Carla Gericke Verbally Lashes Concord PD
August 21st, 2013
Carla Gericke is the president of the Free State Project. If you’ve ever met “Queen Quill” you know the irony of being the leader of a leaderless movement isn’t lost on her, and she’s got the infectious laugh to match.
Last week we reported that Concord PD called Free Staters “domestic terrorists” in their Federal grant application for a Ballistic Engineered Armored Response Counter Attack Truck (BEARCAT). It turns out this porcupine has got quills, and Concord PD just stepped in it.
Check out the promotional video for this vehicle from the manufacturer. Notice these soldiers are in uniforms labeled “police.” It’s totally Police State porn for adrenaline junkies.
Concord PD wrote:
“The State of New Hampshire’s experience with terrorism slants primarily towards the domestic type. We are fortunate that our State has not been victimized from a mass casualty event from an international terrorism strike however on the domestic front, the threat is real and here. Groups such as the Sovereign Citizens, Free Staters and Occupy New Hampshire are active and present daily challenges.”
Well, Carla’s not taking the accusation lying down. She issued a statement of her own demanding an apology from the city of Concord. She writes:
The Concord NH Police Department has made false and misleading statements in a grant application for $258,024 in federal funds from the Department of Homeland Security (“DHS”) to receive a Lenco Bearcat armored vehicle, hereinafter the “Tank.”
…
I am alarmed and appalled at the cleverly worded insinuation that the FSP is a domestic terrorist threat, or that “Free Staters” are “active and present daily challenges” to the Concord Police Department.
Individuals who sign up for the FSP generally subscribe to the non-aggression principle, an ethical stance which asserts that “aggression” is inherently illegitimate. “Aggression” is defined as the initiation of physical force against persons or property, the threat of such, or fraud upon persons or their property. Our website specifically states: “Anyone who promotes violence, racial hatred, or bigotry is not welcome.”
The New Hampshire Constitution states: “All men are born equally free and independent; therefore, all government of right originates from the people, is founded in consent, and instituted for the general good.” To discriminate against “Free Staters” for their pro-liberty, pro-peace, small government ideological beliefs, and to defame an organization in the manner set forth in the DHS grant is unconscionable, and unconstitutional.
Oh but she doesn’t stop there. She does more than just a verbal lashing of these power mad sociocrats. She’s also got a list of demands:
- A retraction and amendment of the grant application to remove all references to “Free Staters.” You are reminded that a condition of receipt of the grant’s funding is: “Funding may be suspended or terminated for filing a false certification in this application or other reports or document as part of this program.”
- An itemized list by calendar day of the “daily challenges” presented by “Free Staters” to the CPD. Please list individuals, not a class of people.
- A written letter of apology from both the City and CPD, which includes the following statements: “The Free State Project is not a domestic terrorist organization,” and “Free Staters do not pose ‘daily challenges’ to the Concord Police Department.” A copy of this letter will be posted on the Free State Project’s website, and distributed to our media contacts. Your immediate attention to this important matter is appreciated.
John Duvall, Concord Police Chief, responded with the clarifications that he didn’t mean to slander the Free State Project itself. See, what he meant was that individuals who might falsely ally themselves with the Free State Project could present a violent threat. This of course means that the Concord PD should also be on his list of potential domestic terrorists. After all, can’t an individual falsely ally themselves with the Police and commit an act of terrorism? Seems to me the FSP should be applying for their own BEARCAT to protect themselves from the police.
The debate raged on however. Concord City Council held a meeting to discuss the BEARCAT with the public. Of course, Carla attended and rocked the joint.
More than 150 anti-tank activists showed up and filled the council’s chambers to capacity including Irena Goddard who told the council she grew up in communist Czechoslovakia and compared the city’s plan to totalitarian leadership. She said, “I do not want this deadly intimidation force of a military vehicle to suppress free speech, much like what was done with communist military tanks in Czechoslovakia.”
After two hours of public testimony the City Council tabled the vote until September 9th. According to Councilor Dan St. Hilaire, the issue, “requires much more debate than we have time for tonight.” Or course, most see the delay as a way of avoiding public debate.
Police Chief John Duval insists the tank would be used as a rescue vehicle, although the grant application doesn’t reflect that at all.
At the meeting Carla confirmed that she had not received an apology from Duval, and she will file complaints with the federal government over fraudulent and misleading claims made in the grant application.
Silver Circle is showing now on Video on Demand platforms! Check it out on our watch online page and find out about local theater showings of the film and other special events on our -->event page -->.
