Arrestee Reports on Discrimination at 850 Bryant

Transgender Humiliated and Arrest Procedures Disorganized


Originally our pictures were taken at the intersections where we were arrested for “blocking the street..” However, at Pier 27 the police photographed us again, for identification of our belongings as claimed by police. At the end of the night, the police realized they, “lost” some of the original paddled photos (photos with arrest #s and names of streets) taken earlier at the intersections. Without these photos, they had no proof to book these womyn. So Sheriff # 672 re photographed these eight or so womyn and handwrote a random intersection on the polaroids. We new this was illegal and that they couldn’t use these against us because they were taken in the warehouse, not in the street and didn’t have booking numbers on them! National Lawyers Guild was informed.

We demanded to be booked collectively after waiting approx. 11 hours in the warehouse at Pier 27. On the way to jail, many of us complained about the tight plastic cuffs and blood that was smeared on the seats of the bus from previous arrests (not sure if it was from previous protestors, but likely). However, our cries were ignored and we had to sit near the blood with our cuffs on. As we arrived to the jail, one young female began to have an asthma attack so many of the females began to ask the Sheriff’s for their assistance and they delayed in reacting to our request. Eventually, she was examined by an onsite medical person, just as we arrived and her medication was administered.

At approximately 1am we (approx a dozen womyn and a transgender) were being detained in a holding pen outside in the freezing cold of 850 Bryant. Although we were outside of the jail, we were inside the driveway, isolated by a large metal gate that divides us arrestees and concerned friends and family that waited outside. Minutes after our arrival, the transgendered person was singled out by a large black female sheriff #602.


She asked this transgendered person if he was male or female. The group of womyn and he himself explained that police at Pier 27 allowed him to be with the females for his safety. She became hostile and told us females to step back, because she wasn’t talking to us. She then very loudly asked the Transgender to tell her if he had a penis or a vagina. We womyn became upset at the manner in which she was questioning him and were horrified by her insensitivity. She then singled him out and took him aside where he was told to show his genitalia to the medical person in an effort to verify his sex. We demand that he is returned to us. Instead, he was later advised to cite out of jail by the legal team, for his own safety.

At the Sheriff’s station, more pictures were missing, so many of us had our pictures taken again. I had my photo taken on multiple times; twice at the intersection, twice at Pier 27 and twice at the Sheriff’s station.

All of us were released Friday late morning/early afternoon as “Jane and John Does” after all night loud and persistant jail solidarity.