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Ask HN: I gave myself to a movement and now I'm facing the consequences. Advice?
In June of 2017, three friends and I gathered at the Iowa Air National Guard base to protest the use of drones. I had recently viewed a video showing the aftermath of a drone attack, sanctioned by the President. I was furious. There were kids screaming, adults desperately trying to pull people from the wreckage; No one looked like they deserved what they had just received. I knew I could never unsee that. So, we filled a few barrels with cement and locked our arms inside them causing traffic to be blocked on the road next to the base where drones were being piloted. I knew I had to act.
Hours later, they "freed" us and we were charged. That was fair. Later, it was ordered that we were to pay $3,200 apiece because of what it costed the State to handle that situation. I didn't hear about it for nearly a year after the fact because I was going through deep financial struggles (https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=17936860). I began to get my life together (thanks to HN). Your advice helped a lot. Even the most brutal comments were meant well.
A couple of weeks ago I received a letter in the mail stating that I had until the end of this month to pay my fines or I'd be held in contempt. For those of you who are unfamiliar, this could mean jail-time, taking my license, etc. I'm not going to sit here and act like I'm being treated unfairly. I know for a fact that we were treated far better by the police than many of our brothers and sisters of color, historically (and today), for instance.
The reason I am seeking advice is mainly because I'm nearly in tears and very stressed. I can't setup a payment plan because of Covid (they can only do it in person) and everywhere I call says it's impossible. If anything, I'm just using this to cope with the stress.
Thanks, HN.
p.s excuse the quality, max char count is 2k
Proof
Des Moines Register - shorturl.at/jsL17
Medium - shorturl.at/nxLQ6
- iammru 6y agoDo you have a lawyer that can help?
- jessehorne 6y agoUnfortunately I do not at this time. There were several lawyers that volunteered their time for us during the anti-DAPL movement, but I haven't reached out because this was a separate action and I really don't like asking people to volunteer on my behalf. I also am not familiar enough with the system to even know what options I have. I am still not in a position to feel comfortable consulting a lawyer, financially.
- auslegung 6y agoI had the opinion about lawyers that I couldn’t afford one and I was intimidated to even talk to one. This went on for over 4 months, then I continued to drag my feet throughout the process. Long story short it only cost about $500 for a couple of meetings in person, a few phone calls, and several emails. By the end I felt very confident in my position and only wished I had done it months ago. I strongly encourage you to reach out to a lawyer and let them help. Good luck!
- iammru 6y agoHow about trying https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/ https://www.reddit.com/r/legaladvice/ . It seems you legal counsel ASAP.
- throooowaway_ac 6y agoHere's some advice: Don't participate in activism if you aren't in a position to weather the problems it brings. It can often seem like a good idea, but especially with how things are now it'll likely only fuck you over. Be safe out there.
- Twixes 6y agoWell, this is sound, but then again this is also exactly what groups content with status quo (say, a government that continues to kill innocent people) would like you to do – nothing
- jessehorne 6y agoYou both said exactly what's been on my mind lately. I keep thinking, "There's got to be a better way.", in regards to fighting these issues.
- sharemywin 6y agohave you looked into a loan? https://www.top10personalloans.com/ https://www.top10personalloans.com/ maybe setup a go fund me account.