"So how was your day?"
Well pretty shit really. Ever since becoming partners in not-crime-but-slightly-out-of-the-norm activism in 2011, my sister Julie and I have come to a sort-of routine and system that basically means – we avoid doing anything together that could get us both in trouble at the same time - because like many, we are integral to carer responsibilities in our families; Julie far more than I. We have an elder and a few young ones that require picking up, shopping for, checking in on and feeding – so far, this works for us and we keep each other away from silly moves too when we can.
In all these years, Julie has never been arrested or in a position where she pushed it so far that she could be – I have one civil case for the Nana’s taking of the field back in 2014, one arrest that was just silly and charges dropped (I crossed a road), one actual arrest/jail/charges for an action that is currently awaiting court (Caravan of Love lock-on)… and today, a totally unfathomable arrest for ‘obstructing a highway’ that is totally unfounded or at least bloody odd. And Julie was arrested today for the same.
So how the hell did it happen that our system failed? Well we truly did not imagine for one moment that what we were doing, would get us arrested. We’ve been at this roadside with others for 781 days now and are well aware of how NOT to be arrested –particularly on a Monday when I have to bring my step-dad his pies and my company and Julie is needed at home for her youngest grandchild.
Somewhere around 2pm, Julie and I were dancing in and around in the entrance way to the fracking site (as usual) as a vehicle started to pull in, we continued to laugh and dance and direct it in right up to the line – at this point (a few minutes in, as almost every other time), we saw the police arrive and get out of their vans. As we do, we immediately wandered off… the vehicle we’d been dancing about was in the site before the police even got to it. The police all stood about and Julie and I wandered to Gate Camp, had a chat and a chuckle and then went back to resuming peaceful activity at the site entrance.
As we sat on the bench, the police suddenly started to move as a mass towards us – we thought they might be coming with a ‘warning notice’ about our behavior as others have had in the past… so I started to make speed and was past gate camp by the time I looked over my shoulder and realised that nearly the entire unit of officers, was racing after me! It would have been funny, in fact I think at that point I still thought it was – though that may have been growing nerves. It’s not like you expect this sort of madness to your days – even here at PNR where a lot of days have indeed been pretty damned crazy. I bolted in a sort of panic-meets-Hollywood-blockbuster scene – as I spotted a truck coming up in the opposite lane and some weird thing in my head made me imagine I could shoot across and make it to the other side and those following me (that looked a bit like a Benny Hill caper by now) – wouldn’t be able to make it too as the truck would separate us.
What this would achieve or if there was purpose – mustn’t have mattered lol! I reached the other side and wondered what the hell I was doing… especially as it became apparent that police had been running up both sides of the road (and the centre!). Perhaps they’ve been listening to conspiracies and imagine I’m some major villain? What a stupid fuss.
I was surrounded and not going anywhere but despite being under 5ft tall and not much of a physical challenge for them – they gripped by hands behind my back and cuffed me. I quickly let them know that due to recent breaks, my right wrist in particular was misshapen and painful… he then clicked three more tightening noises on the cuffs. Cruel – just plain bloody cruel. I was screaming in pain. The officer later tried to excuse this by saying the cuffs are more uncomfortable and dangerous if they’re loose. I begged for them to be removed but they said I was being aggressive – I was being in pain. I was though finally released by a runny nose… I’m getting over a cold and needed a tissue that I wouldn’t be able to use myself as I was cuffed – so I told the officer I needed to blow my nose and he would have to hold a tissue for me. He undid the cuffs
:)
Julie had come into view at some point in my recall I saw her surrounded by police just outside gate camp – we were taken separately to jail for about 4 hours and charged.
Although today was unexpected for Julie and I – it was a far from out-of-the-ordinary day here at PNR where so many arrests happen to result in No Further Action or charges later dropped - they do it to deter, to punish, to put off others from joining us and sometimes, I think because they are frustrated at the futility of lives spent pushing residents about in front of a fracking site when they were trained to fight actual crimes and deal with actual criminals. The policing has no consistency and all that happens is at the whim of whoever is in charge on the day and their style and mood.
The worst part I find in all this, is how desperately angry it makes me to be ‘handled’ and treated like I have committed a crime – what we do as Protectors is the polar bloody opposite to crime! Additionally, the police continue to apply force to our bodies, as if we were large, threatening criminals rather than who we really are – well-informed and desperately worried parents/grandparents forced to do unnatural things in an unrecognisable environment. This existence here is not only unfamiliar, unbalanced and wrong - it is absolutely absurd.
*Step father now comforted and fed... all young people in family where they need to be and two sisters a bit pissed off at a wasted day full of wasted time for some sort of phoney 'law' and ridiculous application of justice system - that isn't remotely just. A truly just system would manhandle and handcuff the polluters who are criminally damaging the land, air and water our children need to bloody survive.
*LOVE & massive thanks to our family of Protectors for sorting bags, pets, support and hugs
<3 span="">
