Justin Adkins, a transgender activist and Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center at Williams College, was arrested as part of the "Occupy Wall Street" protest on October 1 at the Brooklyn Bridge.
In a statement released to the public (read it below), Adkins details his mistreatment by the NYPD because of the fact that he is a transgender man. Adkins said he identified himself as transgender from the moment he was arrested. That, however, did not prevent a humiliating sequence of events from occurring which included a disrespectful genital pat down, being segregated from others arrested at the protest and being placed in a cell with violent criminals, being chained to the wall of the only working restroom in the jail for 8 hours. Being denied three requests for food while others at the protest were fed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and water.
Writes Adkins:
October 3, 2011 1:39pm
My name is justin adkins. I am a transgender man who was arrested at the Occupy WallStreet Protest October 1st on the Brooklyn Bridge. This was my first arrest. This wasthe second weekend I participated in the Occupy Wall Street protest. I have beencoming down on the weekends because I work 2 full-time jobs to make ends meet. Oneof those jobs is as Assistant Director of the Multicultural Center at Williams Collegein Massachusetts.
I was toward the front of the march and after being trapped by the police on the bridgeand, watching as they arrested people one-by-one I went peacefully when it was clear that it was my turn. My arresting officer, Officer Creer, found out I was born femalewhen I yelled that information to the legal observer on the bridge. My arresting officer asked what I meant when I told the legal observer that I was "transgender” I told him thatI was born female. He asked what "I had down there". Since it is a rudeand embarrassing question to ask someone about their genitals no matter what thesituation, I simply told him again "I was born female". He asked, appropriately, if Iwanted a male or female officer to pat me down. I told him it was fine if he patted medown. He then turned and asked a female officer, I believe her name is Officer Verga, topat me down explaining to her that I was transgender. She patted me down and thenpreceded to refer to me as "she" even though I kept correcting her thatmy preferred pronoun is "he". Luckily she disappeared after about 40 minutes, as wesat cuffed at the apex of the Brooklyn Bridge.
Once we arrived at Precinct 90 in Brooklyn, the male officer taking everyone’sbelongings asked if it was ok for him to search me, I said "yes" and he proceeded torespectfully empty my pockets. I was arrested with a group of 5 other guys and oncethey got us to the precinct they initially put me in a cell with the men I was arrested with.They asked if that was ok with me and I said yes. About 5 minutes after they took thecuffs off and shut the cell door an officer came back to the cell to move me. Whenhe opened the door and looked my way I was aware of what was happening. I knewthat my transgender status would potentially be an issue once at the jail, which is why Itold the legal observer that I was transgender. The officer glanced at me motioning tocome out of the cell and then told me to put my hands behind my back as my fellow protestors looked on in wonder.
As we walked out past the other protestors waiting to have their pockets emptied, onewoman looked at me with a puzzled look, we had connected on the long drive aroundBrooklyn as they tried to figure out where to take us. I told her that it looked liketransgender people got "special treatment". Within the first 15 minutes of being atprecinct 90 I was being segregated and treated differently from the rest of the protestorsarrested.
They took me away from the cellblock where they had all of the protestors locked up andbrought me to a room with 2 cells and a bathroom. One small cell was empty and thelarge cell had about 8 men who had been arrested on charges not related to the protest.Unlike me, these men had been arrested for a variety of crimes, some violent. When I entered the room they had me sit down in a chair on the same portion of the wall as therestroom, and then handcuffed my right wrist to a metal handrail. I thought that this wasa temporary arrangement as they tried to find me a separate cell as part of someprotocol regarding transgender people, which I later discovered does not exist in New York City. After about an hour I realized that they had no intention of moving me. Iremained handcuffed to this bar next to the bathroom for the next 8 hours.
The cells, on the other side of the precinct where they had locked up the other 69 protestors, did not have working toilets so every person who had to use the toilet wasbrought to the one next to where they had me locked to the railing. This was not onlydisgusting but also embarrassing. The smell of urine was so strong that I, and the menlocked up in the cell in the room that I was in, mentioned the odor on more thanone occasion.
Once they started bringing women in to use the bathrooms, a short young female officer,who was in charge of people locked up in the room where I was handcuffed, harshlyturned my chair around with my arm still locked to the railing but now pinned behind myback. She said that she knew it hurt but that they were bringing in women to use the restroom and she could not have me watching. I had no interest in watching anyone usethe bathroom, and every-time a male had come into use the restroom I had respectfullyturned away. This process of people coming in and out to use the restroom went on for the full 8 hours.
I was distinctly treated differently than the other protestors during my entire time at Precinct 90 in Brooklyn. At one point in the night all of the protestors were given apeanut butter sandwich and water. I asked for a sandwich three times but of all of theofficers who came in and out of the room where I was handcuffed never acknowledgedmy request. I think this was because when I asked for a sandwich the men locked up inthe room I was in asked for one too. I do not know when or how long those men werebeing held but I was there for eight hours and had sat on the bridge for about 2 hoursand was never once offered water or a sandwich when my fellow protestors received both.
At one point the woman I had spoken with earlier was brought into use the toilet. Whenshe entered the room she looked shocked and asked why I was attached to the railing. Itold her again that it was the "transgender special". She clearly understood that I wasbeing discriminated against because of my transgender status. She asked the femaleofficer in the room why I couldn't be given my own cell and the officer said "you don'tknow why he is locked up here” the woman said that she did know and that I should atleast be given my own cell if they were not going to house me with the male protestors Iwas originally arrested with.
Throughout the night it became clear that they wanted my fellow protestors to think that Idid something criminally wrong. That I had done something different from them. That Iwas not just a peaceful protestor exercising my rights on that bridge. That I deserved tobe handcuffed to a railing in the side of the precinct with violent criminals. Everyoneseemed to wonder why I had been separated. When other officers chatted amongst themselves about why I was separated, one officer suspected aloud that I was a"ringleader". The woman officer stood a few times outside the glass wall with the door open as male officers asked about me. It appeared that she told them that I wastransgender as they gawked, giggled and stared at me. This was embarrassing and humiliating. Only I have the right to out myself as a transgender person. She was using my identity to get a laugh with men who she thought would findme curious and freakish. It felt at these times that I was behind the glass of a freakshow where people could come look at the funny transgender guy. I decided that whenthey looked at me giggling I would just catch them off guard and wave. It at least madethe time go bye.
At one point in the night a young man who had participated in the earlier NYC Slutwalkmarch to protest against explaining or excusing rape by referring to a women's clothing,came into use the bathroom wearing a mini-skirt. He was one of the protestors arrestedwith me on the bridge in the Occupy Wall Street March. The officer escorting himstarted poking fun at his mini-skirt at which point I explained that he looked good and theskirt was fine. When he sat down to go to the bathroom the officers laughed even moresaying that they had "seen everything tonight". The attitude of the officers made merealize that as much as I needed to urinate it would not be a good idea to do so. Thespace did not feel safe. By the time I was released I had not gone to the bathroom for 11 hours.
I was more than comfortable and safe with the 3 men I was initially put in a cell with.They were nice and we had a lot in common. If the officers concern was aboutmy safety, I perceived I was in much more danger in the accommodations they gave meaway from my fellow protestors. Additionally, I was made fun of and treated differentlythroughout the entire process. At about 2 am I was released with a desk appearance ticket and charged with disorderlyconduct. To my knowledge I was the only one out of 70 processed at Precinct 90 whoonly received only one ticket. The rest received 2 or 3 tickets mostly including refusingto disperse and blocking a roadway. Why was I treated differently than the other 69protestors? The only reason that I was treated differently was that I was transgender.
The NYC police department needs to have a protocol and train its officers on how totreat transgender people. No one should experiencethe blatant discrimination and embarrassment that I did. -justin adkins justinadkins@justinadkins.com
http://www.towleroad.com/2011/10/transgender-occupy-wall-street-protester-segregated-humiliated-by-nypd-during-arrest-detention.html
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