You May Take Our Beer But You'll Never Take Our Freedom!

My Hero:

Waiting in a drab hallway of a Lower Manhattan courthouse, Kimber VanRy got a bit of unsolicited advice from a Brooklyn auto mechanic who had just agreed to pay $15 for violating the city’s open container law.

“If I was you, I would have pled guilty and paid the $15,” he said. “It’s going to cost you much more in the long run.”

For Mr. VanRy, 39, an international sales manager for a supplier of stock film footage, video and music, it’s not about the money. He’s pleaded not guilty and is fighting the charge.