The Cop Block Tour – Toledo
Note that the videos below are all raw (shot with my HTC Evo 5 via Cop Block’s Bambuser channel, my chest-mounted GoPro, and/or my Canon Vixia HF R10. At the conclusion of The Cop Block Tour I’ll make time to put-together some solid, over-arching videos using content from this stop. In the meantime, if you are so-compelled, you’re welcomed and encouraged to utilize this content and all other content at CopBlock.org.
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Well, the Toledo stop panned-out better than I was thinking – thanks to some coordination help by Dan Sayers, eight other showed-up and we had a good conversation for a few hours at a restaurant on the north side of town.
Most noted that they try to avoid interactions with police employees, which makes sense, though that doesn’t mean such exchanges won’t ever happen. So, we shared thoughts on how to effectively document and if needed, disseminate a record, to effectively engage in damage control and oust the real aggressor(s). We also spoke for a bit about the double-standards built-in to policing today.
Many were aware of the activities happening in New Hampshire as part of the Free State Project, even noting some of the content creators like Free Talk Live and the Ridley Report, and there was mention of making the move, if a job were nailed-down. I turned them onto the Shire Society, which hosts the largest forum in the ‘shire, thus it’s a great place to connect with folks already on the ground and learn of potential opportunities.
Most others present were open carrying, which was great to see. And the fact that many had long chosen to carry such a tool meant that, without exception, everyone had a story to tell about being question/disarmed/drew down on/etc. by those who claim to “protect” them. Prior to the meetup, Sayers put on my radar this video, which depicts an incident he had back in 2006:
I had shared with him a few of the run-ins I’d had that involved open carrying in the past:
In Arlington, VA – no video – this was back in 2007 when I didn’t always carry with me a recording device. Obviously I’ve learned.
I did this update when rolling out of Toledo:
