A picture of me being arrested for an \open intoxicant"" was published in your paper (Feature photo, ""Busted,"" Feb. 21). This picture doesn't do justice to what occurred that evening, and it is something that happens too often. I would like to explain the full story.
I have been homeless for roughly a year and am an active participant in the Madison Warming Center Campaign, which organizes around assuring the social and civil rights of the poor in our community. The situation of that evening did not need to happen, and was one of many examples of harassment by the MPD toward the homeless underclass.
That evening, I was on my way to a meeting when an unmarked squad car pulled up alongside me. An officer got out and ordered me to place my hands behind my back. I had done nothing wrong, but the officer used unnecessary physical force in a non-confrontational situation. He then called Senior Officer Meredith York (shown in photo) and conducted a search which I did not consent to. Although I had to work at my new job the next day, they held me in jail for roughly 48 hours instead of simply issuing a citation and letting me go on my way.
For this instance of harassment, the city most likely spent hundreds of dollars for jail, food, policing and the issuing of a citation I don't have the means to pay. But most importantly, the instance could have cost me my new job. How is a homeless person supposed to get on their feet when police go out of their way to kick us while we try to get up?
