Why we should help Joel Rosenberg.
I know Joel Rosenberg as the first man to provide me with serious self-defense training back in 1998. Minneapolis Police know him as the muck-raker who exposed corruption and thuggery at the MPD. His efforts were instrumental in the dismissal of the so-called "gang strike force" which itself acted more as a gang than as police.
On December 7, 2010, -- yet another day that will live in infamy -- MPD arrested Joel on charges that appear bogus to me and held him until friends raised the preposterous $100,000 bail bond. His offense: complying with the laws on the books exactly but protesting vocally about the police conduct when they attempted to enforce regulations inapplicable to the situation at hand. The "offense" field on the arrest order was left blank! You can read the specifics at Freejoel.com.
On January 2, I hosted a fundraiser for Joel and his wife Felicia. MPD has also been after her. Donations to help with the legal expenses came from all over the country. Many gave because they know and like Joel. Some gave despite not liking him at all.
Joel has a lot of personality. Some people like him. Some don't. Many think he should have kept quiet about the police misconduct or at least behaved more circumspectly, acting meekly in addition to following the letter of the law. But now that the legal fight is on, even those who don't like Joel are taking his side. They know that the state loves nothing more than a test case who isn't 100% likable. They also know that we cannot afford the kind of precedents set if Joel loses.
US vs. Miller case of 1934 was the first test of the National Firearm Registration act. Jack Miller was a convicted of owning a short-barreled shotgun shortly after they became subject to a steep excise tax. A poor man, Miller was unable to mount an effective legal defense. During the appeal, he was murdered and the case was decided for the US Government in his absence. The rest of us have been suffering under the resulting legal precedents ever since. Joel Rosenberg's case is not on the Federal level yet, but it has ramifications for all of Minnesota and beyond. It's in our own interests to see him prevail.
Joel's supposed offense -- though my understanding of his actions is that he complied with the convoluted Minnesota law exactly -- is a non-violent offense without no victim other than the ego of a police officer. MPD would like to ruin his life for that. Shall we sit idly and just hope that the emboldened authorities don't go after us personally next? Martin Niemoller had something to say about that approach.
If you can give money to the Rosenberg legal fund, please do. If you cannot, please post a link to my appeal on behalf of Joel and Felicia. It would be a good deed -- and quite in our own self-interest in the long run.
On December 7, 2010, -- yet another day that will live in infamy -- MPD arrested Joel on charges that appear bogus to me and held him until friends raised the preposterous $100,000 bail bond. His offense: complying with the laws on the books exactly but protesting vocally about the police conduct when they attempted to enforce regulations inapplicable to the situation at hand. The "offense" field on the arrest order was left blank! You can read the specifics at Freejoel.com.
On January 2, I hosted a fundraiser for Joel and his wife Felicia. MPD has also been after her. Donations to help with the legal expenses came from all over the country. Many gave because they know and like Joel. Some gave despite not liking him at all.
Joel has a lot of personality. Some people like him. Some don't. Many think he should have kept quiet about the police misconduct or at least behaved more circumspectly, acting meekly in addition to following the letter of the law. But now that the legal fight is on, even those who don't like Joel are taking his side. They know that the state loves nothing more than a test case who isn't 100% likable. They also know that we cannot afford the kind of precedents set if Joel loses.
US vs. Miller case of 1934 was the first test of the National Firearm Registration act. Jack Miller was a convicted of owning a short-barreled shotgun shortly after they became subject to a steep excise tax. A poor man, Miller was unable to mount an effective legal defense. During the appeal, he was murdered and the case was decided for the US Government in his absence. The rest of us have been suffering under the resulting legal precedents ever since. Joel Rosenberg's case is not on the Federal level yet, but it has ramifications for all of Minnesota and beyond. It's in our own interests to see him prevail.
Joel's supposed offense -- though my understanding of his actions is that he complied with the convoluted Minnesota law exactly -- is a non-violent offense without no victim other than the ego of a police officer. MPD would like to ruin his life for that. Shall we sit idly and just hope that the emboldened authorities don't go after us personally next? Martin Niemoller had something to say about that approach.
If you can give money to the Rosenberg legal fund, please do. If you cannot, please post a link to my appeal on behalf of Joel and Felicia. It would be a good deed -- and quite in our own self-interest in the long run.