Today I got arrested, with my friends Mary and Jerry. This was part of a national campaign, organized by Mobilize For Healthcare For All, to sit in on health insurance offices, get arrested and raise the profile of health care reform and, more specifically, Single Payer.
This is my first arrest; here's what happened.
We three gathered at 9am at the vigil outside the Blue Shield offices here in San Diego, in Mission Valley under the 805 freeway. With us were supporters - friends, family, and fellow activists, and Sheila, from the organization's offices in LA. Some of our group called the press; there were a number of TV cameras and microphones. About 30 people in all. We marched in circles and chanted, then held a press conference, where Jerry explained that he had delivered demands to Blue Shield on Thursday and told them he would be back for their answer today.
We explained that we would go into the building, ask for the answer, and refuse to leave until we received the answer or until the police arrested us. And then we went in.
We marched to the building; the security guards blocked the front door and denied us access. Jerry went around to a side entrance and got in; then we were all in. We rang the buzzer of the Blue Shield office; nobody answered (but they put up butcher paper so we couldn't see in - the office was occupied).
The police were called, arrived, and tried to persuade us to hold our peaceful vigil outside; we refused. One of the cops went into the insurance office to talk with them; he later emerged saying that he had given Jerry's phone number to the company, and that the company wanted us to know it is a non-profit. I wish we had been at a for-profit insurance company, but it didn't really influence our demands or our behavior.
After again asking us to leave, after us again peaceably refusing, the police left. We realized we needed to make more trouble, so we blocked the front door (not to the Blue Shield office, but to the entire building) with our bodies. Some people tried to get in or out; many found the side entrance. A few people got physical; some succeeded in breaking through, others, not.
The police returned. By this point, in addition to our bodies, we had crime scene tape up over the door. One officer escorted someone who wanted in, grabbed Jerry's and Mary's interlocked arms, and roughly pushed them apart. This was repeated, on video, and we identified the officer by name and shield number.
Finally, someone came forward, flanked by the cops, and said something along the lines of, "I insist that you let me into the building." We refused, he said, "I am placing you under citizen's arrest," and the cops took us away. We had talked about going limp - it makes for better news footage when they actually have to drag you away - but by this time, three hours after we had started, the cameras were gone, so we simply let them walk us away. Hands behind the back, handcuffed, head high and smiling.
They took us in patrol cars to the substation, read us our Miranda rights and questioned us. Why were we there? Did we know we might get arrested? Etc. They wrote up our Notices To Appear, and released us; our friends were waiting at the station.
A pretty positive experience, for the most part; I didn't feel in any way abused by the cops - although Mary certainly did. In addition to the assault to make way at the entrance, the officer who brought her water in the holding cell "joked" that she should lie down and he would pour it on her face. Not funny, not appropriate - probably grounds for a lawsuit, but of course it would always be his word against hers.
In the planning for this sit-in, we were encouraged to have at least two people of each gender so that nobody was alone in a cell; I think Mary's experience suggests that this is good advice.
Thinking of getting arrested? It's a slower process than I would have guessed, but not a very bad one (at least if my experience today is any example). Like most things, it's best done with friends.
