations.  In the past, local police could control their public image by cozying up to the five or size news outlets in an area.  Activist blogs like CopBlock and CopWatch break the stranglehold on investigative journalism.

 

The injunction represents a deliberate act to suppress a free press.  RPD officials understand that independent journalists don’t have the funds to pay for a drawn-out court battle.  RPD leaders hope to create enough pain for Virginia CopBlock and the RVA Wingnut Collective to prevent these groups from continuing in their activism.  Suppressing these groups would make it harder for future independent journalists to work.

 

The injunction is a gauntlet thrown in the path of independent journalists.  The injunction has a chilling effect, deterring other activists and journalists from demanding government transparency.  The injunction is not a matter of the specific files released, nor is it a matter of confidentiality.  Ultimately, the injunction is about the need for governments to maintain their status quo of secrecy.

 

Category: Activism, Announcement, Courts, Justice System |
| November 17, 2012
2 comments

CopBlock.org: Individuals Wearing “Richmond PD” Badges Threaten Nate Cox, Free Speech

This is a guest post from CopBlock.org Co-Founder, Pete Eyre. It’s a fantastic overview of what’s going on with the Court Orders/ Litigation situation that happened on Friday.

Two days ago we posted to copblock.org Anonymous LEAK: Richmond PD Internal Information Published Online, a repost from Virginia Cop Block founder Nate Cox, which itself was a repost of links posted by RVA Wingnut, to download 2,000 documents leaked from a criminal outfit known as “Richmond Police Department.” It was unknown at that time the content of all those documents but in an effort to bring-about accountability through transparency, readers were encouraged to download and help sift through the information.

Cox described RVA Wingnut as:

primarily is a Anarchist Collective in Southern Barton Heights whom are affiliated with and to Cop Watch outreach & activism – as well as Virginia Cop Block

Cox had communicated to me that the RVA Wingnut folks had been visited by individuals who sought to intimidate them into censoring the information. Today they posted that “It looks like the RPD files that we linked to were taken offline at some point today.” And later added, “It appears that the police have now taken all the files down.” The early afternoon of Friday, Nov. 16th, 2012 the same individuals, or some of their comrades, visited the house where Cox’s mom lives. They videotaped the property. This information came from a concerned neighbor. Then the house owned by Cox’s Grandmother was paid a visit. A tenant there explained that she didn’t feel comfortable taking their paperwork. Then this group of suspicious characters visited Cox at his work. That interaction happened around 4pm on Friday, Nov. 16th, 2012. It was streamed live by Cox to his qik.com/natecox [to download http://copblock.org/apps]. The paperwork Cox was given was an “Order” [viewable in-full below]

prohibiting (1) Defendants from continuing to make the Confidential Information available to the public; and (2) requiring that the Defendants return to the Court any copies of any portion of the Confidential Information.

Let the folks who work at Richmond PD know censorship and intimidation isn’t cool

Richmond Police Department http://www.richmondgov.com/police/ 301 South Meadow Street Richmond, VA (804) 646-1412 Those who signed the “Order” Travis A. Sabelwski and Justin M. Sizemore (804) 344-3400 Illegible “circuit court judge” B.M. Dean

Related media

Nate Cox Targeted for Free Speech 2012.11.16 episode of Free Talk Live which is on over 100 radio stations and XM. Today RVA Wingnut posted:

Today Mo Karnage and Nathan Cox were served with injunctions from the Richmond Police Department. The injunction documents were very vague, and seemed to be about the files recently linked to by Mo and Nathan on 2 websites-  Copblock and Wingnut. The defendents are listed as Moriah Kahn (they can’t spell), The Richmond Wingnut Collective, Nathan Cox, Filebin.net, and Does 1-10 . . . Important to note, is that typically injunctions are served by a process server. To have multiple cops hunting you down (they went to Nathan’s work, home, and mother’s home as well as Mo’s home, mother’s home, and friend’s home), some wearing tactical gear, is a pretty obvious intimidation tactic. We are working on getting scans of the injunctions to post online for your viewing pleasure. The City of Richmond Police Department is labeled as the plaintiff. The injunction doesn’t say which files are the ones in question, just all of them. It appears that the police have now taken all the files down.

Connect with Virginia Cop Block and support their efforts

Order Issued to Nate Cox

Category: Activism, allies, Announcement, call floods, Corrupt Police, Dirty Police, Police Abuse, Police Abuse Power, Police Caught Lying, videos |
| November 14, 2012
8 comments

Anonymous LEAK: Richmond Police Department Internal Information Published Online

Virginia Cop Block was contacted several days ago by an anonymous person who claimed to have internal information about the Richmond Police Department. We were told that this information would be given first to the RVA Wingnut group, which primarily is a Anarchist Collective in Southern Barton Heights whom are affiliated with and do Cop Watch outreach & activism – as well as Virginia Cop Block. The anonymous individual wanted this information, from their on out, disseminated far and wide for whomever was interested.

This anonymous individual came through and believed it was a necessary course of action, due to the protections of the Police Department that legislatures have kindly given them – transparency and accountability is a MUST in the “public sector”. I share this sentiment as well. Most especially after I realized the police departments can use THEIR discernment when fullfilling/ releasing information via a FOIA Request.

I experienced this personally after I filed my own FOIA Request with the Virginia State Police after my Memorial Day weekend traffic stop. The only piece(s) of information they refused to give me, was regarding Trooper McKenney’s past (history) misconduct and behavioral type of complaints, which I believe the public certainly has a right to know – for safety reasons. (LINKS TO THE FILES ARE LOCATED AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST)

Virginia Cop Block is underway in dissecting these files, SOP’s, GO’s, etc and we can use YOUR HELP. Feel free to download and sift through this information for yourselves. We plan on writing articles about anything pertinent we find in here. If you download the files and review the information and find something pertinent, please let us know! Below is the short blog from the RVA Wingnut about getting this information, and a little more context to why this information fell in our lap. Virginia Cop Block has recently added a Support Page to our website. Please consider making a donation, so we can continue to educate people about their civil rights while dually holding cops and other government bureaucrats accountable.

To read the RVA Wingnut blog about this information go here, or read below:

“You might remember from a couple of years ago that the Wingnut Anarchist Collective and the Richmond Police Department had a tiff regarding some files from the RPD’s General Orders that the Wingnut got a hold of using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). More about that here ( http://wingnutrva.org/2011/01/04/foiad-again/ )

And after the police were forced to drop their case before it even hit the courts, they refused to comply to any FOIA requests coming from members of the Wingnut Anarchist Collective. We didn’t have the legal resources to take them to court over their violation of the FOIA laws. Instead we made multiple online asks for the info if anyone else already had a copy or was able to get one. (http://wingnutrva.org/2012/04/28/rpd-refuses-to-cooperate-with-foia-we-need-these-files-please-help/ ).

Well, someone finally came through, and an anonymous source gave people access to the rest of the General Orders from the RPD, as well as some other files. Since these files regard the rules the police must follow, and since tax money goes to pay for the police, we figure this is public information, and we are re-posting links to it here. We hope it finds you well and helps you protect yourself and your legal rights.

We haven’t actually had a chance to go through these files ourselves, so if you find something particularly interesting or useful, drop us a line to let us know! wingnut_collective @ yahoo.com We;d also love to hear from copwatchers, lawyers, and anyone who finds this information useful, share your stories!

Here are links to some of the new info out there on the web, not sure how long it will stay on those websites, so download your own copy if you are interested!

http://filebin.net/0cupaguxql

http://filebin.net/8supe72vg8”

Written by: Nathan Cox

Category: Activism | Tags: , , , , , ,
| September 11, 2012
No comments

The Liberty Empowerment Project Concludes Full-time Effort

Last week concluded Virginia Cop Block’s “Liberty Empowerment Project”, well at least the full-time effort behind it. We finished up the last two days in Oregon Hill and Hillside Court.
Each morning we started about 8:30am outside of a court-house, handing out packets to folks going into court. We primarily did outreach at the John Marshall Court House and the Manchester General District Court House, with the exception of Henrico County’s Court House off Parham Road on the last day of the project. Read more

Category: Activism, Liberty Empowerment Project | Tags: , ,
| August 1, 2012
12 comments

FOIA Request (Freedom of Information Act Request) Example/ Template

The following document is an example and can be used as a TEMPLATE for FOIA Requests (Freedom of Information Act Requests). Each individuals scenario will be different, so feel free to use whatever is applicable to your needs. (“John Doe” in this example is the requester) This is an example of someone who’s facing criminal litigation (as small as a traffic ticket) who’s requesting written and “Electronically Stored” information (To be held and not damaged, destroyed or deleted, etc) in relation to his/ her incident.

Electronically Stored Information Hold/Litigation Hold and FOIA Request

Dear Police Chief Jane Doe (or to whomever ever handles FOIA requests at the PD you’re making the inquiry with),

I, John Doe, in connection with _____________________ involving Officer Unpleasant. On
May 1, 2010, I was ______________ (cited, stopped, detained, arrested, witnessed, etc.) by Officer Unpleasant who issued a summons against me for obstruction under 18.2-460, which he retracted before issuing a summons for disorderly conduct under 18.2-415. The charge was dismissed in the Circuit Court for the City of Richmond.

FOIA Request

Pursuant to the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), I demand that you submit the following information/documents to me:

1. Any and all videotape from every onboard camera of every police vehicle which pursued I, John Doe corresponded to any incident involving Cox on May 1, 2010.

2. Any and all audio tapes, audio tracks, audio recordings, or transcripts of all police radio traffic taken on May 1, 2010 related to Officer Unpleasant and I, John Doe, including but not limited to all radio traffic from the time Officer Unpleasant pursued I, John Doe until I was released and all communication related to I, John Doe ended (hereinafter referred to as the “Doe incident”).

3. Any and all police dispatch logs related to the Doe incident (May 1, 2010).

4. A copy of the original summons for obstruction under 18.2-460.

5. Any and all police notices or advisories related to John Doe held by the Virginia State Police.

6. Records specifically concerning Officer Unpleasant kept pursuant to Va. Code § 15.2-1722,
including without limitation any personnel records, any documents collected, created, or
maintained in connection with complaints or concerns raised about Officer Unpleasant’s behavior or conduct, and any documents collected, created, or maintained in connection with any investigations into Officer Unpleasant’s behavior or conduct.

7. The number of records responsive to each of the above requests that are being withheld, and
the specific basis for each such records being withheld. Read more

Category: Activism, Corrupt Police, Police Abuse | Tags: ,
| July 31, 2012
One comment

PRESS RELEASE: Virginia CopBlock’s Liberty Empowerment Project to hit the streets of Richmond August 6 with 10,000 informational packets

******************** FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE *******************

Virginia CopBlock Announces Liberty Empowerment Project

The Liberty Empowerment Project begins community outreach August 6th.

Richmond, VA – Virginia CopBlock activists, Nathan Cox and Meg McLain, announced the inauguration of the Liberty Empowerment Project for Monday, the 6th of August. The Liberty Empowerment Project is a grass-roots outreach program dedicated to educating people about the principles of individual rights. Project organizers want to empower people to protect and preserve their liberty.

Virginia CopBlock founder, Nathan Cox, intends for the Liberty Empowerment Project to serve as a vehicle for communicating about issues relating to liberty, non-aggression, victimless crime, police accountability, as well as issues relating to the issues of juror rights and the rights of indicted individuals. Cox and McLain envision their project as a peaceful solution to both the rising cases of police misconduct and civil liberties violations nationwide, as well as a means to de-escalate the aggressive violence affecting many of the inner-city and rural parts of the metropolitan Richmond area. The Liberty Empowerment Project focuses on the dissemination of a series of informative pamphlets designed to present the principles of freedom in a concise, easily accessible format.

About the Liberty Empowerment Project:

The Liberty Empowerment Project is an alternative to more traditional forms of activism involving electoral politics. Project graphic designer and co-organizer, Meg McLain, contrasts their project with the great deal of time and money spent on political campaigns. McLain describes the Liberty Empowerment Project as an affordable opportunity for liberty activists to have a direct and immediate impact on the freedom of individuals in the Richmond area.

The Liberty Empowerment Project is an entirely grassroots project presented by Virginia CopBlock; created by activists Nathan Cox and Meg McLain of Mechanicsville. Virginia CopBlock is supported by subscriber donations and advertisements contained within the pamphlets. The Liberty Empowerment Project is not associated with any political party or candidate.

Additional information about the Liberty Empowerment Project can be found at http://virginiacopblock.org/liberty-empowerment-project/ .

Nathan Cox can be reached at:[email protected] – WhoIsNateCox.Com

Meg McLain can be reached at: [email protected] – MegMcLain.com
Read more

Category: Activism, Liberty Empowerment Project |
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