| Arrested in NY! | | Print | |
| Written by Administrator | |||
| Friday, 03 September 2004 00:00 | |||
 Heather in NY Heather in NY I begin my letter to you with this short exchange because I hope responses to this email will be less condemning because I was arrested and more congratulatory because I was arrested. (It is my belief that we have been tricked into believing a "record", especially one built on political activist grounds, is akin to a black eye... but a black eye is sometimes all that a victim of domestic violence has to communicate her situation to others when her voice has been taken away, and black eyes are sometimes all that victims of child abuse have to let the world know what horrid conditions they live in... so, give me a black eye if it means that someone will begin to take notice!) Ok, here's the scoop, in a nutshell: On Sunday, August 29th, at 5:30pm, I was arrested with two other women from S.C. and about 70 other people as we walked down the sidewalk in Times Square. I was taken to the now infamous Pier 57 (8 hours), and have a mouth infection as a result of having to eat cereal (the only alternative to bologna) with my grease, oil, and other unknown chemically stained hands. I was held in custody for 23 hours; so much for habeas corpus, huh? The other women from S.C. were held for 22 hours and 30 hours. We were subjected a myriad of illegal tactics, from entrapment to verbal abuse. Now, I will admit, especially to those who would say "well, jail and arrest aren't supposed to be a walk in the park", I would say, "you are right". We all know that our treatment could have been a lot worse. But, when the NY State Supreme Court demands that hundreds be released after 48 hours in jail without any sign of getting out, or when health officials finally get to investigate the filth of Pier 57 and file a report on the nasty conditions hundreds were relegated to, then I think we have a problem. I don't mind getting arrested; that part no longer bothers me. What does bother me is having to use a mouthwash four times a day to keep my mouth from becoming inflamed and burning, simply because I was walking down the sidewalk, after they told us to get out of the street. I would also like to say that the first paragraph is not intended to make anyone else receiving this message feel like they should do the same. I wouldn't want my worst enemy to have been held in the conditions we were. I included it for me: For so long, I felt like Emerson as I watched others bravely challenge the system and put themselves on the front lines. There are many who cannot put themselves on the front lines, and it is you who, like Lee Ann Barnes, keep Kyle in your home and become his second mom while I go to protests... and it is you who, like my mom, donate considerable amounts of money for gas, food, and subway passes... and it is you who, like an unnamed person, watch Jasmine the dog and make sure she doesn't die while I'm gone... Your actions speak as loud as mine, because without you I wouldn't be able to go. And, all you receiving this message, I know we have your support, that you are thinking about us, and if we needed it, you might even take up a collection to post bail. (I hope...) So, the attachment is my account legal asked us to write. Read it if you like. I love you all and freedom smells sweeter now that I know what it's like in "The Tombs"... but, as my co-worker Frankie said to me, "When you've been in The Tombs, you can go anywhere", or something to that effect. Please pass this email along to all you know, as you feel comfortable. And, for pictures go to www.carolinapeace.org, go to the Gallery on the left, and it's the first set of pictures. Somewhere toward the end, there are pictures of Pier 57, courtesy of NYCIndymedia, but there ins't one of the floor, which is what you all really needed to see. Yours in Truth and For Peace, Heather, aka the marginal woman Attachment Submitted by Heather Images from NY Streets During RNC
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