Charissa Cotrill's Blog, page 218

September 25, 2011

solitudinous:

I don't know if you guys can see that well but...

I don't know if you guys can see that well but those are the red marks on my wrists for being handcuffed for three straight hours today, with my hands twisted unnaturally behind my back.

I decided to go to the wall street occupation in NYC and…

-was maced in the face while standing on a public sidewalk calmly asking an officer if I could continue walking.

-was forcefully arrested (arms pulled behind my back by two police officers then lifted off the ground and dragged to a nearby wall) while being treated for the mace on my skin

-had my requests for information (whether I was being arrested or simply detained, why I was being arrested, whether they could read me my rights) greeted with silence by a wall of policemen standing with their nets, watching us sit there handcuffed.

-was bused, as the cuffs got tighter and tighter, to police headquarters (along with about 80 other peaceful protesters) and made to wait in the van outside headquarters for another two and a half hours

-was detained inside a prison cell for about another 6 hours, again with barely any information about why I was arrested and for how long

-was told I could have a phone call but only if it was to a New York number, and then was subsequently ignored when I asked if I could use a phone book

-was finally released with a charge of disorderly conduct and a court date nov 3

Right now I'm overwhelmed and exhausted. I missed the last train back to sarah lawrence because of being in fucking jail, so I'm staying at my friend's dorm at parsons. I had just about every right I "have" violated tonight and it makes me really angry. when the police feel the need to use the amount of force they did on me - i'm 93 lbs and 4'11" ft - you know something's off. when they're detaining the "granny peace brigade" along with me, you know there's really something off. this isn't right, this isn't democracy. that's all I can say right now because I'm so fucking tired and I need to just go to bed. perhaps I'll have some more coherent thoughts tomorrow, but again, right now I'm just totally overwhelmed.