"One of the guys was already busted up cause he was in there for fighting the cops…"

My tag is Slim. Friday night I was in Harlem, at 103rd street station, um on the 6 line. I swiped somebody on, they gave me the two dollars. The cops ran up on me, they were gonna let me go, but it ended up I had seven warrants out for my arrest going back two years so they had to bring me in. Brought me in to Union Square, transit police, I sat there for about an hour and a half. They brought me to central bookings, I got to central bookings maybe about twelve thirty Friday night. Um, there was about fourteen people already in there when I got there. Later on that night two people from Ukraine that came through, one of the guys was already busted up cause he was in there for fighting the cops, so the cops beat him up beat him down already. Ended up, he had ended up calling me the N word, I don't want to say it out loud. So the CO give me the green light cause he disrespected me, CO was like, "I don't care what you do", so I was went in there, beat him down. I went to upper cut him and I ain't come all the way up so I hit him in the mouth, messed up my nose and I cracked out his teeth. He ended up going to the hospital. Next day saw the judge, the judge wasn't sure, the judge wasn't sure he wanted to let me go because he wasn't sure I would come back to court because of the seven warrants I had. Lucky I had a good lawyer. He talked to the DA, DA guy dig. DA decided to drop it down to a violation. That's pretty much it. Um the judge, the judge done told me, he says do the community service and I better have my boy in court in December, so I did it.

Tyshien

"I had an empty bag that was in my pants for months..."

Basically what happened was I was hanging out with my friend. He decided to drink a beer on the street. So two uncover cops pulled up in a taxi cab. They searched all of us. I had an empty little baggie that had some Xanax powder on it. I got arrested for that. I was in jail for thirty six hours. I was charged with possession of crack cocaine and possession of an open container. Both of which were totally false. I had no open container and I wasn't in possession of crack. I never got read my rights or anything like that you know.

Xanax is like Valium. It's an anti-aniexty medication. It can be used as a recreational drug and all that. You can mellow out on it. If you take the amount you're supposed to take then you can be a functioning you know normal person but if you uh, you know you can take enough to kill yourself, you can take enough to just nod out. I mean personally I don't do it, I'm not a pill addict or anything. I had an empty bag that was in my pants for months, I mean it went through the laundry and all that. I have no reason to lie to you. That's what happened to me. I got a false drug charge more or less. In my opinion I got screwed, I got railroaded by the NYPD.

Matteo

"They still have my girlfriend in custody. I'm very tired."

Me and three friends of mine were driving from Long Island, Smithtown and um going to Washington Heights picking up some weed, marijuana, two and a half pounds. On the way back across the Triborough Bridge I was pulled over for not having my headlights on. They looked at us, one black dude, two white kids, started messing around with us asking us questions and stuff like that. One of my friends kinda like folded in, they asked us, "if we had anything illegal in the car". We were like, we were like sure. He said sure, ahh we have a bowel. Bowel is what you use to smoke marijuana out of and shit. So he handed him the bowel. The officer just wanted you know to just see if we did have something in fact. So he ended up taking us all out of the car, searching the vehicle, found two and a half pounds of marijuana. Arrested us. In the long run I copped out to a one to three.

Then last night I was coming back form Buffalo State, me and my girlfriend. She was driving because I was tired and all that. We got pulled over at the Triborough Bridge. What happened was we didn't have cash, I had my credit card, she had her credit card, stuff like that and that was the first time I was crossing over the Triborough and stuff like that. We went through, we told we told the police officer you know we didn't have the cash, we had debit cards and credit cards and stuff. He was like "all right we'll bill you". They asked her for her license and registration. She gave them the license and stuff like that. The license, her license is apparently suspended. Me and her both didn't know that. So they arrested her. They wouldn't let me drive the car back. I have a valid New York state license. They wouldn't let me drive it back. They made me walk across the bridge in the pouring rain last night, the Triborough Bridge. The Manhattan section takes you to one twenty fifth street. I had to walk all the way across the goddam bridge to one twenty fifth street and Lexington avenue. This was like eleven thirty at night. I live in Smithtown on Long Island. I had to take the train to Penn Station, wait till five forty seven in the morning to catch the next train going out to Smithtown and did that and the now I came back cause they still have my girlfriend in custody. I'm very tired.

Michael

"In my life I've been locked up about thirty eight times."

I was standing with a buddy of mine on Second. Avenue and Fifty First Street and uh two undercover cops in a car came up behind us, said they seen a bag hanging out of my pocket, ok and in that bag was maybe a joint and a half of marijuana. That was what I was arrested for, me and my friend. For a joint and a half of marijuana. Now this has been going on, this case has been going on since May because I wouldn't cop out, I haven't copped out for nothing.

I can't see being locked up for such a BS of a charge. Now I'm fucking here for this. For this five already. In my life I've been locked up about thirty eight times. For bullshit, petty larceny was my thing. Because I was a junkie. Dope. I needed to support my dope habit.

Robert

"I think they stopped me because I'm in a black neighborhood…"

Well I was coming out of my building on One Forty Third and Seventh to go to the store. I had a little stomach pain. So I was going to go to get a Schwepps Ginger Ale and the police office stopped me and asked me for ID, I didn't have ID so he told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back. So when he told me that I ran from him and then they caught me in my building and they took me through to the precinct. Today my court date and they giving me community service. No ID. On the police report they said, "unreasonable noise" but when my lawyer told me my charge they said, "assault" because he had smashed his finger in the door. In the project door while he was chasing me he tried to catch the door and his finger got caught.

I was asking what they stopped me for and he told me to "shut up", so we start arguing a little bit and after a couple of words I just ran off and took off. Honestly I think they stopped me because I'm in a black neighborhood and its nothing else for them to do, it's their job. So I feel like that's why they stopped me for. They said I fit the description. I ain't really do nothing I was just coming to the store. I think this is happening because there's a lot of violence going on around my neighborhood, so they run up on people, they search people randomly like the detectives stop and they give people random searches that's walking on the street, randomly. I say it's more like trying to get some of the bad guys off the street. I don't really know what they be doing, I don't know. They pick on the lower class, that's how I really see it like the people that's lower class, they try to squeeze them, get information out of them. If they can't do it they try to penalize them because they know most people don't know their rights so they don't have enough money to get out of these situations.

Joseph

"They just body snatched me. They're body snatchers."

Verbally assaulted, harassment, retaliation all that stuff. They just body snatched me. They're body snatchers. Know what I mean. The cops. They just pulled me out of the cab and fucked me up and put me in jail. Freedom of speech. That's it. They were just there cuffed. I don't know. Just some perps, regular perps. I just got in the mix of a whole drug bust and now I'm out here. They pulled me out and fucked me up. Look at my knee.

Why me? Why they pulled me out of the fucking cab? No idea. Obstruction of justice, that's what it is. 168th. Street and Saint Nicholas. Fuck em all, fuck em all. All the cops, all the cops. A misdemeanor. I gotta come back. They gave me another court date. It's nothing. I'll be all right. The same old shit, different totally different, smell. You know. This is a day in the life man, of me and all the drama and all the bullshit. Me being harassed. Everyone copying me. Wanting to take my style. Taking it all and not give me the benefits of nothing. You know. That's not cool, not cool. If you respect somebody, you're supposed to give them respect. Why you respect people and they don't respect you. Know what I mean. It's just crazy man. This society is crazy man. They lock up all the wrong people and while all the other people are already... crooked cops are doing the worst, the worst worst worst things out here. Know what I mean. Its gotta stop. Its gotta stop.

Anthony

"I did feel kinda bad I had to take his stuff..."

I was arrested for a robbery in the second degree. I was broke, I was hungry and me and my friend robbed somebody. Walked up on somebody in the back of a street, robbed him. He was an average dude. Probably 30 years old, had a backpack on, polo shirt. Nobody else around. Just me and my man and he was walking down the street, just him. Late night like one o'clock at night. Hells Kitchen. Um, cell phone, like a buck fifty on him. He wasn't hurt, he wasn't injured in the situation, but I did feel kinda bad I had to take his stuff yeah. Pretty much. I mean I had no money on me, I was living on the streets so, you know what I mean, I had to eat. The jobs were off and on. It was hard for me to keep a job because I didn't have nowhere to stay. I was sleeping on the street. It's just hard. You gotta figure out when you're gonna eat next, not too many people just going to help you out. I not the kind of person just gonna walk up to someone and asked them for change. There wasn't too many options open to me at that immediate point.

Jeremy

"I was just unhappy my hair wasn't done and I didn't look pretty.."

They caught me with weed, some marijuana. They told me to go to the precinct, they won't take me to the bookings if I just gave it to them. Gave it to them, sat for three hours. Took my mugshot. I was just unhappy my hair wasn't done and I didn't look pretty for it. It was pretty fun. Then we left and I actually walked away, easy.

There was a hot chick there and I got her number. For a photo shoot. I was like, "hey you want to be a model?" She was like, "yeah."

I'm a photographer.

Erica

"They're running amok like the Joker in "The Dark Knight."

I'm twenty three years old. I was arrested for coming out of a building where there were allegedly cops that actually sell drugs to suspecting buyers in hopes of as soon as they get downstairs or come out the building they're arrested. Coming out of the building I was asked to, "get on the floor" with I believe five or six other African American and Spanish decent males. When we didn't comply right away the officer actually pulled his gun out on me. We were all handcuffed and brought to Central Booking.

The things these cops in New York do is ridiculous, they're running amok like the Joker in the Dark Knight. I felt assaulted and disrespected. I knew none of these guys. Like I said I was coming visiting a friend. Unfortunately you know we can't live, all my friends don't live on the upper eastside or in the Trump Towers. I can't control where my friends live. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. I couldn't even get in touch with her to go knock on her door to let her know what was happening so that she could explain to them, "you know he just left my apartment." Everybody there had something on them but me and I was still arrested. They all had weed on them and they got it from the officers that were selling it upstairs. It was a sting operation that they do in that area. They get people all day long, all day long. I had nothing on me. Thats why the case was dismissed. I was terrified, I was terrified.

Gregory

"Girls are strange. Crazy."

This is a court case where um I went to jail for um a domestic violence case. Me and my girl we was was living you know together and um we was getting into a lot of you know bad things you know. The first two, it was a three year relationship, the first two years you know were going good and then the last year which was 2007 was you know was going down. We was into you know, I not ashamed to say it you know, "we was into cocaine, you know sniffing." That right there didn't end out good you know, um I regret it because you know, she would do a lot of things for money and that would take away her you know, I know it would take away her, I know it would take away her pride and you know we wouldn't keep up with our hygiene and whatever and so at the end of everything you know I had a fight with her brother which resulted me getting locked up for thirty days, that was in 2007. About um August then um when I came home, cause we used to rent a room, when I came home everything in the room you know was gone, so I found out she took everything you know she just you know left and my stuff was at my godmother house so you know I was a little depressed I didn't have nothing cause she did my clothes wrong, she did my clothes dirty and it really like you know messed me up so um.

She used to play with my feelings, she used to come back and forth saying, "everything would be all right" and I would believe that, so I thought um awhile of her playing with me saying, "everything would be all right" and then her you know like growing more farther away. I decided to like get myself together work, you know, try to go to school and get myself together. Dated new people and she didn't like that, cause when she back and we chilled, you know I broke the whole story down to her and we was like in a remote area you know my friend house but she left me for the day and you know... I had told her the situation so immediately you know she slapped me and I told her, "like you know I'm out, like I don't gotta put up with this, I'm good, I'm good, I don't ever want to see you again." So then, it was four o'clock in the morning at that time and I had to be at work at five. So um there was ten dollars of hers on the dresser, you know her keys, everything she took out of her pockets she put on the dresser and I say,"yo, I gotta go, so um I'm leaving." So I took the ten dollars off the dresser and said, "yo I'm gonna use this for the cab, because if I take the train I'm not gonna have time, I only have two dollars to my name." She didn't say no, she didn't say yes. So she said," you leave right now, I'm gonna cut my hair whatever" and she literally like cuts her hair, little by little and I'm just looking at her and I'm like you know that doesn't do me, that doesn't keep me, you know that doesn't keep me here, that doesn't you know make me, that doesn't make me see anything. You know what I'm saying, so you're not say nothing. I left and when I came back I found out that she said that, "oh I had taken her money, she's stuck down here, no place to go and that I put my hands on her."

I have no problem with doing this. My life will be, you know way better. I remember cause it was a long time ago, but like right after that, I started like getting myself together, she was still calling me after you know like she still wanted to see me or whatever and the legal aids, they didn't... they... I had an order of protection, I had an order of protection and um, um right after that, right after she did that, um in February, in February right, she had came back to New York again and then meanwhile I'm in the order of protection and I still let her know that I'm dating somebody, you know she still comes back, you know, shes like, "listen, I've changed you know, like... I don't do what I used to do." She used to prostitute, you know like cause when was doing that stuff you know on drugs. She said, "like I don't do that no more, I'm good, you know things could work out." So I tried it for two weeks. At the end of the two weeks, got into an argument again. Little small argument, say "I'm out again." She does something again. She goes to the precinct and says, that I put up a fight with her, that this guy's no good whatever." So they call me in again. Meanwhile I got proof again, she came around my area, she's right in front of my building when the incident happened, you know telling me to come downstairs, whatever. This time when I went to jail, I went to jail for a week, she was supposed to come the next week to like the um grand jury whatever, she didn't come because she knew that we know what she was doing and then, then they dismissed that one. I stopped picking up her calls. I even stopped picking up like incoming calls, calls that came in private. I stopped picking up those. My trial was Monday and the judge looked at me and it was like, "how old is he? He's twenty one." We don't want to see this guy lose trial cause my lawyer was, "like she can come cry in front of the stand and say you did anything" and I can be doing three to fifteen. So the judge is like, "the best thing I can give you is because I know you don't want a felony on your record is that we'll put a temporary felony on your record, you stay out of trouble for a year and eight months, then we'll take that felony off and that will be that and you don't have to worry about nothing no more" That's it. Girls are strange. Crazy.

Jerome

"I realized I was being arrested just for sleeping on the couch"

I live in Brooklyn, New York. I came to court this afternoon because I had to come here to sign up for community service, a non-violent crime for trespassing that I had done, so, I'm just trying to get it over with. That's about it. Yeah. I was in Midtown on 32nd St. in between 5th and Broadway, and it was like around 7 o'clock in the morning, I was waiting for the internet café to open up, they open up at 8 o'clock. So, I went inside a hotel to sit on a couch 'cause I didn't want to stand outside, 'cause I was getting a little tired, so sitting on the couch made me a little extra little tired 'cause I was...I kinda tired from the sun outside, so I sat down on the couch and fell asleep. I woke up, like, 20 minutes later and I realized the police was in front of me with handcuffs, know what I'm sayin'? Telling me I was trespassing and I was getting arrested for this. The La Quinta Hotel. I stayed there the night before, recently before I got locked up, yeah, yeah. It's a spot that everybody goes to, $3.00-an-hour for the internet, know what I'm sayin'? Playing video games and all on the computer. I told the police I was kinda tired, they said they couldn't do anything about it, they just came there to do their job. And that's about it. Nobody in the hotel called them, honestly, I think, like, it was a guest...or probably a guest downstairs, you know what I'm saying? Got a little, like, strung out that somebody was sleeping in the hotel, 'cause the manager knows me, whatever, but, like, he had no control over them locking me up 'cause they still took me, anyway.

They said I can't sleep in the hotel, I said "I just passed out for a little bit, I'm sorry officer, I'll leave right now," he said "only way you're leaving now is in cuffs." Know what I'm sayin'? He told me, give me my name, my I.D., I gave them my I.D., I realized — then I realized...he said "turn around," know what I'm sayin'? I realized I was being arrested just for sleeping on the couch for 20...like, not even 20 minutes. No. Three days' community service, know what I mean? I was in jail for, like, 24 hours, like, almost a little over 24 hours, a little bit, I think. I kinda felt better on the sofa than I did feel in jail. 'Cause I don't have like a violent history, I don't have no crime, I don't have no record, period. Honestly, I should've stayed at home, it would've been more comfortable.

Jamali

"She said I slapped her. Which I didn't."

Um, my girl, my girlfriend, my previous girlfriend already suspected me having relationship with someone else, never coulda came, never coulda came at me with evidence and proof. Um threatened me to go to court to have visitation rights, that was the only way I could see my son. She made so difficult for me and she put me through court, made false allegations upon domestic violence abuse on her. When the judge and the DA um took upon to be on my side and dismiss the case cause they saw it was false allegation, false allegation cause of jealousy. So I feel like there's a lot people, there's a lot of people in my situation that's even in prison, that's even in prison now because of domestic violence that's domestic violence is not all the time from a male. It also come, domestic violence come from a female as well. The law don't want to see that, they don't want to face the fact, they just want to see that the male figure is dominated and stronger so therefore he's the abuse one in the relationship, you understand?

She said that I verbally assaulted her, which I did. I spit at her, which I did. She said I slapped her. Which I didn't. It was and it was it was simply because she had a feeling that I was, that I had a woman and females are like that, they can't be with you. Nobody can be with you. You understand what I'm saying? They know that domestic violence right now in this state is priority number one and they, any female in this world knows that just by saying domestic violence they have the guy in the palm of their hands.

Jose

"I stole from every store you can name…"

My story is, it's kinda hard to get a job now days, so I went searching for a job down in SoHo and then the jobs wasn't necessary here so I had to steal, so I went to every store stole. I stole from every store you can name, Urban Outfitters, Levi store, every store. I got caught, eventually. But the whole situation is I that got caught, but the people in the store didn't want to let me go for the other clothes that I stole from the other stores. But the cops said, "it's all right, it's all right, I can have my clothes, just not from the store." The cops left me there and came back, but when he thought I came they hit me and my jaw was wired. Now it's a lawsuit. See you later.

Donta

"It seems unlikely I'll ever get my phone back."

I'm still trying to get my phone. I'm back here for like the fifth time trying to get my phone. It's really ridiculous. They're giving me the run around. All the numbers that I have gotten so far have been dead ends or no one's answering. Or just defecating on me actually. It seems unlikely I'll ever get my phone back. Like they want to keep it, they're using my daytime minutes, I don't know what's happening right now, I really don't. They've had it now for like a month, a whole month. I estimate my phone bill will probably be in the thousands, or late hundreds, something like that, not a hundred dollars, something like that. Maybe I'll have some new contacts if I ever get it back.

Timothy

"Security asked me, why I stole the bag I had on my back?"

The other day I guess it was Friday, no Saturday afternoon. I was out in Manhattan. I was carrying my backpack which I usually carry all the time. I keep my normal things in there, I usually keep a pad, my phone. You know your normal things you would keep in a bag. I walked into K-Mart to go do some shopping and uh Long Island Railroad. And I think that's under, by Penn Station, underneath Penn Station there. As I walked in everything was, everything was fine, I was looking, everything. I actually actually bought an item. I bought a, I bought a, I think I bought a pair of sunglasses if I'm not, not mistaken. As I was walking out the door I was stopped by security. Security asked me, why I stole the bag I had on my back? The bag is mine, I told them over and over. They didn't hear me. They brought me inside and I was then arrested for shoplifting. They called in the NYPD, who came in and they arrested me. They brought me down into uh the 35th. precinct. Booked me. Put me in a cell there. They then um transported me down here to county court or central booking whatever you would like to call it. And I'm in here ever since, I guess that would have been Sunday morning and I've been here ever since. I've just been released. It's Monday morning and all my charges were dismissed, every one of them, everyone of them. Nobody was able to pinpoint these charges on me. So now I'm going to go see a lawyer and I'm going to see if I can sue K-Mart for having this happen to me. I've lost work. I should be at work today. I lost my whole weekend. I lost my dignity, okay. I'm not a criminal.

Robert

"It's like a dog make a pee on the wall. I'm animal."

I'm from Paris , France. i'm here because I write graffiti on the wall. I was with a few friends in the streets, walked down to Astor Place. Like in France I make graffiti, when the Police come and push me in the wall. I wrote just two name. They took me to the 8th. street precinct. I was three or four hours in jail with twenty man. I got a nickname, "Fresh Fish", from this jail. Now I want to come back to France.

My graffiti, just a tag, hispanic writing. Graffiti is a part of my life. I start when i was a kid. Its like a spirit, it's my life. I'm a student in graffiti design. Writing on the wall is like I was here, I was in New York, I was in Paris, I was in Amsterdam. It's like a dog make a pee on the wall. I'm animal.

Esteban

"Everyone is basically just sitting on the floor packed in there you're like sardines, it's a nightmare."

The lovely NYPD brought me here today. Just came to finish up, my community service. Six days. I paid $95.00 after originally arrested for the charge of graffiti. I was basically at a bar down there at Bowery I uh was hanging outside and uh I just met this guy outside and we were talking about, just talking, shooting shit. I said, "like lets go outside for a smoke." I go out there and he like goes too, goes to catch, like climbs up on this thing, next thing I know I see this large like Puerto Rican guy dressed in all fatigues, army fatigues running full speed up the street at us. And I'm like what's going on, I think I'm about to be robbed or killed or something. You know? Next thing I know he pushes me out of the way goes to grab the guy and I'm like, "whoa whoa" trying to break it up like thinking this guys gonna beat his ass or something maybe it's some gang thing, I dunno what's going on. Next thing you know, swarm from all directions, they're throwing me in the car, never once identifying themselves as Police, never showed a badge. I was almost halfway relieved when it was the Police and not just a gang of guys gonna beat me down in the street. But uh, yeah took me down no questions asked right away and I got charged with a charge even though I technically wasn't doing anything as far as I'm concerned.

I was not. I was just there and basically I just got charged with obstruction of justice and they charged me with graffiti, cause they say I interfered and got in the way and hurt the officers little finger, his pinky was hurt and sprained and the poor guy had to uh, exactly this poor guy is like three times my size, like I supposedly hurt his delicate pinky. Next thing you know I'm whisked away for four days in the courthouse and they hold me down there and you know it was not a pleasant experience, I'll tell you that.

In the Tombs for four days. It was a nightmare. It's all cheese sandwiches and if you tell them you know you tell them you're a vegetarian, vegan, you don't eat cheese you know they're like well take it off. You know that's their solution. You get that two times a day and then you get a thing of frosted flakes in the morning which you know of course you gotta eat dry if you don't drink milk.

I was going crazy. You try to drift in and out of sleep. You lose track of time. You hear the same conversations over and over and that's the worst part of like the jailhouse lawyers, everyone's giving you this real great advice in quotations, you know everyone thinks they got the answer but they're in the same place as you. So you know you can't use any advice you hear in there. There's nothing to read. You read the same sign about your like, rights and to be quiet basically a hundred times, it's the only reading material. There's no reading. It's all cold floors and sleep deprivation basically. It's my gist of the whole matter.

Oh it's huge. It's really packed there for some reason. It was the weekend and they were just piling us in there. There was like no floor room even for everyone to lay down. Everyone is basically just sitting on the floor packed in there you're like sardines, it's a nightmare.

You have people you talk to but you, the conversations tend to be, go run in circles. Every time the new people come in they ask the same questions and then you get so tired of hearing the same conversations over and over basically. It's a cycle of the same questions, "when are we gonna go up front? You know let me see the judge, I've been here longer then you, so and so." Pretty much it.

To say the least no. But I've paid my dues to society and I'm rehabilitated. They really, they really turned me around. I have a new lease on life.

Stefan

"Don't you think you're spending a little too much."

I was recently released. I was sentenced to six months, five years probation for possession of cocaine. I was arrested on 119th Street in Harlem. I was dealing cocaine around the area I live. I was arrested January 5th. I walked into a building that was being raided. When I walked in I was tempted top buy marijuana, I had a large amount of drugs on me. So when I walked in they searched me and found everything on me. After that I was taken down to Central Booking, the Tombs, I spent two days there and then I was transfered to Rikers Island. Spent the next 4 1/2 months on Rikers. I saw the Judge, accepted a plea of 6/5 split and was just released.

I was into cocaine at the time because of the fact that it was a hard time, I couldn't find a job. i really don't have too much family, more or less on my own. I had to pay my rent. I was living somewhere I had just lost my job. So I had about maybe a few days to pay my rent. I knew you know people that sold drugs, told them could you help me out so I could pay my rent pay for my food. I started that. Thats how it started. I sold to people in the neighborhood um mainly just people in the neighborhood. I never really went outside. I wasn't on the block or nothing.

I'm selling drugs, it makes me very anti drugs actually the things I've seen from selling drugs the things people do for it. The way they degrade themselves sometimes and things it's just no. Not at all. Ive actually gave a few clients, try to tell them I think you stop you stop. I had um one client that used to spend $550 dollars a week on weed. And I would tell "Don't you think you're spending a little too much."

In my opinion drugs, selling drugs in my opinion is not a crime, in my opinion. Drugs are sold everyday pharmaceutical wise throughout the United States its just that you can't tax cocaine you can't tax heroin, you can't tax weed. And statistically speaking more people die from legal drugs cigarettes then they do from cocaine, crack and heroin. About 2,500 people a year die from heroin and about what a few thousand die from cigarettes every year. More people probably O.D. on Percasets and ADD medicine then hard core illegal drugs. I'm not doing a public service but in my opinion at the time I was doing more like an entrepreneurship, an opportunist, I saw a large market, decided to go for it, supplied their demand.

Jonathan

"This is the modern day slavery."

I'm at 100 Centre Street, courts. Today my case was dismissed, and I was trying to get my property back and returned, I was arrested for a charge that I didn't commit. I was pepper sprayed, dragged for half a block, and basically robbed by police. Now, I can't get my property back, they're telling me I have to go through all these nonsense channels to go get my property back and in reality my case was dismissed. So the charges that was brought against me, I should just be entitled to get back what is mines. But, they making me go through a whole bunch of stuff that I feel I shouldn't have to, if my case is dismissed.

They arrested me for robbery. No. Cause somebody just randomly ran in the street and said "he did it." Cause

I fit the description, but nobody never came to court and pressed charges against me. And I was telling them that I didn't do it, but they didn't believe me. Why? Because as a child, I made a few mistakes, and my bail, they held me for ransom. My wife came to court, told the judge and my lawyer that she had $1,000 to bail me out. The judge looked at me, looked at my wife, told her "ten-thousand." So I had to scrape up and get out on that.

I don't know, man, this is the modern day slavery. And they playing with people's futures. They just lockin' up anybody, and I feel anything that's black is not a criminal, and they really treat everything that's black as a criminal, which, in reality, they shouldn't. It shouldn't be just anybody could just walk up and get somebody locked up without the proper channels of evidence. No evidence. I was accused of having a weapon, when they found me I had no weapon. They said I had...I beat him with a bat. And it was none of that. He had no bruises, none of that, it was a whole bunch of stuff that was false accusations. And then I was suffered....I had to suffer, go through three days in the bullpens, and then get held on a ransom bail, and then released, and then I came to get my hat back, and $19 that was mines.

I'm suing, too. Suing. Mental anguish, loss of wages, pain and suffering, it's a whole bunch of stuff, man. They don't care about us, man. They say "in God they trust," they trust in the green dollar bill. If it ain't green, it ain't right for them. Straight up. I'm being robbed by the system right now, just to get my money back. They robbing me for $19, and a hat. And they robbed me for my time, and days that I spent in jail, that I didn't do nothing, but they ain't give me no "sorry," what they gonna say, "sorry?" They accused me of something that basically I'm being basically gonna be punished for for the rest of my life. It's gonna come up on my record. It say "sealed," but it don't be sealed.

James

"The thing about the sweeps, mostly mostly blacks get arrested."

I have to come to court mainly because I sold weed to an undercover cop and they gave me court dates to see the judge. I'm fulfilling the court dates so I won't get locked up. Nah... I'm innocent, I'm guilty, I'm guilty. I did sell the weed to undercover cops so I'm guilty, I pleaded guilty. I'm ok with that. It's a misdemeanor. I'm not worried about it. Once I keep going to court they're going to dismiss it. If they see I'm coming to court so they're going to dismiss it. As long as I don't sell no more weed to uncover cop, I'm good money. While I got this open case cause right now my case is still open. If I do something wrong I have a chance of going to jail for sixty, ninety days.

They were doing a sweep. They call that um a spotlight sweep. Where as it's almost Queens, Brooklyn, Bronx, all four five boroughs they had a spotlight sweep. Where all the criminals, actually where all the criminals go it was mass arrests, it was about maybe a thousand arrests, in Manhattan only, in Manhattan only. Its about six hundred, seven hundred arrests in a spotlight sweep. And then the thing about the sweeps, mostly mostly blacks get arrested. You know, for no crimes. Like putting their foot on the chair in the subway, maybe open container, you know a lot of them were in jail for a lot of bullshit. Where as you got people out selling hand grenades, guns and missiles, drugs, so far it's um heavy drugs like crack and cocaine. That's um, that's um, those controlled substance. Luckily I have marijuana. I sold marijuana. I don't mess with I don't mess with hard drugs.

Kevin

"She doesn't even remember any of this because she was so high."

What brought me to court was last time I got arrested last week, I went to court and they told me, I got arrested for drinking a beer in Tompkins Square park in the lower east side, but when they brought me to court they said I skipped three days of community service which I did and I previously agreed to spend fifteen days in jail if I missed the community service. I pleaded with the judge, and said, "my father died so I went to Maryland for a month and thats the only reason I skipped my community service." So she actually gave me a second chance at getting community service. So when I signed up for community service and they gave me the dates to appear I got drunk again and lost the paper work.

I also missed two day community service, from a previous crime which, let me think what it was stealing books from Barnes and Noble. What books? Umm I don't even remember. Actually, weird thing it wasn't me that stole the books, I was there with my wife. She had taken a few Xanax you know Xanax bars, like two milligrams Xanax they look like bars. I was up cruising the sci-fi section on the fourth floor and came down to the third floor and saw my wife laying on the ground passed out with a grocery bag full of books and I woke her up and said "Stephanie what are doing? Come on let's get out of here." and she's like, "No come on I gotta take these books." Before I woke her up I poured all of the books out of the bag and put them back on the shelf even though it was the wrong shelf I just stuffed them there. As she was walking with me and I was trying to get her out of the store she kept grabbing books off the shelf and was throwing in the bag over and over again. And I kept saying, "Stephanie stop this is ridiculous, everyone can see you, this is so stupid." But she was so high on Xanax she kept doing it, oh this is ridiculous and you know I couldn't grab the books out of the bag fast enough. And then by the time we got to the escalator two undercover cops or security guards there had grabbed both of us and said, "Come with me." So we both got charged with stealing the books. She doesn't even remember any of this because she was so high. I mean its not the kind of thing she would do sober. But pills kind of whack you out, obviously. So we both got charged with that. Instead of spending any jail time we just spent a couple of days in there and then they just gave us each two days of community service. That was actually when my dad died and we both went to Maryland for a month and that's why we didn't do those days.

Ian

"I just gotta clear my name.'

I went for a job interview and I got the job and then a week later they fired me talking about that I was arrested for Grand Larceny on January 3rd., 2002 and January 17th. 2002 in Manhattan. I've never been arrested in Manhattan. When I came down here I came down to figure out what's going, they're telling me this person has a couple of aliases. Now I have to go to One Police Plaza to get fingerprinted to prove this is not me.

They did a criminal background check and this popped up. When I went to the Bronx Community Criminal Court to ask why this is coming up they were telling me the person used a couple of aliases like Ramon Gonzalez, Roberto Diaz. He has no address but has my birthdate. He just used that. I don't know why, I don't know how either. I'm thinking it might be a guy who knows me and used my name and birthdate. But I can't figure out that until the file comes back six to eight weeks from today showing me a picture, showing me the fingerprint, right now I'm going to get fingerprinted just to prove it's not me. Because I have been arrested before and took fingerprints and this never came up. But I'd like to press charges, even if I know him. Its false identity. Cause he used the name Ramon Gonzalez which means he's just going using different. He just destroyed my life right now. I just lost a twenty two dollar an hour job. Whatever happens to him happens to him. I just gotta clear my name.

Roberto

"I had to spend eighteen hours in jail with a pink bustier and stiletto heels on."

I was in Kane nightclub it's on west 28th. street. I was with three of my girlfriends. We were all very intoxicated. Two of them started getting into an argument and one of them was getting thrown out and as she was getting thrown out she screamed out, "grab my bag" because the bouncer was grabbing her out, there was about eight clutches on the thing. I'm drunk. I pick one up. I go outside some girl starts screaming out, "where's my bag, where's my bag." I pull out the bag I was like this isn't yours some guy grabs my arm looks like he just came out of the club. I told him, "get the fuck off of me" and turns out to be a cop that arrested me for grand larceny. And I had to spend eighteen hours in jail with a pink bustier and stiletto heels on. The girl must of realized it was a misunderstanding. She pressed charges while I was in the precinct and then she didn't cooperate with the DA, so I just had to show up three times before she, before that happens. So like before it got dismissed which is the last time I ever had to see this building ever again, because I do not belong in places like this, at all. I'm not a criminal. It was a misunderstanding. A drunken misunderstanding.

Vlada

"You know. I'm homeless. I go to the bath houses and take a shower."

Zullo Paul, Pul heh I'm not all there. My last name is Paul, my first name. My last name... is Zullo. I was drinking all night. Just a crime that's all. Fighting. Some guy over there in the park. Some guy I don't know. I've never seen him before. I stay there sometimes.

One in the building there I broke his telephone, his walkie talkie. I smashed it on the floor because I was picking up cans. I didn't even know it, I seen it by the telephone so I picked it up and I threw it on the floor, he says, "Oh my phone, my phone". And it was right across by the curb. So he's taking me to court. The other guys taking me to court too. Both people are taking me to court. For fighting. I've haven't gotten in trouble since they let me go. I didn't even touch the guy, I didn't even hit him or nothing. He's bleeding from his finger. And they took me and put me, fucking stun gun me, all over my body. The five precinct. They let me go. He was looking for trouble from me and I was looking for trouble from him. They was cursing me out over there. They don't like white guys. He was a black guy.

I go to parks and different areas to pick up cans just to eat something. I don't got no were to go, You know. I'm homeless. I go to the bath houses and take a shower. In the park. Any park, any park to sleep, lay your head down. Nobody bother you. No I don't ask for no money. Thats why I pick up cans not to bother people. Yeah I go to the machine every day to cash in cans. Yeah I wait over here seven thirty everyday. Sometimes they come by sometimes they hold food for me. Outside. It's all right. You get used to it. I'm used to the cold. But sometimes it gets so cold I go in the shelters sometimes. Just for a night You can't help where you gotta go. Some place to go. Not living in the street to die, freeze to death. It don't bother me. It bothers other people.

Paul

"A dog can take a pee and I can't."

I was walking down Ludlow Street and uh I guess a Police Officer who I've had interactions actions with in the past spotted me and followed me about four or five blocks, uh watched me take a pee in an alley in some garbage, in the rain and then followed me another two blocks and then put handcuffs on me and then took me to jail for which I spent twenty hours in a holding cell.

And was uh was released with credit for time served. Feel like it was kind of a rip off. Twenty hours in a thirty man cell, it's freezing cold for taking a pee when there's no public restrooms available is pretty bogus. I think if you're going to arrest someone for having to go to the bathroom you should maybe provide public toilets. I'm from San Francisco, they have pay toilets there at least on the street. There's no business that will open their restrooms to non paying customers. So if I don't have five dollars to buy a sandwich and I have to go to the bathroom I guess that means I'm going to go jail.

I was going to say I watched my urine get washed away in the rain as my handcuffs were being put on me, it's pretty ironic, you know. my crime was erased and I was going to jail for a few hours, twenty hours. A dog can take a pee and I can't. I guess they have more rights then I do. Right. I'm watching a cop ride a horse taking a dump that I got to ride over on my bicycle and I can't take a piss on a pile of trash. You know. Fuck.

Mark Mark Mark

"These people are completely disgusting. "

I was arrested for a demonstration on the fifth anniversary of the war in Iraq at the headquarters of L3 Communications which is a huge, the third largest war profiteer in the nation. They bought off all the employees from Abu Grab after the Abu Grab scandal broke. They produce guidance systems for missiles. They have one of the largest private militaries in the world. Its a huge corporation they own the majority of the fiber optic cables on the Atlantic Ocean. They're pretty big. What we did is we rushed it and chained ourselves in the revolving doors of the headquarters.

Yeah the cops dislocated his shoulder because he went limp when he was pulled out of the doorway umm and so once we were thrown in the paddy wagon he had to actually heave himself up against the wall to relocate his shoulder, but he did not file a complaint because his priority was to get out of jail as quickly as possible which is certainly understandable. From there we were taken to the mass arrest unit and then transferred to the tombs here we sat for about twenty four hours. My friends actually were in a different cell and watched someone die here and their body be taken away which was fairly disturbing for them.

L3 has the last time I checked one of their branches called the NPRI has one of the largest private militaries in the world, I think 12,000 special ops. They do all of the interrogation i.e. torture in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantanamo Bay. These are the people that provide the tortures for Guantanamo Bay. If the military doesn't want to do it themselves because of legal issues so its a lot easier, to just, hey you go ruin someone's life and then we're not held accountable. A huge corporation which not a lot of people know about, they haven't gotten a lot of negative press. They're pretty unknown compared to like Blackwater.

Corporations like this they exist on making profits on people being hurt and being killed in places that most Americans will never see and really don't think about. These people are completely disgusting. They come in to work everyday you know dressed in their suits living a nice highlife and don't even think about the fact that the paperwork their filling out is leading to ruining peoples lives, to killing people every single day and know one knows about this, but even if they did, even when you tell people about this they're fairly apathetic because they think it's business as usual just another evil corporation which in a way makes sense, but this particular corporation is even larger, even more violent and worse for the average person then most of the ones which you'll see out there. Which is why we did what we did.

Gerald

"I kicked one of the cops in the nuts three times…"

I was in Stuyvesant apartment complex when these cops where harassing my girlfriend. They threw her against the wall and put her in cuffs and bruised her so I kicked one of the cops in the nuts three times and then spat in another another cops face and then they beat the shit out of me. Bloody and took me off to jail.

Ahh she's just yelling at them, it's a long story. They were trying to take me somewhere, like someplace. But we weren't trespassing. I don't know it's a long story.

Was (she) just yelling at them. They took too much force. They shouldn't have because she's a small little girl. They used excessive force. Her parents came down... and said that she lives here. But I got in trouble because I hit the cops. Actually I'm proud and happy that I hit the cops. They deserve it. I feel better. Now I feel better.

Evan

"Somebody did obviously steal the phone."

They said that I was in possession of stolen property, of a cell phone. So, you know. I bought it off a guy in the street for $10, and I went to return the phone, and got arrested for it. I called the person up, she said she wanted to meet me, I went to meet her, and she was a undercover officer, and they locked me up for it. Yeah, she called me first. She said "do you have my phone?" I said "yes, I have your phone." She said "how much did you pay for the phone?" I told her "ten dollars." She said "well, I'll give you double the amount for the phone back," and I agreed, and she wanted a place to meet, and we met, and it was undercover officers there, and they arrested me, locked me up for possession of stolen property.

I made, like, two phone calls on the phone. I woulda continued to pay for it, no problem, I bought the phone, so...I woulda continued to pay for the service. I mean, eventually somebody would start billing you, if you got a phone, of course. Or, it's gonna turn off. One or the other. I don't know, all they gotta do is call. Yeah, call me and say "who this?" I would say "this is Cori, and I got your phone," or whatever, you know, "I would like to continue services on the phone," or whatever the case may be. I mean, but you can buy phones and then get the service changed on them, you know, so it's nothing. It wasn't like I stole the phone, I didn't steal the phone. Somebody did obviously steal the phone. Possession of stolen property, yeah, right.

She asked me who I was...I met her on 113th St. and 1st Ave., and she explained who she was, and she asked me if I had a phone, I said "yeah," I went to get her phone, whole bunch of police jumped out. Big thing for a little phone. What could I say? They asked me where I get the phone from, I said "I bought it." Never buy phones off the streets. You know, I gotta go to a store and do like everybody else does. I'm not really interested in phones, long as I can make a call, you know?

Cori

"I never sold the dude a bag."

Somebody had gave me a dollar that they owed me for two weeks on 125th. Street and Lexington Avenue and the police they seen it and talk about observed me doing sale. I never sold the dude a bag. The dude told them I never sold a bag of weed. They let him go and kept me. They give me time served for no apparent reason. For a dollar, for a dollar bill. The 25th. Precent is corrupt. man. The Manhattan North Squad this is corrupt, this is corrupt. For no reason they just locking everybody up. They got a thousand people downstairs that's in there for no reason. Cause they think they saw something or they just standing around for no reason. And there charging them for bullshit charges. You know and it's wrong. It's really wrong. And I don't know what else to say. I'm just pissed off. I got another charge for no reason.

He had a bag of weed in his pocket, they didn't catch me with no drugs in my pocket, they caught me with one dollar, one dollar, it's the same dollar that they seen him give him. Was the only dollar I had in my pocket. It's right here, it's right here, thats it. And I'm going through the system for no apparent reason. And this is wrong, you know this dude got let out with no charges against him. I'm the one that's holding the charges and I never sold no marijuana in my life. That hurts my feeling and I don't know what else to say. This wrong, you know. This is wrong, injustice. Somebody needs to do something about that. If you can help make a change. I'll start a rally with you. I'll start a march with you. I'll do something with you. This is serious. They're going all over Harlem picking up people for no apparent reason. Randomly, stopping you. Ay up you looking like you're doing something wrong, well we are going to take you downtown. No reason. Undercovers. These are all undercover cops. They'll sit there and see you from a mile away, talking about they see you doing sale. But how could you seeing me doing sale when I only have a dollar in my pocket. How is that? No drugs no nothing was found on me. He gave me the dollar. No drugs no nothing was found. No nothing. They stripped searched me. No nothing was found. And nobody is helping me. You know. This is wrong. This is wrong. I just wanna go home.

Craig

"The ambulance broke the mans jaw…"

I was proceeding, I was traveling ah eastbound on ah westbound on east 96th. Street off the FDR drive. I was exiting my intersection of a five lane intersection of the uptown traffic of first avenue, a a ambulance was, I was going through my fifth lane of an intersection, all of a sudden an ambulance comes flying through the red light... with his ambulance but without proceeding with caution and clips me in the back rear quarter panel the axel of my Hummer H2 and flipped it up over on its side. I popped the seatbelt and climbed out the sunroof. I said you know I seem to be ok. They said no you go lay down. I said I gotta get my cell phone, I gotta contact people and everything you know. They said, "No lay down, you got hit too hard you have go to the hospital." I said, "Is this by any chance the same ambulance company that hit me?" They said "no". But ahh their all in cahoots. Cause they took me away and the accident report turned around the accident report wound up being false, saying that I entered the intersection late and that I struck the ambulance and decided to flip on my side. You know. Then while I'm in the hospital they put handcuffs on me because I didn't know my license was uh too many points, I paid on line but I didn't realize I didn't pay all the fees and my license is suspended. So I had to come over here to the tombs. And uh by time I got bailed out I was almost in the tombs. I only do weekends, I was never locked up for good, I only do weekends in this city.

They're trying to charge me for injuring three three three three other human beings and two passengers and a pedestrian which I was struck by my side, only reason why I survived was because I was in a big hummer. The ambulance broke the mans jaw or the person that was in the back and the woman that was driving broke her elbow. Maybe because she was on the phone. I dunno. They hit a pedestrian cause my vehicle didn't hit nobody. They said I hit the pedestrian, they said I broke this guys jaw, they said I injured everybody, they won't give me a court appointed lawyer. I have to go against myself. They say ah you not have a good chance. But I'm going to do it anyway. This is the second time representing myself in a case. I'm charged with reckless endangerment.

My hummer it was still ok. But the insurance company considered it totaled because they want to resell it. It has a couple of boo–boos on one side.

Thomas

"I'm a big dude. Why would I hit a 150 pound female."

Um, my girl got me arrested for accusing me I was hitting her, which I wasn't. And um and all of a sudden she called the cops and I got arrested and thank God she didn't put no charges on me so I got to come back in court September 5th. and hopefully I hope everything be all right.

Well cause she dumb like that. She tried to cheat and all that, you know what I'm saying. I was living with her and all that you know. She's um that type of female. I don't what's wrong with her man, for real, seriously. She's um. Yeah man she's a little bit psycho. Yeah. I could say that. But you know.

No I did not. I'm a big dude. Why would I hit a 150 pound female. And she claimed I was carrying a weapon. Where's the weapon? I could say that. They never say about the weapon or what kind of weapon, I didn't have no kind of weapon in my hand. You know what I'm saying. All I'm saying you know and they take me down just like that. And a matter of fact they owe me sixty dollars. I don't know where the hell to go get my sixty dollars.

They took my money because I got a hundred and sixty dollars in my pocket, they say it's so much money for me to carry, to go to jail whatever. Now I've been polling and they say they don't know where the sixty dollars at. I don't what is the point they give me the, this paper for.

Now I've moved on and I've found myself a new apartment so I'm not with her anymore. I found myself a new girl so now I'm good, I'm happy now man. You know. Jail is not a good thing to be man. It is totally uncomfortable. This is my first time and I hope that it will be my last time also. That's about it.

Jean

"I'm being recorded right now of course I ain't do anything…"

I'm being accused of a conspiracy with a big high profile case uptown Manhattan. They got to do with um rapper ....... and um that tied into 132nd., 132nd. and Lenox Avenue and all that got caught up in some big um what they call the New York City rap police and um they raided a car... then they got everybody's ID's and stuff and I guess later on that week they got um fake warrants and tried to hit up the addresses of everybody that was in that car with the rapper. You know. So they bum rushed all of our houses and um didn't catch nothing but um they tried to formulate the case, fabricate the case with him with some gun charges and another rapper that got murder and they got me involved in all types of things right now and all reality the statement to the police the rap police, the narcotics and everything don't say nothing about me but since it's a high profile case right now they trying to get me involved. So now they're changing it 111, August 4th. so we going to be a lot of Paparazzi and everybody out here because you know the rappers are coming too. That's my case.

They saying, they, they, whatever they charging 'em with, all the counts they charging them with and the conspiracies which are manslaughter, murder, putting hits out, drug trafficking, drug distributing, things like that. That's my case also. Conspiracy hold everything together. Conspiracy to murder, conspiracy to drug trafficking articles, 78's, they doing all type of things now. They trying to come with some crossing and within the constitutions over there in Columbia State you know where the border line of, what's that, Maryland and D.C., and all of that? They charging us out there right now with Article IV, which is trafficking from different states into the Columbia District. It's just a whole fucking bullshit. Lawyers just wanna get money from people and judge, district attorney, they wanna work deals and just put a dirty jacket on people you know. Yeah I was in the car we was in a Maybach you know it was a Maybach we was all in there we came from a party. We was out in Jersey and we headed this way but they was trailing us all the way through. And there was um some weed smoking in the car and all that so that gives them other grounds so why stop the car whatever. It was all bullshit though. You know.

Hey. I'm being recorded right now of course I ain't do anything, what am I supposed to say. Supposed to say I did. Ha ha ha.

Juan

"I really don't regret it with the exception of catching AIDS…"

Attempted burglary in the third degree. My my crime is actually getting arrested three weeks after September 11th.. I walked into a building and I'll tell the truth I got high. And I walked back out. The doors are open, they charged me since I was a convicted burglar and a career criminal they said I was gonna break it. I got arrested October 4, 2001. And I had a very incompetent attorney and a judge does not like career criminals.

Sixty in New York State [arrested]. You know but I'm disabled. so I can't work. I've had AIDS for 22 years so what choice do I have. If I get a minimum wage job I'm gonna lose all my benefits, my medication cost over $2500 a month. So if I get a minimum job they'll pay for your medication but they won't pay for your doctors. I can't live on minimum wage job. I couldn't afford a place on minimum wage job. Now the city pays $2000 a month for my rent... they pay $2700 for my medication. Now how am I supposed to be able to get a job when only... I have a union card, I'm a union bug, I'm a carpenter but thats still, I'm not going to have enough money to pay for these things. You're talking about $40,000 a year just for rent and medication.

Now I live on the Grand Concourse, Grand Concourse and Fordam Road in the Bronx. I live in a hotel, SRO hotel. You know it's like the city decided that, Rudolph Giuliani decided that in his infinite wisdom to make these hotel that only AIDS, only people with AIDS live in so they can provide you with social services, but all they did was put you in a hotel with, the majority of people, I'm not from New York originally so you know, my family is not here to help me. Most of these people have done so much dirt so their family won't help them. They're filled, you know they're drug infested, you're trying to do the right thing it's very hard to do that. You know I'm too old to go back to jail. I'm 53. So I do not want to go back to jail anymore. I know if I get high, I'm gonna go do the crack because I don't have money to get high and then it's going to be off to the races and sooner or later I'm going to be back in here in the basement again, my life's going to be over essentially cause next time it's going to be life you know. It's a little late in life.

I mean I was pretty successful. I've haven't done a lot of time in prison. I've went all over the world with the money I've made you know. I'll tell you something. I would not make these choices again but I really don't regret it with the exception of catching AIDS which has really nothing to do with my criminal lifestyle. I enjoyed myself.

Thomas

"I'm a grown woman. I don't like disrespect."

My court case. Nothing just assaults. Some man, I don't know his name to tell you the truth. No. It was self defense, he hit me first and I hit him. I was walking down the street and you know he made a comment about my body and then i said your mother, tried to be slick. And he hit me and I hit him. My butt whatever. Yeah. He called the police. He hit me. I cracked his head. He just gave me a black eye and I cracked his head up with my phone. Then he called the police and I waited for the police and I figured they was going to arrest both of us since I waited and they wound up arresting me. And he never showed up to court today.

I guess I was drunk. I'm a woman. If you want to approach me you talk to me a different way. You know what I mean? You don't talk to someone, you don't try to get somebody's number by saying you got a big butt or nice breasts. You know what I mean. I'm a grown woman. I don't like disrespect.

Nina

"I think this is fucking bullshit actually."

The Republican National Convention, about four years ago I guess now. For disorderly conduct. We were rounded up in ah protests uh and they put us all in holding cells and then I don't know, they put us on our way and now four years later it's coming up in my work background check that um... there's a discrepancy that I had a warrant still out for my arrest but I didn't, they can't even find me in the system, so now I have to go for a criminal background check at One Police Plaza to see if they can find me.

I was brought to um some kind, they took a old bus depot and made it a holding cell for everyone and they just separated the boys and the girls and they took all our information and then they brought to the tombs and we sat there for twenty something hours and then they told us all to like just beat it. And then they gave us court dates.

We were part of a group protesting the way republicans feel about gay marriage and we were having mock marriages all going on over the city. And we were cornered. They took like these gates and cornered us in and they just told everyone they were under arrest and we were in on the sidewalk were they told us to be and we weren't doing anything illegal and they just randomly rounded us all up about 30 or 40 of us, oh no even more 60 of us, yeah and just took us all in. Just bused us all over there. I was fingerprinted.

I think this is fucking bullshit actually. This is ridiculous and me going back and forth like this is so like convoluted and dumb. Its annoying, really annoying. Plus its messing up my work.

John

"They were just spraying pepper spray on the whole crowd…"

I'm coming out of the court down here downtown, 100 Centre Street. The reason why I actually came from, came to court today is because on Friday the thirteenth of last month, I believe there was a party, an altercation outside of a venue that we was coming out of a party from that we had nothing to do with. Over 70 police officers came... they actually have a couple of civil suits going against the police officers because they beat up some of the people in the crowd with like billy clubs and stuff like that. Left them bloody and stuff. They was falsely arresting a lot of people I guess because the crowd wasn't dispersing as fast as they wanted it to, one of which was my wife. I actually went back to ask the police officer why was my wife arrested because she wasn't in the melee. The reason why they actually came over there and they arrested me for that. So thats why I'm here today. On the 21st. of July. Basically.

The charge is disorderly conduct. Disorderly conduct and resisting arrest [wife]. I'm thirty. I work for the post office. I can't even get in trouble because I work for the city. You understand. My wife is a teacher. She can't get into trouble. I really have no respect for police officers after this particular situation. Really because it was unnecessary. It wasn't called for, none of the people who was in the actual fight got arrested at all. We all came outside and saw a whole fight going on and by time police officers came, that was already over and they were just spraying pepper spray on the whole crowd like. It was just unnecessary, the whole thing was unnecessary. They didn't even need to call to have 70 police out there. Ruining it all the time. Always want to enforce their power when they can when there's no need to. All you got to do is ask questions if you ask questions politely and respectfully people will move but when you try to deal with things forcefully, do things people just feel they don't have to do it because they wasn't doing nothing wrong in the first place.

Eugene

"I scam people out of money, that's my occupation."

I previously been convicted of a crime, and the crime was fraudulent accosting. Fraudulent accosting is when you con someone out of some money, when you pull a person in a public street, and con them, convince them something is real that's not real. You understand? Basically, it's called scamming, I scam people out of money, that's my occupation. And that's what I'm here for now. They got a new program called Cases, and I was eligible for that program, and I been convicted and sentenced to three days of Cases, and I'm coming here today to do my last day and to complete the program.

I scam people by approaching them and offering them things that they might want. Drugs, women, et cetera. And if they want it, I'll tell them a story, and make them think that it's real, and get the money from them. Say, for instance, you want girls, I'll tell you I got girls, I got 18 girls, you give 'em two free drinks upstairs, and it'll be any local hotel in the area. And I'll tell you the girls cost $200, and you have to pay $100 for the room deposit, and then you have to pay a extra $50 for the key deposit, so that'll be $350, and I take you to the hotel and get the money from you, and send you on your way. Very simple, it's not hard.

Another scam? A guy may want to buy some drugs, some weed or some coke, or something, and I tell him I got it, I have it hooked up looking like it's real, but it's not real, sometime I keep some real stuff on me they'll check out, and sample it and see that it's good, and you want to spend a lot of money. And I scam 'em that way, also.

I approach another guy on a public street, he may want identification, got a young guy's 15 and under, they want to get in the clubs and stuff like that, and they want identification. And I'll tell them "yeah, I got ID's." Know, a driver's license, all state, and you tell me "OK, I want Jersey," or "I want New York," or "I want Connecticut," and I'll tell them to write they name, they number, they name, they height, they date of birth, everything that you need to put on an ID, and I'll tell them that the ID costs $62, and $18 for the picture, and all together, it's $80. And that's another scam, I get $80 for that.

I don't feel bad about any of it, because most of the people who I do scam, they want to buy illegal things, anyway. Women and drugs, most of them. Fake ID's. All that's illegal. So, as I'm scamming people, scamming them for things that is illegal, anyway. They can go to jail for what they trying to purchase. It pays the bills. It pays the bills, so I'm gonna do it until I find something better. A good job. I'm Afro-American, it's hard to find a good job, I didn't finish high school, I don't have a trade, so I'm doing this right now 'til something better comes along.

Glenn

"Jump the turnstile. Police come."

They say I, I guess they say I turnstile jumped or something like that. I'm not even sure what they say anymore. I paid the fare and I tried to swipe the card and it said insufficient fare. And umm like ah crap you know I just paid I was on 34th. Street and you know it like you know no person in the thing so I walked to the other side where a person is so I told him so I guess he didn't believe me so I paid right in front of him again and swiped again and the same thing happens. So now oh my God I just did it twice. You saw it happen and he's like well like swipe the card let me see what it says. It says like I just swiped like in right in the turnstile in front of him and he tells me that it says that, "I'm like right, you just saw me swipe it". He's like talking crap. So I'm you know I don't want to deal with this I just wanna go home. Jump the turnstile. Police come. They were watching the whole thing. And like I guess they like gotta make quotas. So they like you know what we're gonna take you in. Thats the right thing to do when you pay.

Jay