By Alex Furman
On the evening of January 2nd, 2019, New Orleans Sheriff’s deputies arrested activist and 2020 presidential candidate, Adam Kokesh.
The Man
Adam Kokesh is a long-time, dedicated advocate for freedom and Libertarianism. He’s hosted a successful YouTube Channel called “Adam Vs. The Man” and has appeared all over mainstream and alternative news outlets. In 2010, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives for New Mexico’s 3rd district. He has also declared his intention to seek the Libertarian Party’s 2020 nomination for President- which coincidentally is what brings him to New Orleans in the first place. In an effort to raise support and awareness for his radical 2020 run, Kokesh has organized what he calls the “Big Easy Book Bomb”, whereby he will place a copy of his short book “Freedom!” in every single residential mailbox in the city of New Orleans.
The Stop
Police initiated contact with Kokesh and company on the side of a busy road somewhere in the NOLA area on suspicion of being illegally parked. Evidently the “Freedom!” crew had been engaged in some shenanigans involving a power washer and a stencil, but the parking itself was the pretext for the detainment. As the video shows, Kokesh had been sitting in the passenger seat of the car while both of his compatriots were taken out of the vehicle and questioned by police. Later, after Kokesh refused to hand over identification, he was taken out of the vehicle and questioned as well.
The Arrest
After refusing to identify several times, the lead deputy put Kokesh in cuffs and read him his rights. It isn’t clear from the video how lawful the arrest was. Generally speaking, one has to be suspected of a crime in order to be lawfully detained. In the State of Louisiana, once a person is lawfully detained, he or she is legally obligated to turn over identification; but considering Kokesh was merely a passenger and cannot thereby be implicated in the moving violation, it would be hard to argue for the legality of Kokesh’s detainment from which his charges were built upon.
Booking
The morning following the arrest, Mr. Adam Kokesh was charged and booked with both “Resisting Arrest” and “Refusal to Identify”. He is currently being held at the Orleans Justice Center awaiting his January 4th court date.
