Your Rights Don't Disappear When You're In Handcuffs

via Peakpx

William Anderson
September 27, 2019

You have the right to remain SILENT. You’ve probably heard that before, but that’s because it’s true, and it’s YOUR RIGHT. You can make a request to speak with your lawyer and not say anything else. This is just one of the important things to remember if you’re getting arrested.

Anything you say to the police WILL be used AGAINST you. So, it’s better to say nothing than give incorrect information or possibly incriminate yourself, even if you didn’t do anything wrong. You have the right to a local phone call, and police shouldn’t be listening in on your conversation. 

The ACLU warns: “Do not resist arrest, even if you believe the arrest is unfair. Follow the officers’ commands.” If you’re being violated: “Write down everything you remember, including officers’ badge and patrol car numbers, which agency the officers were from, and any other details.”

When you can, you have the right to make a complaint to the appropriate authorities with the agency that placed you under arrest. Remember to try to retain as much information as you can, including the numbers of friends and relatives in case you end up in a jail cell!

Have discussions with your family and friends about what to do if you’re arrested. You don’t have to wait until it actually happens - and trust, it can happen to ANY of us.

We have a quick favor to ask:

PushBlack is a nonprofit dedicated to raising up Black voices. We are a small team but we have an outsized impact:

  • We reach tens of millions of people with our BLACK NEWS & HISTORY STORIES every year.
  • We fight for CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORM to protect our community.
  • We run VOTING CAMPAIGNS that reach over 10 million African-Americans across the country.

And as a nonprofit, we rely on small donations from subscribers like you.

With as little as $5 a month, you can help PushBlack raise up Black voices. It only takes a minute, so will you please ?

Share This Article: