Paddleboro? Wooden Spoon? what does it mean?

[Pure]

Paddleboro
For new folks---recognize the name?

Private bdsm party busted in July 8, 2000,
Attleboro, Massachusetts. (Hence 'Paddleboro')

[from the website, an excerpt]
o Ben Davis was arraigned on 13 charges:
· operating a business without a license
· keeping a house of prostitution (up to 2 years imprisonment)
· possession of an item of "self-abuse" (up to 5 years imprisonment)
· assault and battery of a police officer (up to 2 ½ years imprisonment)
· accessory before the fact of a assault and battery with a dangerous weapon
· eight counts of possession of a dangerous weapon

o Stefany Reed was arraigned and charged with one count of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon (up to 5 years imprisonment).

o The item of self abuse referred to in the charges was a vibrator.

o The dangerous weapon was a wooden spoon.
[end quote]

==
July 2001, almost all charges eventually dropped due to illegal entry by police.
Oct 2001, Davis, "Not guilty" for keeping a house of ill-fame. Legal costs covered by the 'leather' community: >$40,000. The laws remain on the books. Paddleboro defense league still exists to work to repeal some of the laws. VISIT the site!

http://www.paddleboro.com/history.asp

 

[lark sparrow]

Great example of community activism and support

But you know this happens on all sorts of levels with law enforcement. Not to blur the focus, but I would assume they also may have thought they would find lots of overt sexual activity. It's not my intent to give all law enforcement a bad name, but....

I had an experience as a teenager in which I drove my car to get some fast food, and I was very hungry so I stopped at a park to eat it. I also lit up a cigarette after the meal and pulled away from the curb to make my way home. As soon as I turned the corner from the park a police officer pulled me over.

He wanted to search my car and my person... yes, I balked, I was shocked. As he had already commented favorably on my looks and was acting weird in my opinion, when he gave me the choice of the search or getting into his car to go to the police station, I chose the search. There was no way I wanted to get in his car!

So the search commenced, the imagined drugs did not exist... the only thing he could find that was even remotely "illegal" was a small folding pen knife in my glove box. He told me it was a switchblade. Never having been in trouble with the law and frightened, even though it was a false charge - my family hired a lawyer to bring to court - the police officer never showed up. Charges dropped at the cost of (unused) lawyer fees, and a lesson learned in don't assume you are free to quietly eat your dinner wherever you wish, without being searched, harrassed and charged by bored and/or paranoid people in authority (lol who may have a thing for picking on teenage girls).

Obviously a tiny example in comparison to this well-known and expensive case of political activism involving the right to practice BDSM... but it happens.

Thanks for the link to the site! I had heard of this case, but in doing a search out of curiousity there are an incredible amount of links. Good to see so many people involved, thinking about it and "fighting the good fight".

 

[Lancecastor]

What does it mean?

It means some local and state laws are stupid, outdated and ready to be changed.

It means that when the cops are stupid enough to charge people with breaches of old outdated laws the DA usually bails at some point, thereby leaving the law on the books and unappealed.

There used to be a tv show years ago about stupid laws called "This Is The Law". It was quite funny.

Lance

 

[WriterDom]

Spoons don't spank people, people spank people

 

[Pure]

Lance said

"What does it mean?

"It means some local and state laws are stupid, outdated and ready to be changed.

"It means that when the cops are stupid enough to charge people with breaches of old outdated laws the DA usually bails at some point, thereby leaving the law on the books and unappealed. " //

That's part of it Lance, and I can see how one might conclude that, but the issue is more complicated. But I don't want to bore others with 'legalese.'

 

[Pure]

Writer Dom said,

Spoons don't spank people, people spank people.//

...which no doubt explains why the people were charged and not the spoons!

 

[Lancecastor]

I don't want to bore others with 'legalese.'

Good!

Let's see you pick a new topic then.... no law stuff this time.



L