Reporter arrested by police during protest against CSU budget cuts

This is one absurdity in a chain of events stemming from my June 10th, 2010 9-1-1 call reporting being attacked by a hitchhiker on the 101 north which led to my arrest and a failure, on the part of the police, to investigate my report. That mishap is discussed in another post, "Robo's Arrest for calling 9-1-1 to report danger to others," explaining how I was arrested on the charge of a concealed weapon for a legally open-carried knife and a slew of other charges. I lost five days of my life as a result waiting to go before a judge to be released on my own recognizance, having no prior record.

After attending numerous court hearings a miscommunication with my attorney, who went to the judge behind closed doors, led to a bench warrant being issued for failure to appear. Initially another client's older case was ahead of mine. Though intending on making an appearance, having my clothes ironed and hung up ready to go, a migraine undermined my desire to attend court. After all my lawyer said "you probably don't even have to be there" after I showed up vainly for other court dates without going to trial as scheduled while the court system overflows with involuntary "customers."

Unfortunately the other client settled the day after meeting with my lawyer, thinking it not necessary and having no sleep I drifted into slumber as the bus I would have taken arrived a couple miles away. I would have been there on February 17th if I knew that there was a jury waiting for me. Also, had I known this, my witnesses would have been on standby and had evidence such as my cell phone or the small leather jacket that allegedly concealed my open-carry knife. Judge Timothy Cissna issued bench warrants for my arrest and even my lawyer was upset over the miscommunication, not understanding where I was coming from. I guess that is a potential externality of being "represented." There should be more definitive informing of defendants by the courts, but that of course would not make them such easy victims. The warrant persisted for nearly two months as I tried to remedy the matter. My lawyer was out of town and the court won't talk to the accused, only the lawyer.

Knowing I have a warrant led me to be under a self-imposed quasi-house arrest, hoping to avoid going back to the hell of captivity by any random police encounter. I attended the HSU protest literally a few days before a hearing was set by my lawyer to resolve the matter and explain the misunderstanding. After following the tail end of a march through HSU's Student Business Services building I was approached by UPD officers Melissa Hansen, Rodney Dickerson, Lt. Lynne Soderberg and even the Chief, Tom Dewey. Dickerson approached me with the deceptive and hollow formality of saying he wanted to talk to me "for a sec" and asking how I am doing.

I knew it was bad despite Dickerson admitting in his southern drawl "you haven't did anything" as they shooed away somebody standing nearby me. "You have a warrant, don't resist" as Lt. Soderberg flanked me to slap cuffs on my wrists. Officer Hansen told me that "we have to do this." I rebutted that they don't have to do anything and told them they could talk with my lawyer. Across the street some students filmed by arrest and a former fellow activist Steven "Weven" Dimon was nearby, who helped inform my co-host Kyle Beattie of the situation. As I tried to give him a contact number Lt. Soderberg whipped a pen out and started writing it on her hand. Do they have to gather intel? I whispered the remaining digits in his ear.

Then I was taken in a UPD cruiser to the so-called "Humboldt County Correctional Facility" and kept with a ransom of $50,000 dollars. When I appeared before a judge my lawyer was not present at the 1:30 hearing and Judge Cissna sent me back to me cell amidst my protest. My lawyer showed up last minute and I was turned around before getting back the cell I was being kept in. Cissna seemed to have his mind made up, despite no objection by the prosecution, he kept me in jail unless I paid ransom A.K.A. bail until a new trial date of May 9th, nearly a month away and a day before my 29th birthday. The trial likely would have lasted a few days.

This isn't the first time UPD's Rodney Dickerson has confronted me with the apparent attempt of arresting me. I him captured on video encircling me with his co-minions during the 2007 4/20 gathering at Redwood Park. Two weeks prior a few other students and myself protested the subversion of the student voice by holding closed door meetings after canceling public. Dickerson addressed me from the window of HSU President Rollin Richmond's conference room calling me by name, telling me to leave.

Luckily I have made good enough friends over the years here to have people kind enough to bail me out. As a result I have been financially crippled by a $1600 debt, unable to pay my rent and now defending myself against apparent defamatory hack journalism in the Arcata Eye by editor and owner Kevin Hoover. Currently I represent myself and hope to discuss this matter further with the prosecutor, even the District Attorney himself, at my pre-trial hearing on April 26th. Another tragic example of the police-state abusing innocent citizens, this will surely only give an even worse name to the already despised government enforcers.

Check out the related stories linked in this post to learn more.