A 22-year-old preschool teacher was arrested by police in Grand Rapids, Michigan, moments after finishing a televised interview in which she criticized President Donald Trump and the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
The arrest, which happened on camera, has sparked renewed debate about protest policing and free speech in the United States.
Highlights
- Jessica Plichta, a 22-year-old preschool teacher, was arrested on camera after a TV interview criticizing Trump and U.S. actions in Venezuela.
- Plichta was charged with obstructing a roadway and failure to obey a lawful command during a protest against Maduro's detention.
- She believes her arrest was politically motivated, given that it happened immediately after her televised criticism of U.S. policy.
Jessica Plichta was speaking to WZZM, the local ABC affiliate, on Saturday during an anti-war protest.
A preschool teacher was arrested moments after a TV interview in which she criticized Donald Trump
Image credits: 13OYS/YouTube
The protest followed the detention of Maduro by U.S. forces earlier in the day. About 200 people attended the demonstration, according to Plichta.
As the interview ended, two police officers approached Plichta from behind and took her into custody. Video footage showed officers escorting her away while she said, “I am not resisting arrest.”
WZZM reported that police cited Plichta for “obstructing a roadway and failure to obey a lawful command.” She was later charged with failure to obey a lawful command.
Plichta said she believes her arrest was linked to the interview. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence that as soon as I finished an interview speaking on Venezuela, I was arrested,” she told the outlet Zeteo. She said she was the only person arrested during the protest.
According to Plichta, officers placed her in the back of a patrol car without fastening her seat belt and drove her a short distance away from the protest and television cameras.
She said officers then removed her from the car, searched her, and took her personal belongings. She recalled one officer telling her they moved her because she was “making a scene.”
Plichta also said officers repeatedly questioned her, asking if she was from Venezuela, what her connection to Venezuela was, and why she was attending the protest. She added that they attempted to get her to identify other demonstrators.
“We are so accustomed to, and used to, repression when we speak out on anti-war topics. When we speak out for Venezuela, when we speak out for Palestine, we expect the police to want to shut that down,” Plichta told Zeteo.
She added, “It just shows how much they feel they can get away with things, how easy it is for them to isolate people from the public eye when they’re doing this.”
Plichta said she stayed mostly silent while officers transported her to jail, but added that the same questions continued after her arrival. Police released her about three hours later.
Jessica Plichta said officers questioned her about her connection to Venezuela
Image credits: grandrapids_alliance/Instagram
Video shared on social media showed Plichta raising her fist and celebrating as fellow protesters greeted her outside.
The Grand Rapids Police Department disputed Plichta’s account in a statement to Zeteo. The department said that the protesters “refused lawful orders” to move to the sidewalk and “began blocking intersections.”
The department told 13 On Your Side that the protesters refused over 25 announcements from a cruiser’s PA system to get off the road.
“Patrol officers consulted with their sergeant and the watch commander, who informed the officers that if the individuals could be located, they were subject to arrest,” a spokesperson for the department said.
Image credits: The White House/Flickr
“People will claim that a street march is horrible, but you know what? A street march, a peaceful march in the streets, is far more peaceful when the world is escalating violence at a drastic rate,” Plichta said, 13 On Your Side reported.
The arrest occurred as the Trump administration has been trying to promote the operation that led to Maduro’s kidnapping.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll found that about one-third of Americans approve of the U.S. action, while 72% worry the country could become too involved overseas.