Robin Hooding Favorite 

Practitioner: 

Date: 

Apr 11 2013

Location: 

Keene, NH

Robin Hood of Keene is the most popular act of engagement with the community that FreeKeene has experimented with so far.

Robin Hood employs a handful of individuals to feed the parking meters in downtown Keene. They are funded by private donations, usually from people they save. The Robin Hooders leave a type of calling card on the windshields of cars that they rescue, and when people return to see that they've been saved, they often donate and "Like" the Robin Hood of Keene Facebook page.

But Facebook "Like" or not, it's clear that the people of Keene DO like Robin Hood. The group continues to receive private donations, evidenced by the regular pictures on its Facebook page.

But despite Robin Hood's popularity with the people of Keene, a certain group calling themselves "The City of Keene" is fighting back.

Bureaucrat John MacLean says that Robin Hood is harassing the meter enforcers because he walks with a camera and records them. Quote, "It's harassing behavior."

To find out whether or not it's harassing behavior like John says, John put ex- Keene Police Chief "Sturdy" Thomas back on the city payroll at a rate of about $30 an hour to walk with a camera and record Robin Hood.

Ian Freeman got some awesome quotes into the Keene Sentinel yesterday including, quote,

"If they don’t like it, they should shut down the parking enforcement department. That would solve the problem, and I think that would make people very happy. But they have to maintain the illusion of legitimacy, because essentially government is a coercive monopoly; if you don’t do what they say, they’re going to possibly put you in a cage (jail).”

Posted by TheDerrickJ on