Libertarian Party Presidential Hopeful Adam Kokesh Arrested in New Orleans for Failing to Show I.D.

The interaction began when he was stopped by the side of the road trying to power-wash stenciled messages on a dirty concrete barrier.

Adam Kokesh, an activist seeking the Libertarian Party's presidential nomination, was arrested this week in New Orleans and according to his Facebook page is still in jail. He is fundraising over the arrest, saying he wants to put a copy of his book Freedom in "every residential mailbox in New Orleans."

[Correction: I erroneously misread the combination of notice of his arrest and discussion of the book promotion in the Facebook message linked above as indicating ongoing fundraising; in fact the money for that book promotion had already been raised prior to the arrest.]

He and friends were parked by the side of the road, in the act of washing around a stencil on a dirty concrete barrier to leave a message in the cleaned part. Police approached them for being "illegally stopped on the shoulder of the road"; Kokesh refused consent to any search or to show I.D. "I'll just be here asserting my rights," he said.

That didn't do him any good, nor did observing that "Officer Friendly here doesn't have any real criminals to catch tonight."

Eventually the cops order Kokesh out of the car and inform him "you can't be on the side of this road" if you are "not broken down" and "in just a minute you'll be in handcuffs and we'll find out who you are or you can comply and do it the right way."

Kokesh asked what the charges would be; he was told "interfering with an investigation." Police then cuffed and arrested him.

The Libertarian Republic has more information, including copies of his booking document, which lists "resisting arrest—refuse identity" as his crimes.

[UPDATE: As of Jan 5, according to an email from his campaign press secretary, Kokesh has been released from jail and had the charges dropped.]

Video of the incident leading to his arrest, with the denouement where the actual arrest happens beginning at around 11:10: