She Protested In Seattle, Then Spent 2 'Terrifying' Days In Jail

SEATTLE, WA — Last Sunday, May 31, Joan Fochs got the call to shut down early at the Interbay grocery store where she works, as the city braced for another night of protests against police violence. She closed up shop, packed up water bottles and baking soda to protect against tear gas, and headed downtown to join the crowds.

“As a transgender person I identify with all persecuted minorities,” explained Fochs, 23, who has been living as a woman for over two years. George Floyd’s death at the hands of Minneapolis police confirmed her belief that American police too often act with impunity, she said.

She met up with a group of protesters around 9:30 p.m. They hadn’t gone far when a group of Seattle police officers on bicycles swerved in front of the group, telling them to disperse.

As one officer rode straight toward Fochs, she crossed her arms in front of her chest, bracing for impact. To her relief, the officer stopped just short of her, she said. Then he made a surprising pronouncement.

“He said, ‘You’re under arrest. You assaulted me,’” Fochs recalled. In a statement, she said, the officer accused Fochs of trying to dismount him from his bicycle while being out past the city’s 5 p.m. curfew. She was booked on suspicion of assault, denied bail, and brought to the King County Correctional Facility around 2 a.m. Monday.

With that began a traumatic, two-day ordeal for Fochs, in which she says she was improperly housed with male inmates, repeatedly sexually harassed and largely ignored by jail staff when she voiced concerns for her safety and mental health. She has not been charged with a crime.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/she-protested-in-seattle-then-spent-2-terrifying-days-in-jail/ar-BB15cHNr?ocid=hplocalnews