Popular libertarian and gun rights’ activist is arrested July 9 after publishing YouTube video loading and cocking a shot-gun between the White House and Capitol building.
“The United States Park Police are terrorist thugs,” said Liz Delish, the producer of Adam vs. The Man, a daily video podcast featuring peaceful activist, Adam Charles Kokesh. USPP functions as a full-service federal law enforcement agency with responsibilities and jurisdiction over federal public parks.
Kokesh released July 4 a short YouTube video calling for an open carry march on Washington for July 4, 2014. The video was allegedly taken at Freedom Plaza, a few blocks from the White House which falls under the jurisdiction of USPP.
During the 21-second video, Kokesh loaded and cocked what appears to be a shotgun, which launched a federal investigation because carrying a firearm on public property is a felony at our nation’s capitol.
Nine days later, at approximately 7:45 p.m., the Kokesh residence located in the town of Herndon, Va., agents of the federal government and local police raided it and they took him into custody. His is held at the Fairfax County Adult Detention Center.
Delish, who was inside the Kokesh residence when the raid occurred, said, “After two loud knocks at the front door and a brief pause, the police broke down the door with a battering ram.”
Once the police were inside, they threw a flash grenade into the foyer area, she said. “I thought someone got shot.” A flash grenade is a non-lethal explosive that produces a blinding flash of light and loud noise, devised to temporarily disorient a person’s senses.
There were eight adults inside of the home and one pet, she said. “Luckily Adam’s pit bull Baloo was safely secured in his crate at the upstairs of the home.”
“The 30 to 40 police officers that entered had lasers, body armor and creepy-looking helmets,” she said.
Delish said she was shaken-up by the incident that lasted six hours. “I went towards the back of the home to exit, and there were four or five police officers on the back porch with drawn firearms.”
The adults were ordered into a small front room, their cell phones were taken, and they were summarily handcuffed without being Mirandized, she said. Miranda is a warning given by police to criminal suspects in police custody before they are interrogated to preserve the admissibility of their statements in a court of law.
“Their behavior was unprofessional and their search of our persons and the home gratuitously unconstitutional,” she said.
“They ransacked the two-story home, and pushed items into piles,” she said. “One of the officers purposefully knocked over a glass of water on my possessions.”
One of the adults had a Glock 30 pistol in his possession, Delish said. “He immediately informed the police and they retrieved his firearm.”
“Later he was punched in the back of the head for asking to use the rest room,” she said. “I witnessed Kokesh being kicked by a police officer while he was handcuffed and seated.”
“The police used every opportunity they could to rough us up,” she said.
In 2007, Kokesh received national attention for being an outspoken opponent of U.S. military intervention in Iraq. He was an eight-year Marine veteran and former corporal in the Iraq War.
“Adam and I had a very busy day,” said Darrell Young, the producer of Adam vs. The Man. “I stepped out to get something to eat and returned to a barrier of police officers two blocks away from Adam’s house.”
All passersby were being stopped and questioned, he said. “Some were allowed through, some were not.”
Young said that because he is a black man they would not let him through. “When I tried to get around them, a cop car tried to run me off the road.”
The amount of force used was outrageous and excessive, he said. “The amount of money spent in this endeavor could have been better served feeding hungry children.”
Young said he identified 30 to 40 police officers, three or four helicopters, special equipment, undercover officers, and a light armored military-style vehicle.
“There are very few people who have the courage to stand up for our constitutional rights,” said Danny Panzella a libertarian activist and radio host from New York.
Kokesh is risking his own freedom for us, he said. “He is being brave and should be respected.” “We are completely committed to non-aggression,” he said. “Law enforcement operates by intimidation.”
Kokesh is making a powerful statement, Panzella said. “If he is convicted of a crime he will be a martyr. If he is acquitted he will be a Second Amendment hero.”
Second Amendment advocates, tea party patriots, Republicans and constitutionalists should seize on this opportunity to promulgate reasonable laws that do not put innocent people in cages, he said. “If there is no victim, there is no crime.”
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