Copblock Radio EP 118 “Legalize Freedom”

May 13, 2016May 13, 2016 CopBlock 536 Views Accountability, assault, Brutality, Civil rights, cop block, CopBlock Radio, CopBlock Radio Show, copblock.org, Corruption, deo odolecki, derrick j, Dishonesty, double-standards, excessive force, matthew taylor, police, police abuse, police accountability, Police brutality, rights, Severin Freeman, video

5/11/16

This week on Copblock Radio our hosts were myself (Severin Freeman) from Lehigh Valley Copblock, Matt Taylor of Carbon County Copblock, and Derrick J of thederrickj.com.

We open with the exciting news of our own co-host Deo being granted a $10,000 bond pending his appeal. Deo has been locked up for 93 days on various bogus charges related to filming the police– upon hearing this news, Copblock contributors joined together & raised $1000 in 3 hours to set Deo free. We look forward to him returning to the show next week! (NOTE: As of writing this post, Deo has been released!!!)

Next, we discussed our top story which occurred shortly before the show started. About 10 police officers in New Hampshire beat a man who surrendered with his hands up on LIVE NEWS!! We watched the video & discussed what we saw happening from our point of view.

Then we moved onto the story featuring our guest for later in the show: Edward Forchion AKA the NJ Weedman. He is famous for opening a marijuana-friendly restaurant, named Joint, and a cannabis temple right across from the Trenton, NJ government building. Two weeks ago, Joint was raided & Ed was arrested and charged with 13 counts of possession & distribution. Yesterday, Ed took a stance and stood outside his restaurant with a sign that said, “We-R-Open. Fuck the Police.”

Finally. we discussed a story about a pending lawsuit involving a 15 year old girl whom was attacked by an off-duty cop. The girl was stopped for no reason & when she tried to leave with her bike, the officer threw her off the bike, grabbed her by the throat & eventually threw her to the ground by her hair. Then the officer tased her before putting her in handcuffs for resisting arrest and assault on a police officer. The lawsuit says all of the charges against the teen were ultimately dismissed, but they are seeking damages for the violation of her civil rights.

We finished up the first half with a video in which a man on a bike is stopped by an officer demanding identification. When he refuses & asks for her to articulate a reason, she calls for backup & attempts to take him down as he tries to ride away. He resists non-violently & the man filming tries to calm down the cyclist and tells him not to resist. Just as he puts his hands behind his back, another officer comes storming in and grabs his throat. Another cop arriving on the scene tackled the man filming, who was also arrested and charged with resisting, delaying, or disrupting a public officer. See the full video here.

For the second half of the show, Edward Forchion joined us. We spent the entire half interviewing him & discussing his activism. You can keep up with everything happening to him by following his website & Facebook.

Tune in 5/18/16 for a new episode of Copblock Radio where we will be celebrating the much awaited return & release of Deo! We air 10pm EST on LRN.fm or at copblock.org/show. Subscribe to the Youtube channel for alerts when we go live. Download the LRN.fm app to hear our radio feed. As always remember cops are douchebags, always film them!