An article in today’s Brattleboro Reformer repeats most of the details contained in the station’s press release, but also has an eyewitness account of when the FCC and Federal Marshals hit the station early in the morning when it wasn’t staffed:
Brooks House resident Joe Dever noticed something going on in rfb’s rented space Wednesday. He asked an official at the scene what was going on, but the official told him he couldn’t comment.
When he figured out what was happening, Dever said, he ran back to his apartment and grabbed his camera. The pictures he shot show U.S. Marshals, FCC agents and members of the Brattleboro Police Department.
“The minute they saw that camera, they turned their heads,” said Dever, who has been rfb’s neighbor for four years.
Brattleboro Police Chief John Martin said the only thing his officers did was stand by in case an incident occurred. They weren’t involved in the search warrant.
“The main thing for us is if there’s something going on in our town, we want to make sure there are no problems,” Martin said.
The presence of Brattleboro police is interesting, since the community and town council have given the station such resounding support. Note that the chief distances his force from the raid itself.
When San Francisco Liberation Radio was busted in 2003 the SF police participated in the raid, even though the city council had requested that,
state and local law enforcement officials to refrain from involvement in activities that prevent San Francisco Liberation Radio 93.7 FM and other diverse local media from providing healthy democratic local media in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Other coverage: