> It still triggers me. This was in August 2022. I wrote pages and pages of my memories and thoughts about it, and it still makes me angry for about ten different reasons.
As someone who was arrested in his PJs at 4am due to a false accusation that the police did not investigate and for which they did not have probable cause, I feel this in my bones.
$15k in legal fees, a day in jail, and three months later, the charges were dropped because, as per the DA, “we cannot in good conscience pursue this case”.
No consequences for the person who made the false accusation, or the officer that enacted an arrest without probable cause.
My heart still skips a beat whenever I think I hear a knock at the door or noises in the middle of the night. I’ll wake up from a dead sleep in a panic. In theory I could pursue a lawsuit against both the accuser and officer, but that feels overwhelming — I’ve just tried to move on.
It completely changed the way I see the police and the criminal justice system. The process is, in of itself, punishment.
I was fortunate enough to be able to afford good legal representation, and I now have a great deal of empathy for those who are railroaded by the system because they cannot.
I'm only postulating here, but I have a strong suspicion that my ability to get past it as well I have (not perfectly, but I don't have nightmares or break into a sweat when I hear police sirens - although it does remind me almost every time) is because I had to give the impression to my kids that there was nothing to worry about; this is not a big deal; this is not traumatic and will not change the course of your life.
> It completely changed the way I see the police and the criminal justice system. The process is, in of itself, punishment.
One million times this. Even if it's not completely true at it's base, it's true for those unfortunate enough to have experienced this.
One of the funny (?) things about it, is that most of the individual officers were nice enough people, personable (other than one inflammatory officer who should not be employed in a role that comes into contact with people), one even gave the cat a pat. It's the system / systems, and likely the perverse incentives for their monthly stats.
I'm glad I didn't end up needing legal representation.
The way I deal with it is to actively let it go, forgive the situation in my mind, treat it as one of those anomalous circumstances that happen every second on a global scale. Treat it as a reminder of the unpredictability of life and an opportunity to be thankful that it's not my 'normal'.
>It completely changed the way I see the police and the criminal justice system.
Well,hopefully it has also changeed the way you see society in general, it's terrifying how common people willingly ( even when they have options) defer to the govt./authorities. The system didn't get be this this way overnight. Covid was one example of the tyranny of the majority.
As someone who was arrested in his PJs at 4am due to a false accusation that the police did not investigate and for which they did not have probable cause, I feel this in my bones.
$15k in legal fees, a day in jail, and three months later, the charges were dropped because, as per the DA, “we cannot in good conscience pursue this case”.
No consequences for the person who made the false accusation, or the officer that enacted an arrest without probable cause.
My heart still skips a beat whenever I think I hear a knock at the door or noises in the middle of the night. I’ll wake up from a dead sleep in a panic. In theory I could pursue a lawsuit against both the accuser and officer, but that feels overwhelming — I’ve just tried to move on.
It completely changed the way I see the police and the criminal justice system. The process is, in of itself, punishment.
I was fortunate enough to be able to afford good legal representation, and I now have a great deal of empathy for those who are railroaded by the system because they cannot.