Hi all,
I've been having a hard time focusing to read or write since my arrest. I have so much I'd like to share. For now, I will just say it was an emotionally complex experience. Nothing really prepares you for the feeling of overwhelm when you turn to see a small army coming at you. At the same time, nothing prepares you for the quiet resolve, the sense of freedom and the beautiful bonding with your brothers and sisters.
But, I woke up yesterday in a lot of pain, barely walking. Thought if I rested and took some Alleve, I'd feel better. Instead, I felt worse. When meeting with the Executive Director of the National Lawyer's Guild (NLG), she insisted that I head straight to the emergency room. The fabulous Keori responded to my tweet for an escort to the hospital. So awesome to meet her. I look forward to getting to know her better.
The NLG lawyer wanted to me to go to an emergency room so that I would see a doctor who didn't know me. I was also told not to let the doc know up front that I sustained my injuries during an arrest. The point was to get an objective diagnosis.
It did become a little obvious that I was withholding something. They were asking me questions to try and suss out the nature of the impact. Given that I was in the cargo area of a police transport, sliding around on a metal bench, with handcuffs on, it was a bit challenging to provide enough details to help them sort things out.
"Were you wearing a seatbelt?"
"There were no seatbelts."
(raised eyebrows)
"Did the vehicle jolt forward?"
"No, it whipped around a corner."
(suspicious look)
"What street were you on?"
"I have no idea."
(bafflement)
And so on.
Still, after a nurse tried to say it was probably just muscular and I should go home and take Tylenol, I insisted that a doctor take a look. I could feel a lump sitting next to my spine.
He was more thorough.
Diagnosis: ruptured disc.
I sustained this injury when the transport vehicle was violently whipped around a corner, tossing nine women in handcuffs about a metal cargo box like so much salad mix.
I'm now on Oxycodone. I could be in pain for two weeks or 6 months. Have to let it heal on its own. Healing will only happen if I move around a little bit, so my muscles don't stiffen, but I need to keep from bending at the waist or hip. No twisting and no lifting.
After one month of no pain, he recommends pilates to strenghten my core because, he says, once you have a back injury like this - and even more so, since I'm not a young whipper snapper any more - your back is always a bit more fragile.
I know that some of you are anxious to hear more details about the arrest process and I promise to write what I can as soon as I can. Beyond the distraction of pain and pain meds, I also have to be careful about what I say as long as the legal process is unfolding. I do promise that you will hear from me. What I might do is write up a draft now, so I don't lose details and publish it when I can.
What I can say is this:
It really pisses me off to read all these reports and comments of praise for how Mayor Menino and the Boston Police Deparment carried out the raid. Is the bar for our civil rights so low now that "it wasn't like Oakland", makes it okay to send in a small army of militarized police to arrest 46 protesters who had repeatedly declared that they would accept arrest without resisting? Is it okay for them to arrest us at all? Don't we care about the 1st Amendment, any more? Don't we realize that it's one of the defining attributes of a democracy; one of the key factors in preventing tyranny?
So, the BPD were a bit nicer than the NYPD or the OPD. Is torture any better if the torturer sheds tears for you?
And don't we care that the media were suppressed, kept from seeing the arrest process at all, and then obediently reported on the raid based on the statements made by the very Mayor and police department which violated their rights? They absolutely lied when they reported no injuries. There was one broken wrist, one sliced tendon, a few people with deep gashes and very swollen hands, my ruptured disc and, likely, more that we haven't heard, yet, as we arrestees aren't in contact with each other at the moment. Not a single person, regardless of how much they were crying out in pain, was given medical attention. We all had to wait to be released from jail.
They brought an LRAD and had officers with very large canisters of pepper spray strapped on their backs.
We're on the precipice here. Our rights are being eroded at every turn. They are writing laws to detain US citizens without charges or any due process. They are watching us with suspicion via cameras everywhere and monitoring of our communications all the time. Our police forces are militarized, folks. Seriously militarized. We are living in a police state, controlled by corporate interests. Why are we praising any aspect of this?
Ok, I'll end my rant. Sorry about that. Meant to just report on my injury, but I guess this just wanted to be released.
Thank you all for being so caring. It was very reassuring to have Kossacks tweeting me when I called out for an escort to the hospital. I love you all.