-By Jordan Freshour

A Cincinnati police officer singles me out of the crowd for photographing illegal arrests.

Saturday, September 19th, 2015 I was arrested for photographing the police in Cincinnati, Ohio. This was my first arrest and I want to talk about it.

I have gradually become involved with the police accountability movement over the last year. I’ve had the good fortune of meeting the most influential and hard-working gonzo journalists and activists in the Midwest, and with them I have found a safe place to fight for the rights of my friends and neighbors here in southwest Ohio, my home. It is my friendships with these people which allowed for the viral outbreak of support after being locked in a cage.

That being said, I was immersed in a new experience regarding the police state in America. Foremost, the risk of losing your own freedom because of principles is real. I was doing nothing more than photographing the arrest of Talis Gage when my hands were grabbed and tightly zip tied behind my back. I tossed my camera to the curb and went peacefully, for there is no reasoning with psychopaths. This video of my arrest was shot by Benjamin Virnston, who was also arrested for documenting the event:

After being kidnapped for 7+ hours, I was released due to the good will of Micah ben David posting bond. I was searched three times, fingerprinted twice, my belongings were taken, and I was given an armband – all normal procedure, but a dehumanizing one which treat citizens like cattle. Once processed, an officer herded me to the top floor of the Reading Road Corrections Center and into an isolated cell, completely alone and without explanation for the next three hours. Frankly, it was anxiety-inducing not knowing if my bail was posted or when I would be released. I did push-ups and read the names of past prisoners scratched into the drab, semigloss-painted cinder block walls to pass the time.

Many have had a night in jail, and sadly many have experienced far worse treatment from police. A fortunate man I would be to escape the brunt of cop violence for the rest of my life. Thousands are not able to say that. There is no comparison between me and them, and I do not think my story to be more important than another’s, however such a thing does not make the behavior of Cincinnati’s Lamest any less condemnable.

Micah and his son, Elijah patiently waiting for the release of myself, Talis Gage, and Benjamin Virnston

I am a highly social person, as many are. In those few hours of isolation, I understood the purpose of incarceration in a new way. Being in jail is not a punishment – banishment from the world is. I realized jail is not a place where bad people go to be rehabilitated, or to serve “their time”, but rather a coward’s device used to silence opposition. Any individual who thinks it is acceptable to isolate another person from all outside interaction – even for a short while – is not human him/herself, and shouldn’t be given the dignity of being recognized as such. Police are sub-mortal creatures mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to perform these duties without apprehension of conscience.

As a mobile person who (to the surprise of some) has a professional life as well, it can be difficult to explain the nature of police brutality to associates and family who have never given it critical thought. Often I leverage my good nature and lighthearted attitude as an example for others as to what the solution for government subjugation entails. All hatred and violence is disarmed by loving your neighbor – by nourishing the traits of peace, forgiveness, hope, and a short memory. Outside of these qualities, there is and will never be a solution to police – or any kind of – brutality.

I don’t know exactly how embracing abstract ideas translate into a better world. But I do know these are the guiding principles for myself and most of humanity. Every person deserves dignity, but that dignity is forsaken the moment initiated violence becomes acceptable. For government officials, understanding this as a reality is paramount.

In closing, if CPD or any government official of Cincinnati is reading this, I implore you to give up the ghost of authoritarianism. It does not work, and if you continue to behave in a manner such as at the March for Justice, you will and should have riots to deal with. Do not mistake the message of peace and love for pacifism. If you continue down this path, your own will die, your temples will burn, and your ruling elite will be thrown into the impoverished streets which you have created. This is not a call to violence, but merely the lesson which history teaches us is the eventual outcome of iron-fisted rule. We are all waiting on justice for the wanton violence of your law enforcement officers, the arrogance of the Fraternal Order of Police, and the careless training of those who wield power.

Wake up.

Are all cops bad cops?

The vast majority of cops are not shooting WalMart shoppers or killing people in custody. Most cops are not pepper spraying protestors or shooting dogs.

Nor are the preponderance of cops nepotists abusing their power for friends and family, nor steroid users who make arrests for drug use.

But what attributes do apply to all cops?

When ordered to, all cops enforce laws against consensual and victimless crimes like drug use, filming police, licensing requirements, gambling, selling raw milk, and prostitution.

“Helping” the situation.

Yes, the police don’t write these laws.

Cops are not soldiers, conscripts, draftees, or prisoners who are forced to stay in uniform. They can quit. They choose not to.

However, US citizens cannot unsubscribe to police services. Police are paid through taxes which are automatically imposed on you… and the tax laws are enforced by the police. They don’t provide customer service and are not required to.

Warren v. District of Columbia holds that the police do not owe a specific duty to provide police services based on the public duty doctrine. Town of Castle Rock v. Gonzales and DeShaney v. Winnebago County have ruled similarly that the government is not liable to protect individuals.

All cops are granted special legal protections when it comes to abuse of power or misconduct. For example: In Maryland there is a 10-day cooling off period before any questioning may be conducted regarding a lethal force incident. In California, the cool off period is three days. Regular citizens are normally taken into custody and separated.

In grand jury proceedings that are attempting to indict an officer for misconduct, the prosecutor is the only official who may put forth evidence. The prosecutor usually has a personal relationship with the officer under indictment, who is also often from the same jursidiction. This results in a clear disincentive to condemn a coworker in the law enforcement system.

Police may also appropriate loose cash and call it “civil asset forfeiture.” In Ohio, police may simply guess your speed (no radar) and give you a ticket. Cops may attempt to arrest you for filming them (public servants) and charge you with “illegal recording” or “wiretapping.” Also in Ohio, police may take your personal information (driver’s license number, Social Security Number, et cetera) and give it to an agent to use while undercover. Police are permitted to lie to you; you are not permitted to lie to police.

I don’t believe that all cops are bad. However, all cops are working for a system that is bad — a system that grants badges extra rights, and is perhaps unnecessary.

When the NYPD went on strike earlier this year, arrests dropped 56 percent and tickets by 92 percent. No parking or criminal court summons were issued. The city carried on without the boys in blue.

Marinaleda, Spain has no police at all.

There are other alternatives if you’re uncomfortable with simply removing police entirely.

A private security firm.

The Sharpstown, Texas police fired its entire police force in 2013 and replaced them with a private security firm called S.E.A.L., cutting crime by 61 percent and saving Sharpstown $200,000 a year.

Private, armed security in neighborhoods is on the rise in the US. Robert Stokes, an associate professor has stated that 20 neighborhoods in Atlanta and at least four in Detroit have hired private guards for protection. Volunteer patrols and neighborhood watch organizations have sprung up all over Detroit after the city’s financial meltdown.

What can you do?

Avoid talking to the police. It can’t help you. Everything you say can and will be used against you or others.

Remember that police are fallible humans, much like yourself.

Look into alternative, voluntary solutions to government. Consider doing a search for the following terms: Non-Aggression Principle, Voluntaryism, Anatomy of the State

This opinion piece written by an anonymous independent contributor for TruthVoice

The morning of February 28th was a special one for me. I was prepping to leave my family and friends on a trip to New Hampshire. I had decided last November, to take a test drive of an idea created over a decade ago, The Free State Project. It’s the plan to move 20,000 liberty minded individuals to the same geographical location, in order to get active to make the maximum role of government the protection of life, liberty, and property. A lofty goal for any group, and one I whole heartedly see as the answer to the encroaching police state.

I departed Illinois around 1pm, enroute to Ohio. Saddly it would not be without incident. Before I could even make it out of Illinois the tread on my van came off. No injuries or property damage occurred, but it did cost me $150 and 3 hours of drive time. Something I am having a hard time dealing with now.

The first stop on my journey (outside Illinois) would be the city of Parma. A contact of mine, who is affiliated with Copblock (a decentralized group of individuals dedicated to police accountability) lives there. When I arrived at his home he was already out, engaging with the state in an effort to produce video content aimed at waking the masses.

We linked up and headed back out. In his green subaru, with Montana plates I felt invulnerable, impervious to the threat of the state. We cruised up and down the streets of Cleveland, looking for the most dangerous thugs, to put them on blast for their extortion.

It didn’t take long for one of the gangbangers to make their threat of force known.  As we parked around the corner my adrenaline was on full blast. I had been copblocking before but always solo and never outside of my hometown. Now, I had backup. Now I had friends. Now i was with the originator, the hardcore copblockers. One dressed as an imperial stormtrooper the other in a copblock hoodie.

We approached the scene. A cruiser had pulled over two men in a truck. As we stood there filming, a group of teen boys approached inquiring as to what we were doing. After informing them of our actions (which they seemed very interested in) the truck pulled off without major incident.

We walked back to the car feeling accomplished when one of us noticed the agents of the state had decided to park sideways in the middle of the street (a major no no for the tax cow) to harass the teens. We hurried to the car and pulled around. The imperial stormtrooper jumped out of the vehicle ready to do intellectual battle with the forces of darkness. Our mere presence was enough to dissuade this authoritarian sociopath. He left before we could get video of him.

The kids said that he threatened to arrest them because they were smoking. As though it was his divine duty to keep the kids on the straight and narrow. God forbid individuals be responsible for their own actions. Obviously he didn’t hold too strongly to that duty, considering he ran away the moment he saw us.

The rest of the night was spent editing video and setting my equipment up to do an interview with the freedom fighters. Which can be heard @ UnityEvolved.com.

Stay tuned right here at truthvoice.com to catch part 2 of Path of a Free Stater. Where we will be headed to Beaver Creek, OH and more police accountability at the site of the murder of John Crawford.