Activists Start Pittsburgh Cop Block

I was recently contacted by Craig Freeman, no relation other than we both love freedom, who stated we’ve inspired him to start Cop Blocking in his area – Pittsburgh. I asked if he wanted to share his videos and thoughts on CopBlock.org’s YouTube and blog, to which he accepted and sent me this (check out his videos at the end of this post) :

Hi, my name is Craig. A.J. and I are the creators of the Pittsburgh CopBlock YouTube channel – inspired by Copblock.org. We made the Pittsburgh CopBlock channel because we are tired of watching police and public officials blatantly and openly violate the laws which they are sworn to uphold. To many times in our lives have we been kicked around by the system which was solely devised to protect the innocent, yet punishes you for pleading not guilty. I know innocent people who have accepted plea bargains just so they didnt have to sit in jail for six months waiting for trial. The system has slowly and systematically morphed into something that Thomas Jefferson and the other creators of the constitution never intended. A system that considers every citizen that comes before a judge to be the enemy. A nationwide police force that you have to remind of your rights in order for them to be respected, and even then, invoking these wonderful rights is almost always met with hostility.

When a police officer “asks” you to do something, most citizens interpret that as a direct order. The police know this and they get away with “asking” people to do things that they have no real power to control. I always wondered why Ademo says “they only have the power that you grant them” and now I know why. I have seen the following conversations take place and it makes me disgusted and afraid for my children’s generation because it is only getting worse. “Sir! Please put the camera away!” the cameraman promptly says, “No. I have a right to film you.” Then the cop says, “well, I’ asking you too turn the camera off.” Cameraman says, “sir that sounded alot like a direct order.” Cops says, “no it wasn’t, I said please.” The police are word manipulation experts. How about something like this. Cop says, “you are not allowed to record audio without my consent!” Cameraman says, “I do not have to have your permission to audio record you. I merely have to inform you that you are being recorded. Your continuing the conversation was consent.” Police morph the laws and use them in ways that contradict the spirit in which the law was created. Try this, ask your friendly local police officer to recite the constitution (new vid idea!).  I’d bet my life on it that he will say something like, “I haven’t thought of that since the academy 10 years ago.” Which is a shame and an insult to every united states citizen. They don’t respect our rights enough to even remember them. Any officer that cannot recite the constitution is useless for real law enforcement and should be laid off until he can recite it in its entirety. I know that sounds harsh, but I implore you to go and actually read the constitution. It is surprisingly short, direct, and to the point. It is the mitigating factor for graduation from the police academy.

What really bothers me is after police graduate, they quickly learn that they can find ways around the constitution with clever wording. Both my friend and I fear for our freedom now due to our activism. A.J. was one hour late paying a fine and he had three cop cars outside his house. One hour! Usually that kinda stuff goes to a state constable and he comes through town about once a month. They’re actively trying to take us down and silence us. The problem is, we are afraid they will succeed. Our only solice is that if one of us goes down, the other will continue our work. Our hope is to get the message out to the police of our great city that their behavior does not go unnoticed. Most people are just too non-confrontational to respectfully oppose a man with a gun on his hip or a system that is leveled against them from the start.

I’d like to tell you a little more about myself so you can understand why I’ve joined CopBlock.org’s quest for accountability using education. I’ve been arrested multiple times as a minor for underage drinking (a victimless crime). I was a very misguided kid that thought it was cool to get in trouble. and I am currently on 5 yrs probation for getting into a car accident without a state issued drivers license because of the underage drinking violations that piled up 16 yrs ago. I’m 31 now and have not drank alcohol in close to a decade. I am a family man with three children that I love dearly. which is why I have to make an effort to change the system which is going to make multiple attempts on thier freedom, no matter how insignificant my efforts are. At least I will be able to say I tried and followed through with it till the end, whatever that may be.

Then there is A.J. whom I’ve known since he was 15 and, to my knowledge, didn’t ever have any trouble in his life until about 5 yrs ago. When he began getting disorderly conduct charges left and right for “arguing” with cops. Which makes me laugh, not at the charges but the comedy of the situations when he really gets to telling them off. Our new ‘record everything’ policy will hopefully stop this from happening in the future.  A.J. recently tried to file charges on three police officers and was arrested for it. While leaving the jail he was struck by a speeding vehicle that fled the scene. Weird huh? A.J. is a brother, a son, a friend, a great craftsman, a taxpayer, and one hell of a hard worker. He has helped me with everything in life from giving me a place to crash when I needed it, to helping me repair just about every vehicle that I’ve ever owned. He’s my best friend and if they kidnap him I swear to god I will protest the jail and do everything I can until he is released. I’m sure that he would do the same for me.  When the police in this area see A.J. , The only thing they see is the ENEMY.

CopBlock.org is our way to get involved, the police have made us activists. See ya around.