We can never know the answer to this question. What we also didn't know when we witnessed pictures of Mesiah's arrest this weekend, was that Mesiah joined Occupy Wall Street, the crowd at Zucotti Square on the 11th day of the occupation.
That's right. Mesiah was well known and, by virtue of her artistic nose gear shown here, was certainly recognizable by the NYPD.
It would be impossible to forget this smile
So, how do I know when Mesiah joined OWS? Twitter search. I twearched OWS Messiah and found this October 20, 2011 article by Eve Ensler. I'm glad I mispelled her name or I would have missed this.
In the article, Mesiah shares who she is and why she joined Occupy Wall Street.
Here is her statement in its entirety:
My name is Mesiah Hameed, I am 16 years old. This is my eleventh day at occupy wall street.
What an 11 days it has been! I have witnessed police beat my friends, arrest my neighbors, and scare our youth.
Amongst all of the chaos I have never experienced more beauty. The serene feeling i get while re entering the park from a long day of school is absolutely indescribable. The people I've met and the things i am learning seem to be endless.
I have been attending protest since a very young age. Both my parents use to be quite involved in the world of activism. That may be one of the reasons i knew i had to attend wall street but that is not all of it. Since a young age i have questioned the rules of authority. It never made sense to me. With age came lots of fights and misunderstandings dealing with issue. Authority is everywhere we go it is inescapable! My disagreement with authority has continuously led me back to the worlds biggest authoritarian figures, The government.
I am the 99%. Though my age may surprise some i take advantage of it. I make a statement. I inspire youth of all ages to be more independent and learn things on their own. I am embarrassed of my age group because other 16 year old's discuss shoes, iPads, and sex while I invest all my time in protest and justice.
I have read newspapers and watched videos on this revolution. Many of them share false and fabricated information regarding our purpose. What the media does not know is that the purpose is much to big to be titled. i have met everyone from in debt students to homeless grandmas. We all fight together.
Personally i am here to represent the youth. It is an issue when you are not born knowing about the corruption of our systems worldwide. it should not take several years to come to reality that we are being cheated of our freedom! I was raised in such a way that even if it does not affect me i am aware and do all i can because it could very well affect me anytime or moment. I am very passionate about this movement. I wake up at Zucotti Park with such drive, an open heart, and wide ears to listen to all. I know that my passion for this sparks passion within others! This is so important for the world. We must get our youth to the protest and tell them what is happening.
ALL AGES NEED TO BE APART OF THIS. we need to stop having authority over the young and let them find their own understanding of life. That is why i am here.
I will stay until we see change.
Many here are also of the same heart. Specifically, if one person is treated with injustice it's the same as everyone being treated with injustice. I know I am.
Now I'm 64. Mesiah, you are a girl after my own heart. Please be careful. The world needs you to be a leader for a very long time. Today's kids need leaders like you. Yours is a serious, important, lifetime project. Lead with grace, dignity, and integrity. Please don't ever sink to the level of vileness we are seeing from the NYPD, promise me?
{{{ Grandma hug }}} for you and your friends daring to stand up peacefully.
For those of you who might have missed the brutal arrest of Mesiah this weekend, here's what happened.
Mesiah stood in front of an NYPD motor scooter for 11 seconds. The 11 second event begins at 00:15 (explicit language)