‘Robin Hooders’ case deliberated

KEENE, N.H. — The selfstyled “Robin Hooders” race to the rescue of the parking peasantry, pumping quarters into their expired meters and leaving behind cards informing them they have been saved from “the king’s tariff.”

Nobody, not even the king — in this case, the quaint New Hampshire college town of Keene — disputes their right to use pocket change as political capital in what they view as a fight against government oppression.

But city officials say the not-so-merry band leaves behind more than cards with a cartoon Robin Hood and a suggestion to pay their good deed forward: stressed-out parking enforcement officers. And now, the New Hampshire Supreme Court is deliberating if there is a line to be drawn between protecting free speech rights and protecting government employees from harassment.

The six Robin Hooders won round one last December when a Superior Court judge dismissed the city’s request for an order restricting how close the protesters can get to the officers, some of whom claim they have been bumped and assailed with profanities. That court ruled the Robin Hooders’ actions amount to protected political expression.

The city is supported in its legal battle by the New Hampshire Municipal Association, whose lawyers claim the lower court did not weigh the government’s interest in protecting employees from harm and impediments to doing their jobs. The New Hampshire Civil Liberties Union falls squarely on the side of the Robin Hooders.

Lawyers for Keene argue that a buffer zone of 15 feet around their parking enforcement officers would not infringe on the free speech rights of the Robin Hooders. The justices have not indicated when they will rule.