“Are You Arrestable?”

The Cleanest Line

This article follows a woman, Sarah Hartigan, environmental activist, peaceful protest training with a program called Extinction Rebellion in Studio City, California. When signing up she was asked if she was willing to be arrested; she answered “yes”. 

From this article I learned you can be arrested and face serious punishment in some cases, just for “civil disobedience” and that even touching a police officer can be considered “battery”. The article also expressed your power in remaining silent when being arrested. 

I believe the main point of this piece was to educate the public on the importance of safe and legal vs illegal protesting habits in the age of environmental activism. 

The article reminded me of walk-outs in high school. We had some for gun violence and some for environmental activism. If you walked out you would get written up for ditching class and it would go on your transcripts. People had to decide if they felt the cause was worth fighting for, like how Hartigan had to decide if protesting was worth getting arrested for. I can admit I was willing to take a “cut” on my transcripts. I’m not sure if I am brave enough to take an “arrest” on my record. I admire those who can more than anyone.