A Dog for Three Days

Jon Gold
3/24/2010

On Saturday March 20th, a huge anti-war rally and march was held at Lafayette Park in Washington D.C. It was sponsored by A.N.S.W.E.R. Speakers included Cindy Sheehan, Ann Wright, Ralph Nader, Matthis Chiroux, Mike Ferner, and many others.

The march ended in front of the White House. Some of the protesters placed faux coffins representing different countries we have harmed during these illegal wars against the fence in front of the White House. The Park Police set up a perimeter around these coffins using the “POLICE DO NOT CROSS” tape. My guess would be it was around 50ft x 50ft on the front sidewalk of the White House. People like Matthis Chiroux laid down in front of the coffins to protest. If you entered this zone, you were arrested. I refer to it as an arbitrary “arrest zone.”

Cindy Sheehan, myself, and others walked through the crowd until we reached the barrier closest to those laying down on the sidewalk. As you can see in this video, the barrier failed, and Cindy Sheehan walked across. As soon as she entered the “arrest zone,” the Park Police immediately grabbed her, and handcuffed her. They were literally manhandling her.

This made me angry, and I yelled at the Park Police to “let her go!” Before I knew it, the barrier was back up. I tried to push through the barrier, but the Park Police pushed back. I managed to push two Park Policeman back until one of them grabbed for something on their side to use against me. It was probably mace, but it could have been anything. I stopped pushing. I walked around to the side where the police tape was, that failed, and I found myself within the “arrest zone.” I decided that I was going to allow myself to be arrested in order to keep an eye on Cindy. One of the Park Police grabbed me by my arm, and placed me next to Matthew and the others.

When I sat down next to Matthis, he said to me, “you’re on the right side of the line,” and I said, “I know.” One of the Park Police walked over to me, and said to another officer, “he crossed the line, arrest him.” That Park Policeman lifted me up, and put me in regular metal cuffs. As I stood up, I screamed as loud as I could, “THIS ARREST IS DEDICATED TO 9/11 VICTIM FAMILY MEMBER ROBERT MCILVAINE JR.!!!” and part of the crowd cheered. As they walked me away I could see Ann Wright waving her fist at me with a big smile on her face as if to say, “RIGHT ON!”

Before I was placed in the van, they changed the metal cuffs to the plasticuffs. They put them on WAY too tight. I told them I have a bad shoulder, but it didn’t matter. They were not too concerned with our comfort. As a result of the plasticuffs, my left thumb is numb. Joshua Smith took this video of me being taken to the van.

This arrest was completely unplanned. The action Camp OUT NOW did plan was to take place about 45min – 1hr later (around 4pm) when the Democratic Caucus arrived to discuss the new health bill. The plan was to sit in front of the entrance ways to the White House to block them from getting in. We never had the opportunity.

Personally, I think it’s a shame that more people didn’t cross the line. That is a public sidewalk paid for by the people of this country, and we have a right to peaceably assemble. This arbitrary “arrest zone,” is unconstitutional as far as I’m concerned.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. – The First Amendment to the United States Constitution"

A song had been going through my head all week. Power To The People by John Lennon. I started singing it in the van, and everyone else joined in. It was really quite amazing to see.

When we arrived at the Park Police station, they took us out of the van, and brought us in to get our information, and to strip of us of everything we were carrying. Including our shoelaces. I told the officers that my shoulder was hurting, and that the plasticuffs were on too tight. They clipped them off, and Matthis described the way my arms shot forward like a “spring board.” My wrists had these huge purple gashes in them where the plasticuffs were. They took my information, and placed me in a cell by myself with a window, a small metal bench, and a metal sink with a toilet. The air conditioning was on, so that was good for me, but a lot of the other arrestees were freezing.

We spent several hours in those cells only to come out to get fingerprinted, and photographed. Two of the people that were arrested with us eventually were allowed to leave, but six of us were not. Other people found out that we would most likely not be getting out until Monday, but I didn’t hear anything from within my cell.

Cindy writes:

"The two that were released were from DC and those of us held were out-of-towners. Immediately, we knew this explanation was total b.s. because I have been arrested in DC about 13 times now and I have always been from “out-of-town,” and have never even been held overnight, let alone two nights.

Was it a coincidence that Camp OUT NOW had two major actions over the weekend to try and hold our campsite that I missed due to being jailed? I don’t think so."

I asked officer Walker if we would be getting out that night, and he said he had to talk to his supervisor. Eventually officer Walker opened my cell door, and placed a tag on my wrist with my info and mugshot, and said “put your hands behind your back.” This time they didn’t put the plasticuffs on me so tightly. One of the officers TIGHTENTED Cindy’s plasticuffs after another officer put them on less tighter than before. Elaine had cuts on her wrists.

From there, we were placed into a truck that had a VERY cramped sitting area. I am somewhat claustrophobic so it was hard for me to get in. I did. On the way to the jail, we were talking about how we should have been let go, among other things.

After we arrived at the jail, they took off our plasticuffs, and they frisked us. Then we were placed into what can only be described as a human kennel. The cells were SMALL, and comprised of steel walls, steel beds, steel sinks, and steel toilets. The bars were made up of big bars, and a steel mesh that kind of looked like this from Star Trek TNG. It was easily 85-90 degrees in there, with one big fan blowing. There was very little air circulation. My shirt became my pillow, and I put my socks in the water, and wrapped them around my head Rambo style in order to cool off.

As I said, I’m somewhat claustrophobic, and I started to get a panic attack. I asked to be taken to the hospital in order to get something to calm me down. They did, and as I was there, I was watched by two different shifts of officers from the Metropolitan Police Department. Most of them were nice. We talked about politics, and other things. Every single one of them laughed at me when I told them why I was in jail. They told me I should have gotten a $25-$100 fine, and been released after a few hours.

When I was returned to the kennel, they put me in a bigger cell by myself. In there, I sat for 30 some odd hours. Oddly enough, the fact that I didn’t have cigarettes really didn’t bother me. The cockroaches kept all of us company. They were ALL OVER the place. One of them crawled into bed with me.

The one commodity in jail is the time of day. There were no clocks on the wall so you had no idea what time it was. The only way you could get the time was to ask a guard as they passed by. Some of them gave us the correct time, and others lied to us about it. They fed us bologna and cheese sandwiches every 12 hours, along with bug juice and lemonade.

It is very hard to sleep in jail. Someone told me the guilty sleep well, and the innocent do not. I could only sleep an hour here, and an hour there. It didn’t help that some of my cellmates were talking, or that my neighbor sang and banged on the wall for all hours of the day.
This was my very first arrest, and the charge is “crossing a police line.” I expected a phone call, and to have my rights read to me, but the big joke of the weekend was, “that’s only on TV.”

On Monday morning, we were eventually taken out of our cells to be taken to the court house. They plasticuffed us together. Three or four people per grouping, and placed us into the vans with the VERY cramped sitting area. We arrived at the court house, and they walked us into an area to put leg shackles on us. We saw Cindy and Elaine for the first time in this area. Obviously men and women are separate in jail. From there, they took us to a holding cell for traffic court offenders. It was run by the U.S. Marshal service.

Attorney Ann Wilcox came walking through one of the doors, and we finally got to hear a little bit about what was happening with Camp OUT NOW, and with our arrests. A BIG thank you to Ann for doing everything you did for us.

When it was time to go to court, they put handcuffs on our wrists that attached to a chain around our bellies. Then we were taken to a cell that is meant to hold four people, but they managed to shove 14 in. Cindy, Elaine, and other ladies were in the neighboring cell.

Never before have I wished for my name to be called. We waited for at least 2 hours in that cell before we finally were able to see the judge. We all plead not guilty, and have a trial sometime in June, but one of the more interesting things to happen was a request from the White House to create a “stay away” area around the White House that if we were to enter, we would get an automatic sixth months in prison.

When I finally entered the court room, I was THRILLED to see some of our friends from Camp OUT NOW waiting there for us. It made me feel really good inside.

Finally, the shackles and everything were taken off, and I was able to have a cigarette outside (thanks Josh). PressTV was there to interview us, and they took pictures of the purple abrasions on my ankles from the leg shackles.

The one thought that I had all weekend was that anything that I and the others experienced PALED in comparison to what those people in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan have had to endure. Cindy said they couldn’t do anything worse to her than taking the life of her child.
I was often asked if I would do it again. My answer is without hesitation.

PEACE OF THE ACTION!!!

Source:
http://peaceoftheaction.org/2010/03/24/a-dog-for-three-days/

White House Request???

"but one of the more interesting things to happen was a request from the White House to create a “stay away” area around the White House that if we were to enter, we would get an automatic sixth months in prison."

What?? Somebody should get a Transcript of this. There's no authority for such a request. I suppose the request would be as a condition for bail -- but that's outrageous.

Thanks for posting - anybody know what the charge is?

Any plan for civil case for violating civil rights? There should be.

Unbelievable.

Amen

Amen to your one thought that weekend! Thanks to you and everyone who took the plunge!

I hesitate to say this, because I know that being on the right side of the line is a noble thing, a very noble thing. But, I think it's important that it be said, if it hasn't been said already (haven't checked the comments). We are, generally, more effective out of jail than in jail. That's one reason why ya'll were held for so long, obviously. They wanted to keep you out of the actions that were planned, AND, they wanted to psychologically attack you for taking you out of the action for a bit. Still, arrests can be good, very good, and I know that Peace of the Action plans for them to happen. They do send a message. Just be sure to logistically plan for them.

There ARE good people, very good people, on the authority side and it sounds like you encountered some. I'm glad for that! I'm also glad, very glad, that you stopped pushing when you did. I encourage everyone, Please, remember that they are very well equipped to handle violence, and the worst of them will try to push us towards it. Violence is what the "evil ones" want from us. Nonviolence will get us where we need to go. Even when acting nonviolently, there are times to stop pushing.

The experience of being locked up for doing the right thing can be an extremely valuable and centering one, and it sounds like you utilized it well. Well done! Those cockroaches and, in my case, ants, and such are good reminders. No matter how insane the human world gets, the sane and centered natural world goes on, oblivious to our mass madness.

I encourage anyone who is locked up to remember that... rivers flow, grass grows, wind blows, etc.

I hope your thumb recovers quickly and fully. My ear is still ringing and doesn't hear too good and I still have to keep tabs on my balance. Small price to pay for the potential payoff.

Thank you Jon- and the seven others

Jon said, "The one thought that I had all weekend was that anything that I and the others experienced PALED in comparison to what those people in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan have had to endure. Cindy said they couldn’t do anything worse to her than taking the life of her child.
I was often asked if I would do it again. My answer is without hesitation."

Jon you're a real sweatheart

there's a certain innocence to your writing style, a spirit to it, it's hard to explain, but God bless you you child of a loving God.

I'm moved, shaken, stirred by

I'm moved, shaken, stirred by your actions.
Absolutely aghast at the distance we have yet to go.
God bless.

Jon thanks for sharing

Jon thanks for sharing and everybody else,
keep passing out those 9-11 DVD' that prove
9-11 was an insidejob
peace,pw

Video?

There was mention of a video of what happened. I would like to see the alleged commission of the alleged offense.

Jon, I do believe you should have been granted a phone call. I assume you were denied that in order to hold you over the weekend. They may have violated your rights by denying you that. I don't expect you will get much satisfaction from the legal system over it, however.

I've been in jail a few times. Never longer than a weekend. It sucks. In your case it didn't stem from not having enough money. One thing I've learned over they years is that poor people have a greater likelihood of being in jail for several reasons. Among the are that it is harder to pay car insurance, fines, lawyer fees, etc. Not only that, a $50 traffic citation hurts a whole lot more when you only have $100 to your name than when you have $100,000 or more.

Not to go too far off the beaten path, but I was thinking just last night about the injustices of wealth. I grew up in a well-to-do neighborhood in Prince George's County Maryland. The son of one of the wealthiest lawyers in the county participated in a coldblooded, premeditated murder as part of a conspiracy to cover up an ongoing criminal enterprise involving the sale of PCP and other drugs, receiving and fencing stolen jewelry and extortion. One of the members of this criminal enterprise was having sex with an innocent man's wife. When that man threatened to expose their crimes they set out to kill him.

The lawyer's son, who was an adult when this took place, had a borderline-retarded personal servant who did things such as clean stables for his master. And the relationship was described by those who had witnessed it as "master/slave". The conspirators manipulated this mentally challenged teenager into shooting their chosen victim. This could not have happened without the full and willing cooperation of his master.

The other conspirators did go to prison for their roles in the crime, even people who were far less involved. The lawyer's son, OTOH, did a short stint in a mental hospital and was released. A Judge, who was a friend of the lawyer, rescinded the son's prison sentence "out of compassion for his family".

I believe that example IS relevant to what is happening with 9/11 and the cover up. If you have enough money, you can get away with mass murder as an act of terrorism and have the MSM act as your private PR firm in helping you cover up your crimes..

A little while after I became active in the 9/11 Truth movement, I was arrested and jailed for a day. What ostensibly had happened is that a warrant had been issued on the basis of a paperwork error. The cop who arrested me was not on duty, he was not driving his own cruiser, and he came flying up behind me from several blocks away. He claimed to have pulled me over for a minor infraction which he could not have observed from that distance. He did not ask for my insurance and registration, he did not cite me for the alleged infraction, he simply arrested me and took me to jail.

While I was in jail I got to talking to the other men in the cell. Most of them believed that 9/11 was an inside job, one of them was actually very well versed in the subject.

I believe I was arrested so they could get prints, a picture, and to prevent me from going to a political function. I don't recall who it was, but someone my roommate avidly supported was having a public event. My guess is that someone wanted to prevent me from talking to this person. It may have been Kucinich.

All the charges were eventually dropped.

Thank you Jon for your dedication to the cause.

No one can doubt your commitment.

Thanks also to Cindy and all the rest who stepped up to confront the wrongs of this government.

Thanks to my friend Josh for the video and thanks zombie bill hicks for the post.

Show "I believe Jon is sincere, but getting arrested is not proof" by Kerberos

This is just one more signal of commitment added to stack....

for Jon. I don't think getting arrested is the sole litmus test that determines one's commitment. I look at all that I have seen Jon do and add this to the stack. I see that he is committed to the cause. I didn't doubt it before and I especially don't doubt it now.

More than just "martyrdom"

What Jon did struck me as particularly noble. " I decided that I was going to allow myself to be arrested in order to keep an eye on Cindy. One of the Park Police grabbed me by my arm, and placed me next to Matthew and the others."

He allowed himself to be arrested so that he could protect Cindy Sheehan, as best he could in the situation.

In such situations, it becomes obvious there is something higher than State "Law". Jon was following a higher ethical law, and bless him for it.

Very impressed

I didn't know your were claustrophobic. Very impressive you would commit CD considering this. So sorry about the handcuffs.