Here in the United States, the freedom to think and believe as you choose are protected by law. Unfortunately, our legal system is not perfect; there are some few people out there who would use it against those who believe differently from themselves. It is important to remember that religious belief is not a crime. If you are ever harassed for your religious beliefs, whether by corrupt police following their own agendas or by honest police misled by dishonest citizens, you must bear in mind that the legal system is designed to protect... read full review »

One thing you must never, never do: DO NOT, under any circumstances, physically resist the police. To do so justifies their use of force to compel you; don't give a police officer an opportunity to misjudge the level of force required. If he is honest and unwise, or corrupt and out to get you, the result will be the same: you will be injured (or even killed!), and he will be free to continue to harass citizens. Your resistance must be passive - in what you don't do - to be effective. If you feel that you are being mistreated by the... read full review »

If You Are Questioned Law Enforcement Officers have the right and the duty to stop and question any citizen, whenever a felony has been committed and they have reasonable grounds to believe that the citizen may have been involved in that felony. If this should happen to you, your first reaction should be to cooperate fully with the officer. This is not harassment, unless the questions asked do not or cannot pertain to any real crime. At your first opportunity, when you suspect that you are being harassed, you should ask, "Am I... read full review »

If You Are Arrested "You are under arrest." These are words that the common, upstanding citizen never expects to hear. However, as a Pagan or magical practitioner, you must be realistic. As the world stands, Pagans, Satanists, Witches and others deemed "radical, " "non-conformist, " or (in extreme cases) "dangerous to society", face the very real possibility that they may be harassed, arrested, charged with supposed crimes, or actually prosecuted for those "crimes." Whether your arrest is the end of... read full review »

The System Can Work We don't want to make you think that there is no hope for fair treatment from the police. A new member of RANN recently told us a story which illustrates that innocence and persistence can be your best defense. The member (let's call him Zack for convenience) was spending a quiet evening at home when someone suddenly began beating on his front door. Zack's neighborhood is a little rough, and there had been a number of robberies there recently. When he opened his door a crack to see who was there and the... read full review »

If You Are Charged with a Crime If you haven't done so by now, you can't put it off any longer. Get an attorney! A public defender just won't do; most of the time, he would try to persuade you to accept a plea bargain (you plead Guilty to a lesser offense in exchange for the prosecutor dropping the greater charge). Almost 80% of publicly defended cases are disposed of in this manner. Having retained a good attorney, take his advice; it's what you pay him for. One other thing you can do: to the extent permissible... read full review »

In the past few years, the emergence of social media and the easy ability for users to communicate has drastically changed the news media landscape. Social online communities has allowed many users to united over various issues and form strong widespread interest groups. Whether through user generated news stories, opinion blogs, message boards, interest based websites, there is a large shift towards transparency and participation. In the minds of internet users, user reviews and opinions has become the source to get authentic, objective... read full review »

The only thing media coverage will effect is how the public will perceive what is being reported. If the media report is slanted to one side or the other makes a difference on how the people watching or listening will feel about the report. However, law is not supposed to be about feelings, it is supposed to be about the letter of the law. What is legal and what is not legal, as stated by the US constitution and the state statues. Law should be black or white (for lack of a better description) When the media reports how bad thi... read full review »

The only thing media coverage will effect is how the public will perceive what is being reported. If the media report is slanted to one side or the other makes a difference on how the people watching or listening will feel about the report. However, law is not supposed to be about feelings, it is supposed to be about the letter of the law. What is legal and what is not legal, as stated by the US constitution and the state statues. Law should be black or white (for lack of a better description) When the media reports how bad thi... read full review »