The U.S. feels more and more like a police state as time goes on. Protestors have to fear that they could be hurt or arrested for trying to spread an important message. A woman in California learned even the simplest forms of protesting can lead to trouble when the police are involved. Now, she’s sharing her story as a way to warn others that it can happen to anyone.
Trish (@tisfortrish on TikTok) shared a video of her recent experience protesting ICE and Trump in California. She started the video by noting that she’s a 120-pound girl who was out protesting. Her sign read “F**K ICE” on one side and “Donald Trump is a Terrorist” on the other. She said the police were called and, when they arrived, they reassured her wasn’t in trouble. They were just going to escort her across the street from where she was protesting. In the process, she claimed the police “tried to arrest her” because she wouldn’t give them her name.
When she repeated back their earlier statement they couldn’t arrest her because she didn’t commit a crime. They argued they could charge her with a “violation for obstructing traffic by standing in the median.” How funny the tides change the moment she wouldn’t tell them who she was. That’s like bait to a shark!
Trish continuously refused to give her name and another police officer came for backup, pulling out cuffs to threaten her. Trish went on to say, “This is a great use of our resources.” We don’t know if she gave up her name or what came after, but it appears they at least threatened her with charges if she didn’t comply.
These intimidation tactics are not unusual in the least in the U.S. Commenters shared their own experiences, with one person saying, “They wanted your name so they can investigate you, they did the same to me and kicked in my door a week later.”
Another person shared, “I got pulled over for speeding and the cop wanted me to get out of the car for his safety… I’m 5’3, barely athletic, and unarmed when he has weapons, how was he the one that felt unsafe?”
As so many protestors have learned through personal experience, the law is not on their side even though they have a legal right to protest.
