Attorneys File Civil Rights Lawsuit Over Wrongful Arrest, Detention in Psych Ward of Marine Brandon Raub

Rutherford Institute Attorneys File Civil Rights Lawsuit Over Wrongful Arrest, Detention in Psych Ward of Marine Brandon Raub Because of Facebook Posts
Activist Post

RICHMOND, Va. — Attorneys for The Rutherford Institute have filed a civil rights lawsuit against law enforcement and other government officials on behalf of Marine veteran Brandon Raub. Last August, he was arrested by a swarm of FBI, Secret Service agents and local police and forcibly detained in a psychiatric ward for a week because of controversial song lyrics and political views posted on his Facebook page.

The complaint, filed in federal court in Richmond, alleges that Raub’s seizure and detention were the result of a federal government program code-named “Operation Vigilant Eagle” that involves the systematic surveillance of military veterans who express views critical of the government. Institute attorneys allege that the attempt to label Raub as “mentally ill” and his involuntary commitment was a pretext designed to silence Raub’s speech critical of the government and that the defendants violated Raub’s rights under the First and Fourth Amendments.

John Whitehead Interviews Brandon Raub

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Judge orders Brandon Raub released from hospital

Tiffany Madison

DALLAS, August 23^rd, 2012 - After a special hearing today, Circuit Judge W. Allan Sharret declared the commitment order granted to federal authorities for Brandon Raub’s arrest and detainment was invalid.

Raub, the 26-year-old former Marine, pro-liberty activist and Virginia resident, was seized by FBI, Secret Service and local authorities over Facebook posts allegedly “terrorist in nature”.

According to court documents, a swift evaluation by social worker Michael Campbell determined Raub’s involuntary admission. The following day, a magistrate Michael S. Znotens ordered his detention at John Randolph Hospital. Raub was evaluated for an additional 15 minutes by Dr. James A. Correll and later ordered by Special Justice Walter Douglass Stoke to remain for 30 days at VA Hospital in Salem, VA.

John Whitehead of The Rutherford Institute, a Virginia-based civil rights organization, rushed to Raub’s defense, filing multiple motions later denied, including a plea preventing Raub’s transfer away from family and legal counsel. Once denied, another appeal noting Raub’s initial detention orders did not follow the law Chesterfield PD was filed.

Read more: Judge orders Brandon Raub released from hospital | Washington Times Communities 
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Update: Judge Orders Release of US Marine Detained for Facebook Posts

A judge has ordered the release of patriot marine Brandon Raub after he was essentially abducted and held against his will for posts he made on Facebook that the government deemed suspicious.

The judge as well as the Rutherford Institute should be applauded for their quick action in support of Raub’s first amendment protected rights.

From RT:

On the basis that there was zero reason to detain a retired Marine and commit him to a medical facility for psychiatric evaluation, a Virginia judge has demanded that Brandon Raub be released from custody immediately.

Raub, 26, had his home visited one week earlier by FBI, Secret Service and local law enforcement agents who expressed concern over a series of Facebook posts he had made on his public social networking profile.

They detained him without charge and admitted him to a local hospital for evaluation.

“The petition is so devoid of any factual allegations that it could not be reasonably expected to give rise to a case or controversy,” reads a signed statement by Circuit Judge W. Allan Sharrett, which was provided to the Richmond Times-Dispatch Thursday afternoon.

Judge Sharrett adds that he was shocked to find that a magistrate did not include any grounds at all for holding Raub, who was placed in custody for a full week without any charges being pressed.

Earlier in the week, attorneys representing Raub from the Rutherford Institute attacked the mishandling of the case by suggesting that the entire ordeal was a war on their client’s constitutional rights.

“This is not how justice in America is supposed to work — with Americans being arrested for doing nothing more than exercising their First Amendment rights, forced to undergo psychological evaluations, detained against their will and isolated from their family, friends and attorneys.

This is a scary new chapter in our history,” Rutherford Institute President John W. Whitehead says in a statement released on Tuesday this week.

“Brandon Raub is no different from the majority of Americans who use their private Facebook pages to post a variety of content, ranging from song lyrics and political hyperbole to trash talking their neighbors, friends and government leaders.”

Days before he was detained, Raub had made a series of posts that reportedly worried the authorities.

His most recent postings included critique of the investigation of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and other messages, such as, “The Revolution will come for me. Men will be at my door soon to pick me up to lead it” and “Sharpen up my axe; I’m here to sever heads.

“The bottom line is his freedom of speech has been violated,” Raub’s mother, Cathleen Thomas, told the Associated Press after her son was detained.

On Thursday, she told the Times-Dispatch that the entire ordeal has been “phenomenal”and that others could be considered because, “This could have happened to anyone.”

“This has never been about anything but freedom of speech…. We’re going to continue to post on Facebook,” Thomas continued, adding that she considered her son a “true patriot.”

Raub served in both Iraq and Afghanistan and says he had been considering reenlisting before last week’s events.

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Can the government detain you over Facebook posts?

Tiffany Madison

WASHINGTON, August 22, 2012 - 26-year old Brandon J. Raub, a pro-liberty activist, former U.S. Marine and Virginia resident, was arrested after authorities deemed his Facebook posts threatening. Citing an obscure statute allowing a citizen’s detainment for psychiatric evaluation, the FBI, Secret Service and local authorities swarmed Raub’s property to question and then seize him.

Without a warrant or recitation of his Miranda rights, Raub was taken into custody. After a quick hearing, government officials confirmed Raub’s Facebook posts necessitated his detention, refusing to acknowledge legal objections that the words were wrongly interpreted. The former Marine will undergo 30 days of evaluation at Salem VA Medical Center.

Since the incident, Raub has become an online hero as the arrest video and Facebook pages teeter on the verge of going viral. Citizens from all political persuasions, veterans, civil liberties advocates and the generally curious are discussing the political manifesto and detainment of Brandon Raub.

Read more: Can the government detain you over Facebook posts? | Washington Times Communities

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This article is the copyrighted property of the writer and Communities @ WashingtonTimes.com. Written permission must be obtained before reprint in online or print media. REPRINTING TWTC CONTENT WITHOUT PERMISSION AND/OR PAYMENT IS THEFT AND PUNISHABLE BY LAW.

Tiffany Madison

Tiffany is a columnist for Communities @ Washington Times.com and Speak Liberty Now.  Her American ancestry dates back to the 17th century with founding fathers attaching her family name to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. An 8th generation Texan, Tiffany is passionately involved in local and state politics and online advocacy. She is a believer in open discussion, net neutrality, representative republican government and bi-partisan, logical, truthful and uncensored exchanges.

  

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Supporters Fear Facebook Marine Being ‘Disappeared’

Brandon Raub forcibly transferred to psychiatric facility 3 hours away from legal team, family

Paul Joseph Watson

Supporters of Brandon Raub – the man kidnapped by police and committed to a mental institution for his political posts on Facebook – fear the former Marine is being ‘disappeared’ by authorities after he was forcibly transferred to a psychiatric facility more than three hours away from his family and legal team.

Raub, a former veteran of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, was involuntarily detained for psychiatric questioning last week by authorities in Virginia’s Chesterfield County for leaving anti-establishment messages on Facebook which questioned the official story behind 9/11 and referred to corruption within the U.S. government. The FBI claims Raub’s posts were “terrorist in nature.”

Raub is being held against his will despite not being charged with any crime under a state law that allows people to be temporarily committed for a period of 30 days.

Kidnapped Marine vet Brandon Raub speaks out from psych ward

Adam Kokesh

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Rutherford Institute Defends Marine Arrested, Incarcerated in Psych Ward & Detained Indefinitely for Posting Political Views, Song Lyrics to Facebook

Rutherford Institute

CHESTERFIELD, VA— The Rutherford Institute has come to the defense of a former Marine, 26-year-old Brandon Raub, who was arrested, detained indefinitely in a psych ward and forced to undergo psychological evaluations based solely on the controversial nature of lines from song lyrics, political messages and virtual card games which he posted to his private Facebook page. Although the FBI and Chesterfield County police have not charged Brandon Raub, a resident of Chesterfield County, Va., with committing any crime, they arrested Raub on Thursday, August 16, 2012, and transported him to John Randolph Medical Center, where he was held against his will due to alleged concerns that his Facebook posts were controversial and “terrorist in nature.” In a hearing held at the hospital, government officials disregarded Raub’s explanation that the Facebook posts were being interpreted out of context, sentencing him up to 30 days’ further confinement in a VA psych ward. In coming to Raub’s defense, Rutherford Institute attorneys are challenging Raub’s arrest and forcible detention, as well as the government’s overt Facebook surveillance and violation of Raub’s First Amendment rights.

“For government officials to not only arrest Brandon Raub for doing nothing more than exercising his First Amendment rights but to actually force him to undergo psychological evaluations and detain him against his will goes against every constitutional principle this country was founded upon. This should be a wake-up call to Americans that the police state is here,” said John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute. “Brandon Raub is no different from the majority of Americans who use their private Facebook pages to post a variety of content, ranging from song lyrics and political hyperbole to trash talking their neighbors, friends and government leaders.”

Brandon Raub, a former Marine who has served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, was detained by FBI agents and police officers at his home in Chesterfield County based upon the nature of content posted to his Facebook page in recent months. Like many Facebook users, Raub uses his Facebook page to post songs lyrics and air his political opinions, as well as engage in virtual online games with other users. On Thursday, August 16, police and FBI agents arrived at Raub’s home, asking to speak with him about his Facebook posts. They did not provide Raub with a search warrant. Raub was cooperative and agreed to speak with them. Without providing any explanation, levying any charges against Raub or reading him his rights, law enforcement officials then handcuffed Raub and transported him first to the police headquarters, then to John Randolph Medical Center, where he was held against his will. Outraged onlookers filmed the arrest and posted the footage to YouTube. Law enforcement officials have stated in press reports that Raub was not arrested. However, as attorney John Whitehead points out, if the police have put handcuffs on you and you’re being held against your will, that qualifies as an arrest. In a hearing before a special justice on August 20, government officials again pointed to Raub’s Facebook posts as the sole reason for their concern and for his continued incarceration. Ignoring Raub’s explanations about the fact that the Facebook posts were being read out of context and his attorney’s First Amendment defense, the special justice agreed that Raub should be incarcerated at a VA hospital for up to 30 more days. Rutherford Institute attorneys are working to challenge Raub’s detention and the highly unconstitutional nature of the government’s actions.

The Rutherford Institute, a nonprofit civil liberties organization, provides legal assistance at no charge to individuals whose constitutional rights have been threatened or violated.”

Petition | The President of the United States: Free Brandon Raub | Change.org

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Hearing under way for Marine veteran detained over Facebook posts

HOPEWELL, Va. (WTVR) – Protestors have gathered outside John Randolph Medical Center after a Marine veteran was detained after allegedly making some questionable Facebook posts. 

A hearing, scheduled for 10 a.m Monday, is under way at the hospital for 26-year-old Brandon Raub. Two family members, along with some attorneys who have lobbied on his behalf, were allowed to attend.

Protestors said they are upset because Raub was was led away from his house in handcuffs around 7:30 p.m. Thursday without ever being charged – and they feel that is a violation of his First Amendment rights. [RELATED: Chesterfield man, Marine veteran, detained over Facebook posts]

A former Marine who served two tours in Afghanistan with Raub told CBS 6 News’ Catie Beck that he is a courageous and patriotic young man with showed no signs of posttraumatic stress disorder. Additionally, the man said he believes a mental evaluation would find Raub sane — and not someone who is capable of a terroristic threat.

Video of Raub’s detention, posted Friday afternoon, has amassed almost 107,000 views on YouTube as of 12:30 p.m. Monday. The video has enlisted video responses as well. A Facebook group has been started in support of Brandon Raub, and currently has over 3,000 members. 

Neither the FBI or the U.S. Secret Service have placed charges against Raub, according the spokespersons with each agency

The FBI does confirm that agents went to the house of the former Marine to talk with him about his Facebook postings. The postings talk about a revolution and that the government was responsible for 9/11. 

RELATED: 

• Chesterfield man, Marine veteran, detained over Facebook posts

CBS 6 has been working this story since Friday night. Watch CBS 6 News starting at 5 p.m. and check back with WTVR.com for the latest updates from Catie Beck.

Hopewell protestors

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Update: Former Marine Was Picked Up By The FBI Over Facebook Posts About 9/11

Michael Kelley

A former U.S. Marine who accused the government of lying about 9/11 and spoke of "The Revolution" on Facebook was detained on Friday night, reports Renee Nal of Gather.

According to Brandon Raub's mother, authorities from the FBI, Secret Service and Chesterfield County PD came to their door, questioned Raub about his Facebook posts – which are critical of the official story regarding 9/11 and refer to "starting a revolution" – then handcuffed him and placed him in a Chesterfield PD squad car before taking him directly to John Randolph Psychiatric Hospital in Hopewell, Va.

Raub's mother said he returned about a year ago after serving in Afghanistan (after serving in Iraq) and did not suffer from PTSD.

The Chesterfield PD told us that the situation "was an FBI matter and we were just there to assist them" so it could not provide us with an official reason why Raub was detained.

Raub's mother said that an FBI agent told her Raub was "arrested by the Chesterfield police department" because he "assaulted an officer and resisted arrest," then asked her if Raub "was having any issues relating to people" and told her that "the threats he was making were terrorist in nature."

When asked the Chesterfield PD said Raub has not been charged with resisting arrest and assaulting an officer.

The FBI and Secret Service will not be available for comment until Monday morning.

Here is the video of the arrest:

Update: Retired Marine Arrested by FBI for Patriotic Facebook Posts

A military veteran by the name of Brandon J. Raub was allegedly detained for posts on his facebook page.

Thus demonstrating the police state in America.

Petition | The President of the United States: Free Brandon Raub | Change.org

Then They Came For Me (2012)

YouTube

One of his recent posts reads;

Brandon J Raub

“The Revolution will come for me. Men will be at my door soon to pick me up to lead it.  ”

He couldn’t have been more right. But exactly what prompted law enforcement to come get him?

Another reads;

Brandon J Raub

“Sharpen up my axe; I’m here to sever heads.”

Another;

Brandon J Raub

“The people responsible for poisoning the America people from the sky will be held accountable. And there is going to be justice.”

We will keep you posted with any updates as we are acquiring more information.

Video Description:

This video was taken 8.16.12 around 7:30 pm. This is the video of a fellow patriot, Brandon J Raub, being “arrested” and taken away by Chesterfield County Virginia Police Department. They showed up inquiring his postings on facebook, and then they just took him.

Brandon's Facebook posts are public.  Brandon on Facebook

Here is the post that got Brandon Raub arrested by the FBI: "America has lost itself. We have lost who we truly are. This is the land of the free and the home of the brave. This is the land of Thomas Jefferson. This is the land of Benjamin Franklin. This is the land of Fredrick Douglas. This is the land of Smedley Butler. This is the land John F. Kennedy. This is the land of Martin Luther King. This is the land where the cowboy wins. This is the land where you can start from the bottom and get to the top. This is the land where regardless of you race and ethnicity you can suceed and build a better life for you and your family. This is the land where every race coexists peacefully. This is the land where justice wins. This is the land where liberty dwells. This is the land where freedom reigns. This is the land where we help the poor, and people help eachother. This is land where people beat racism. The federal reserve is wrong. They have designed a system based off of gread and fear. They designed a system to crush the middle class between taxes and inflation. This is wrong, and it is unjust. It is wrong. We have allowed ourselves to be devieced and seduced by the powers of the printing press. It is not a good system. It discourages saving: the foundation for all stable economic activity. The federal reserve is artificially manipulating interests rates and creating phony economic data. This thing has decieved our entire nation. They created it 1913. They also created the income tax in 1913. They encouraged the growth of debt so they can tax you on it. There is interest on the debt. Your government is in bed with these people. They want to enslave you to the government so that they can control every aspect of your lives. It is an empire based on lies. They operate of greed and fear. There is a better way. It's called freedom. Freedom is called a lot of things. But there is a true meaning. It means very simply that you have the right to do whatever you want as long as you are not infringing on the feedoms of other people. I firmly believe that God set America apart from the other nations of the world. He saved a place where people could come to to escape bad systems of goverment. This system we have created works. It really works. There is evil going on all around the world. The United States was meant to lead the charge against injustice, but through our example not our force. People do not respond to having liberty and freedom forced on them. Men and Women follow courage. They follow leadership, and courage. Our example has paved the way for people all around the world to change their forms of goverment. Force is not the way because liberty is a powerful concept. The idea that men can govern themselves is the basis for every just form of government. We can govern ourselves. We do not need to be governed by men who want to install a one world banking system. These men have machine hearts. Machine and unnatural hearts. They have blocked out the possibility of a better world. They fear human progress. They have monopolies on everything. This life can be free and beautiful. There are enough resources on this earth to support the world's population. There are enough resources on this earth to feed everyone. There is enough land for everyone to own their own land and farm, and produce their own energy. These people have been hiding technology. There are ways to create power easily. There is technology that can provide free cheap power for everyone. There are farming techniques that can feed the entire world. They are controlling your media. They have dumbed you down through your school systems. They have systematically dismantled the constitution. It is in rags. The bill of rights is being systematically dismantled. Men have spilled their blood for those rights. Your sons and daughters, your brothers and sisters, and Americas best young men and women are loosing their limbs. They are loosing their lives. They are loosing the hearts. They do not know why they are fighting. They are killing. And they do not know why. They have done some extroadinary acts. Their deeds go before them. But these wars are lies. They are lies. They decieved our entire nation with terrorism. They have gotten us to hand them our rights. Our Rights! Men died for those rights! September Eleventh was an inside job. They blew up a third building in broad daylight. Building 7. Your leaders betrayed you. You elected an aristocracy. They are beholden to special interests. They were brainwashed through the Council on Foreign Relations. Your leaders are planning to merge the United States into a one world banking system. They want to put computer chips in you. These men have evil hearts. They have tricked you into supporting corporate facism. We gave them the keys to our country. We were not vigilant with our republic. There is hope. BUT WE MUST TAKE OUR REPUBLIC BACK"- Brandon J. Raub

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