Police need armored vehicles to fight against activists, ‘Free Staters,’ occupiers and sovereign citizens

Concord, New Hampshire police may soon accept $258,000 in federal money to purchase an armored vehicle, citing the need to protect police and others from threats including “the Sovereign Citizens, Free Staters and Occupy New Hampshire.”

Concord would be one of countless police departments across America that is being militarized through federal funding and programs like the 1033 program.

In Georgia alone, police acquired some $200 million worth of military-grade weaponry and equipment.

A public hearing will be held about the proposed purchase of a BearCat G3 armored vehicle on August 12. The vehicle would be paid for by a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grant, according to New Hampshire Union Leader.

While the grant was filed by the Concord Police Department, the department filed it on behalf of a group of 20 local communities, the Merrimack County Sheriff’s Office and Plymouth State University, under the umbrella of the Central New Hampshire Special Operations Unit.

The grant application was unanimously approved last fall by the Concord City Council, according to Concord Police Chief John Duval, but since that time people have been raising concerns about the vehicle.

Some of those concerns are being raised by the New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union (NHCLU).

After all, the application stated, “Groups such as the Sovereign Citizens, Free Staters and Occupy New Hampshire are active and present daily challenges.”

It also cited “several homegrown clusters that are anti-government and pose problems for law enforcement agencies.”

Devon Chaffee of NHCLU called the language used in the application “alarming.”

“It’s far from clear to us why an armored vehicle would be necessary to address what are generally, by and large, non-violent movements that in fact provide little or no threat to the security of our state,” Chaffee said.
http://www.unionleader.com/article/20130728/NEWS07/130729284?goback=.gde_1829117_member_262158333

Police: Because of ‘Free Staters,’ we need an armored vehicle

The Free Staters in New Hampshire are among the express reasons given for why the Concord police department is applying to purchase an armored vehicle.

The Free Staters, who are nonviolent, are lumped into the category of “domestic terrorism.”For not wanting anyone to use violence.

The relevant portion of the application reads:

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. Outside of officially organized groups, several homegrown clusters that are anti-government and pose problems for law enforcement agencies.

It goes on to say that they need this vehicle in order to resist bombs, or radiological devices (it has a radiation detector).
http://www.lewrockwell.com/2013/08/thomas-woods/shaking-in-their-jackboots/