Marie Mott is taking Chattanooga by storm as the host of the Marie Mott show on 92.7 FM weekdays at 11 a.m. at NoogaRadio. (Photo David Tulis)
I’ve been arrested only once in my life and it was this year. Many of the assumptions we have about guilt, police, and people of color are based in racism and an acceptance of unconstitutional habits at the hands of government.
By Marie Mott / 92.7 NoogaRadio
I found myself not believed about an incident and an officer decided I should be in cuffs and go to jail. You just don’t understand, until that gate closes and you get pulled out of the car, what is about to happen to you.
Patted down as if you’re guilty, and tossed into a cell with 5 other woman. It was a Friday and given whatever the officer told the magistrate, he decided for my first time getting arrested my bail should be $10,500.
Fair?
Not even close, and the bondsman said so.
I had the money to pay it, but why so much if I had never been in trouble? The system isn’t quick by any means, so I ended up being put back into cuffs, thrown into a van with no seatbelts and carted to CoreCivic and tossed into a freezing cold holding cell.
No blanket. No water. Nobody asking if I need or take medication.
Arrestee Marie Mott, 2018. She plans to run for mayor on a reformist agenda.
My bail was paid, but God let me see how poorly those who Constitutionally are presumed innocent are treated. I had to strip and change into inmate attire as I waited for my bail to process. Still, no blanket. No food. No water. Nobody to ask if I take or needed medication.
Finally, I made bail but would leave others I had talked to for 12 hours behind because they couldn’t make bail. The moral of the story is the moment an officer shows up, they don’t bring peace with them.
Bail for people of color such as myself is always excessive, regardless of prior history. Innocent people make up the majority of those in prison, they are just too poor to make bail. The system doesn’t need change. It must be broken.
All charges were dropped, but did I get my money, my time, and my dignity back?
Marie, you have a delightful smile in the top photo. With that smile, no one can take your dignity!
“The moment an officer shows up, they don’t bring peace with them.”
That was a great and memorable line.
May the Lord grant you His grace.
Probable cause is all that is needed for an arrest. Not guilt or innocence. The officer didn’t believe you? That doesn’t matter. Post the arrest report so we can see what he/she was working with. To complain about being searched, wearing a jumpsuit, and wearing handcuffs is ridiculous.
If you’re going to jail, you should expect that. Despite what you wrote, the majority of people going to jail are not innocent. Of course, it does happen that someone slips through but that is what we have the entire court system for. And you should be happy because it appears the court system worked in your favor.
The bail appears high, but, again, we don’t know the particulars of the situation listed in the arrest report. Your criminal record is only a part of what goes into the magistrate’s thinking.