“Justice cries out for a dismissal”
By Megan Thompson
Late at night on October 7th, social media posts and photos began documenting what appeared to be police loading United States veterans into the back of a police vehicle. One post stated:
“War veterans being loaded into a police van tonight after being arrested for refusing to leave the NYC Vietnam Veterans Memorial Plaza when it closed while they were reading off the names of fallen soldiers and victims of war. It is the 12th anniversary of the beginning of the Afghanistan war, and they were demanding an end to all wars.”
A YouTube video was also uploaded showing a veteran explaining to the police that he wanted them to know why he was there. The post also states that “Among the 19 people arrested, there were veterans of World War II, in their 80s.”
The arrest appears to be because the veterans and other protestors refused to leave the Memorial after it closed at 10 pm. Police warned the individuals several times before making arrests, but it is apparent that their intentions were to disobey orders. The Veterans For Peace group had applied for a permit for their annual protest but were denied. As the protestors were being arrested and loaded into the police vehicle, others continued to read the names of the fallen and started chanting “Whose side are you on?”
Whose side are we on? I am perturbed that in a city with thousands of violent and property crimes committed every year, the police saw a priority in arresting non-violent protestors: men and women who had served their country and were sharing a message of peace. Even amid the chaos of a partial government shutdown, special attention was given to ensure that these people didn’t get to complete their anti-war protest. It seems fundamentally wrong to watch veterans arrested for refusing to leave a Memorial that was dedicated to them. We as Americans owe the men and women that served our country more respect than was shown by the NYPD.
The Veterans knew they might face arrest. In fact, members of Veterans For Peace staged a similar protest on the same anniversary of the Afghanistan war last year and more than a dozen people were arrested. Their cases were taken to court this July and they were convicted of park trespassing after defying the NYPD order to leave the park after 10pm. But immediately after the convictions, the judge threw out the guilty verdicts he had just given, saying “Justice cries out for a dismissal.” He dismissed several other minor charges and ended on a note warning the individuals that it was a “one-time deal” and to not enter the park after 10pm again.
The judge involved saw reason and did not see the Veterans’ behavior as criminal or worthy of punishment. I’m sure the veterans are wondering what kind of response they will receive the second time around. It seems that the desire to share their message and not let history be forgotten outweighs any potential legal repercussions. Several went so far as to handcuff themselves in protest. They even took the opportunity to try to reason with and educate the police that arrested them, explaining why they were there and that they didn’t want history to go “un-told.” But to the men in uniform, orders were orders. And thus erupted the chants of “Whose side are you on?”
Whose side are we on? Do we enforce laws simply because they are currently in place or do we make exceptions like the judge did in July? Why was the protest a priority for the NYPD despite the inevitability of greater crimes being committed somewhere else? Who really owns the Vietnam Memorial in New York City? The veterans stated that it was theirs and indeed, it was dedicated to them. Their time served during the war had no time-outs. The memory of their friends lost while fighting a war they now see as unjust does not dissipate at 10pm every day. But the memorial dedicated to their service does. And when the clock strikes 10 p.m., they are left without a voice and greeted with handcuffs. I simply cannot agree with the decision of the NYPD to arrest the veterans at their own memorial. It does not reflect the spirit of American freedom and shows little respect for those who have fought to preserve it.
Author bio: Megan Thompson is a Young Voices Advocate and the marketing manager for Source One Contract, a commercial sales company based in Columbus, Ohio. She has worked with third-party organizations in Ohio,
facilitating and designing billboards during the 2012 elections. She is currently pursuing her Associate of Arts at Columbus State Community College. Her work has been published by JAGtv.
