It's not just black guys... I got arrested for tresspassing, too

This doesn't just happen to black guys.  I was arrested for trespassing 30 seconds after BUYING a pack of donuts at the Adli grocery store on Peter's Creek here in Winston-Salem last fall.  I was asked to leave the property because I used to go there and ask people to push their shopping carts back in exchange for the quarter.  At Aldi's you have to put a quarter in your cart to release it, and you get the quarter back when you lock your cart to the others.  Most people were happy to let me return their cart.  I also gave quarters to elderly and disabled people and took their carts back for free.  

After I left the property, I went back in, during business hours, bought and paid for a pack of donuts with the off duty police officer working security watching me.  I was arrested for trespassing and resisting arrest.  I haven't blogged about this because my court is not over yet concerning this.

Unlike the guys above, my charges weren't dropped.  I spent three days in jail, 23 hours in a cell, 1 hour out, without my depression meds all three days.  On the third night, a federal prison inmate, headed back to fed prison, was put in my cell.  Luckily we got along, and nothing bad happened.  I had never been arrested and done time in jail in my 51 year life.

My charges were not dropped, but because it was my first offense, I qualified for some program where I have to do 50 hours of community service, pay a $250 fine, and keep out of trouble until early June, and the charge will be wiped from my record.  I didn't finish my community service by the initial deadline, but got 19 hours done.  I am banned from the property of every Aldi store (which I was a regular customer of) in the state of North Carolina.  I may face some other punishment when I go in front of the judge for the final time, I don't know.  Why did all this happen?  Because I'm currently homeless.  Because I'm in North Carolina, the officer's body cam footage is not available to anyone but the police and lawyers.

I'll finish my community service and pay the fine.  I'll deal with whatever other punishment may come from missing the deadline, or, more likely, from writing this blog post and telling my story.  Personally, I think this whole thing is ridiculous.  But I'll deal with the consequences.  I never got to eat the damn donuts, either.  Bummer.

Not everyone arrested for trespassing gets in the national news, or gets their charges dropped.  Most don't.

Update- 4/19/2018- "This is not a black people thing, this is a people thing."  That, from one of the guys arrested in Philly.  Here's the link to the CNBC article.