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The first extended interaction I can remember with the police was when I did something stupid at 15. I had guns pointed at me and later found out that even though I had my hands raised the whole time, they put in their report that I refused to take them out of my pockets. 1/8
During what my lawyer later called the "worst forensic interrogation of a minor [he& #39;d] ever seen," I was coerced into admitting to attempting a crime I& #39;d never considered committing. I was repeatedly lied to about where I was going and what I was being charged with. 2/8
I was told that they had tried multiple times to contact my mother, something she was later able to confirm they never did. Not once. I was coerced into waiving my right to have her and a lawyer present. I was denied water for several hours. My clothes were taken...3/8
...and I was given a vinyl onesie as a replacement. I later learned that my father had been told that I& #39;d actually done what I was coerced into saying I attempted. My school illegally obtained copies of the police report and used it to expel me after I& #39;d already withdrawn. 4/8
I fucked up when I was 15. I made a really shitty decision, and I& #39;ve made up for it. But consider that all of this happened with me being a young white man. I had a knee on my back for 2 minutes, said I was having trouble breathing, and it was instantly removed. 5/8
Before that I& #39;d talked with cops for less than 5 minutes at a time 3 or 4 times before. I& #39;ve never forgotten how scared I was or how much I hated those officers. That should& #39;ve been my first clue at what the system really is, but it took me almost 10 years to learn from it. 6/8
I don& #39;t talk about this often, and it& #39;s possibly identifying if certain people see this thread. This is the most personal I& #39;ve ever gotten online. It& #39;s one of the reasons I stand against state oppression and why police brutality is such a powerful issue for me. 7/8
Never stop fighting. Never stop trying to sway those we call our enemies today. They could be powerful allies tomorrow. 8/8
