Arrested

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ARRESTED

Senior Citizens Arrested whilst Attempting to Speak to Senator

This item has been reproduced with the kind consent of the author. It is the tale of a recent visit she paid to Senator Gordon Smith`s office.

Hi, I thought I'd let my friends know about the fact that now I have an arrest record . a fellow peace activist sent me this e-mail this morning; I wrote my essay late last night after spending the day in jail as part of a protest. I wrote it because my Internet friends asked me to write about my experience; little did I know that one of them posted my work on a national blog called Daily KOs. I did not discover that my essay had also been read on Air America this morning til late this afternoon.

Kathleen's post:

For a 61 year old woman, I had a terrifically interesting day. On Wednesday, February 20, 2007 I got arrested - along with a 73 year old woman named Dot. We entered Sen. Gordon Smith's office and asked the receptionist if we couldn't speak to Senator Smith or one of his aides. We were informed that Senator Smith was in Salem today - and no aide except one involved with immigration issues was present in the office today. I asked if Sen. Smith or his aides would be in his office tomorrow and I was told that in order to speak to the senator a voter would have to submit a request in writing. The receptionist's answer was an acceptable response - but she ignored the fact I had just indicated that we would be willing to speak to one of his aides in consideration of the busy senator's schedule. I did not believe a "written request should be necessary to speak to one of the senator's aides so at this point I wondered, "Does this senator believe he has any obligation to the citizen - to his fellow Oregonians?" Why wouldn't a telephone call provide the senator OR one of his aides with sufficient notice that one of his constituents had a desire to express an opinion on an important and pressing issue such as the Iraq war. I felt that the receptionist was being evasive - and that the senator was prepared to duck and dodge any request for a serious conversation on the issue. At this point, I did sit down and wrote out a letter requesting some time with the senator, himself, within 7 working days since I felt that the effort of a written request warranted more than a few moments with one of the senator's office staff.

The receptionist's refusal to provide requested information and her failure to seek obvious information made it obvious that she wanted to shield the senator from any inconvenient question. The receptionist did not request any contact information from Dot or I and her failure to ask that obvious question made it apparant that she was not interested in providing us access to the Senator or to an appropriate staffer. When I sought information as when I asked when the senator and his aides might be expected to return from Salem, she answered curtly, "I don't know!" Seh also declined to offer us the name of an aide who might be able to talk with us on the senator's behalf.

The receptionist asked us to leave, Dot and I refused - and 3 regular police officers came to arrest us - soon joined by 3 bicycle officers. Dot and I must appear awfully dangerous to require 6 police officers - even though I am only about 5'4" tall and Dot's head barely came to the height of my shoulder. (I'd guess Dot is slightly less than 5' tall.) Neither Dot nor I would make a very convincing Amazons, but I felt honored. Each police officer who Dot and I encountered today were courteous, polite, and even apologetic; some seem amused - a few seemed shocked. I feel that they should be commended for their warmth and courtesy - I think Dot would agree that we felt we received better treatment from the hands of PPD than we did from Sen. Smith's office.

One Sen. Smith's aides who arrived about the time the police officers arrived. (I think the gentleman who came out to speak to us was an aide since he was dressed in a suit - not a security uniform.) Dot asked him if he could make a statement about the senator's stance about defunding the war. The man (I fail to recall his name) refused to offer statement on Smith's behalf, and he said, "You should have more respect for a U.S. senator than to refuse to leave his office". At his point I turned this man's rudy complexion a neon red because of something that I said.... Oops. In the presence of the police officers he'd called I said, ""Gee I woulda thought that a democratically elected politician should have more respect - for the voter - for his constituents... Should a senator play hide and seek with his constituents?" and I asked the police officers if we looked like we "two little old ladies looked dangerous?" and I made a statement to the affect that the senator must be very easily intimidated to be afraid of 2 elderly constituents.

Dot spoke movingly to Smith's representative of hearing and seeing a very recent Iraq returnee who was medicated for PTSD and visibly quite shaken by a slight noise and another veteran who said that his children do not have health insurance. The Smith representative said that the senator wants to talk with those people and to help them. Senator Smith's representative did offer to help the veterans that Dot had seen at the David Wu's town hall meeting, but he said the senator would need to talk with them "directly" - and his dismissive tone seemed to exclude the senator's need to speak further with either one of the two of us about any topic.

On the elevator to the parking garage one of the six officers asked if Dot or I had ever been arrested before. I said, "No ....we're first timers." That got a laugh so I recycled the remark when we were being booked.

Later in the process of being searched for weapons, I made the statement "My most lethal weapon is a sharp tongue." - with a smile to indicate that I was indeed harmless. (Providing an Irish woman with an audience was perhaps not the best strategic decision that Gordon's political advisers may have made today.) With each officer with whom I came into contact at the jail, I asked "What do you think of a senator who'd arrest his constituents for making an attempt to speak to him?" I did not hear a single negative response to that question and several officers actually indicated they were shocked. One of the female police officers who dealt with us told me that she is a Portlandindiemedia photographer and she told me that she'd see us at the next peace demonstration!!

When it was time to have my mug shot taken I was talking, of course - I do love an audience. The policewoman told me, "Keep a straight face and look into the camera." Of, course that made it impossible for me to keep a straight face - I laughed and they had to take the picture again until I could keep my mouth closed. When it became evident that this procedure could take all day - they finally got a mug shot of me - obviously stifling laughter with a good deal of effort.

Of course I spoke to all my fellow prisoners as well - and urged them to vote. They all expressed shock that two old ladies were arrested for attempting to talk to their senator. (I think I should have been a politician or a preacher cause proselytizing comes so naturally. :-D)

Let me encourage you - I had a great time meeting all the other women. I begin to think that some of the most interesting, independent and intelligent women are not necessarily "model little housewives" or entirely respectable ones from society's viewpoint, though more than a few have had very difficult lives and backgrounds. I must say that I liked Daniel, Monica, Katrina, a beautifull young 18 year old, and all the other women I met "behind bars".

After nearly 5 hours in detention, I was chauffered home by Tom Hastings a local peace activist who teaches Conflict Resolution at Portland State University - the perfect end to a very interesting day.