The Free State Project

The Free State Project is turning the tides on the system, beginning with a group of 20,000 permanent activists living in New Hampshire.  Keene, NH is one place I might consider hanging my hat. ~ Noa

Free Keene

The city has become home to an active voluntaryist protest group known as Free Keene, which is associated with the Free State Project.[20][21] Some Free Keene activists have been arrested for video recording in court rooms as an act of civil disobedience, in violation of the state's wiretapping law. In 2009, Keene's Central Square Park had become the center of daily 4:20 pm smoke-ins which advocated the legalization of marijuana.[22][23] One widely publicized case happened in 2010 when Andrew Carroll, who moved to Keene through the Free State Project, stood in Railroad Square, made a short speech, and held out a bud of marijuana cupped in the palm of his hand. He was arrested and convicted by a judge but refused to pay the $420 fine, defending his action as an instance of civil disobedience. Joined by decriminalization supporters, he walked 13 miles to the jail to turn himself in and spent 9 days there.[24]

Free Keene has encountered opposition from other Keene residents.[20] In February 2011 the movement was the subject of a report on WMUR-TV which focused on the high number of Free Keene arrests due to civil disobedience and their effect on Keene's image and economy. In the piece, one government official complained about the cost of restraining and jailing the civil protestors, while another worried about the effect the activists might have on the community's image.[25] While some of the activists' techniques can be relatively confrontational—the WMUR report mentions a tongue-in-cheek drinking party at a government building to protest open-container laws—others are significantly less so. For example, a common act by some Free Keene activists involves paying money into expired parking meters, in order to help other citizens avoid parking tickets, which has created conflict between the meter pluggers and the parking enforcement officers. The Free Keene members would video their encounters with the parking enforcement officers and suggest the PEO's should refrain from writing tickets and get a different job. The close encounters with the "Robin Hooders" resulted in one PEO resigning his position and a lawsuit filed by the City of Keene citing harassment of their employees.[26] In December 2013, the judge overseeing the case dismissed the city's arguments against the "Robin Hooders" on first amendment grounds, citing the public sidewalks' role as a traditional public forum.[27]

Also see:

https://freestateproject.org/

http://freekeene.com/

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_34jAsXe1k